The Phantom Carriage with Jonathan Richman April 27, 2007

Music Meets Movies at the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival in Distinctive Live & Onstage Events.

Death’s wheels are driven by the last sinner to die before year’s end in master Swedish director Victor Sjöström’s surrealistic silent film classic, which rides again with a new score composed and performed live by local music icon Jonathan Richman.

One of the most highly regarded films of the silent era, Victor Sjöström’s The Phantom Carriage rides again with a new score composed and presented live by local icon Jonathan Richman. Based on Selma Lagerlöf’s rendition of a Swedish folktale, this moody, surrealistic spooker takes its title from Death’s favorite mode of transportation, which must be driven by the last sinner to die before year’s end. Sjöström both directs and stars in the film, fashioning a supernatural morality tale replete with atmospheric lighting and superimposition effects that were ahead of their time in 1921 and still chill today. He plays David Holm, a belligerent drunkard who must contend with past misdeeds of pettiness and alcoholism as he gathers the souls of the dead. Will he roam the roads forever as a ghostly driver or achieve salvation beyond Death’s spectre? This suspenseful, visually arresting classic was shot by masterful cinematographer Julius Jaenzon and will be screened in a gorgeous new 35mm print specially created for world cinema distributor Janus Films’s 50-year anniversary. Just as special is beloved singer/songwriter Richman’s wildly imaginative score, which he will perform live in the suitably majestic Castro Theatre as Sjöström’s dark tale unfolds in all its silent glory. Richman, who led seminal ’70s band the Modern Lovers and serenaded Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz in There’s Something About Mary, selected The Phantom Carriage from a number of silent-era contenders for its timeless themes: No bad deed goes unpunished, and Death has a wicked sense of humor.

The Phantom Carriage with Jonathan Richman
Friday, April 27 at 7:00 pm Castro Theatre
Tickets: $20 general/$15 San Francisco Film Society members
Part of the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 26 – May 10)
For tickets, visit www.sffs.org or call 925.866.9559.

The 50th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 26 – May 10) features several special film programs with live musical accompaniment at the historic Castro Theatre. From iconic rocker Jonathan Richman debuting an original score for a 1921 silent Swedish classic to a 13-piece ensemble performing to Guy Maddin’s latest avant-garde feature narrated live by Joan Chen, the International seeks to let audiences experience film in new ways.

Official Website: http://www.sffs.org