Anything But Silent: the Adventures of Prince Achmed (Germany, 1926) December 11, 2008

When Lotte Reiniger's 'The Adventures of Prince Achmed' premiered in Germany in 1926, it was hailed as the first full-length animated film. More than eighty years later, this enchanting film still stands as one of the great classics of animation. Taken from 'The Arabian Nights,' the film tells the story of a wicked sorcerer who tricks Prince Achmed into mounting a magical flying horse and sends the rider off on a flight to his death. But the prince foils the magician's plan, and soars headlong into a series of wondrous adventures. For over two decades Ben Model has served as resident silent film accompanist for The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Ben composes and improvises all his own scores and performs in a style that both evokes the silent era and reflects a contemporary (and younger) audience's appreciation of music and film scoring.