The Silent Film Society of Chicago

 

                                                       

  The Silent Film
Society of Chicago
4050 N. Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 205-SFSC

 

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Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 3:00 p.m.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

The Silent Film Society of Chicago proudly presents The Adventures of Prince Achmed, a first-of-its-kind feature length animated film by Lotte Reiniger, at its annual fundraiser on Sunday, May 16 at the Portage Theater in Chicago. Proceeds from the event will go toward the continued restoration of the Portage Theater's Grande Cinema Organ. Acclaimed photoplay organist Jay Warren will provide live theater accompaniment and filmmaker Jacqueline Smessaert Brennan will introduce the film. Show time is 3:00 p.m.

About the film
The Adventures of Prince Achmed is the genius of German animator Lotte Reiniger. The 1926 feature-length film is the oldest surviving film of its kind and is based on the stories from One Thousand and One Nights, better known in the United States as the Arabian Nights. In this tale, an evil African sorcerer tricks a young prince name Achmed into riding a wild magical flying horse which he does not know how to control The sorcerer assumes that the Prince will be thrown from the horse and plunge to his death. Somehow Prince Achmed manages to tame the beast and is whisked away into adventures with Aladdin, the Witch of the Fiery Mountains, and the beautiful Princess Pari Banu.

It took Reiniger three years to complete the color-tinted film. Although it failed to find a distributor for nearly a year, once it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, it became a critical and popular success.

Film Introduction
The film will be introduced by Jacqueline Smessaert Brennan, an animator and filmmaker. Brennan studied film at the University of Illinois and has worked in all forms of animation, including clay, stop motion, tradition cel and 3D-computer animation. Brennan has worked on several award-winning independent films, including Stubble Trouble (nominated for an Academy Award in 2001), Amerikan Passport (Best documentary at the Slamdance Film Festival), and The Secret (voted best feature film at the Rhode Island Film Festival, Moondance International Film Festival and Flickapalooza) as well as several national advertising campaigns. Her directorial debut film BOTNIK! won the award for Best Animation at the 2009 Beverly Hills Film Festival.

About Jay Warren
Chicago's foremost silent photoplay organist is regularly featured at the Silent Film Society of Chicago events, including the highly regarded SILENT SUMMERŪ Film Festival. Warren has also been a guest photoplay organist at the University of Chicago's Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, playing the $2 million restored E. M. Skinner pipe organ. Warren will provide live accompaniment to The Adventures of Prince Achmed on the Portage Theater's Magnificent Portage Grande Cinema Organ, which was rescued from another theater and was restored to its former glory.

Ticket Info
Regular advance tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and students and $5 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at the Portage Theater box office at 4050 N. Milwaukee Avenue and at the City Newsstand at 4018 N. Cicero. All tickets day of show are $12. Contact the SFSC box office for details at 773-205-SFSC. You may also pay in advance using PayPal below.

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Please note: Orders received after Sunday, May 9, 2010, will be held at the will-call window for pick up beginning one hour before the show.