Patchogue Theatre Presents Silent Film: THE GENERAL with Live Organ Music By Ben Model

Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts presents the silent film The General (1926) with Buster Keaton, featuring live organ music by Ben Model on Friday, November 8 at 8pm. Tickets are $20, plus applicable fees. For more information, visit PatchogueTheatre.org, call the Patchogue Theatre Box Office at 631-207-1313, or stop by 71 East Main Street, Patchogue, NY.

Some of the most iconic films ever made were produced in the pre-sound era. But silent films were never intended to be enjoyed in silence. Experience a silent film with accompaniment by composer/accompanist and historian Ben Model as he plays a live organ score of his own devising to the film The General. The film stars Buster Keaton as young Johnny Gray, seeking to redeem himself from rejection by the Confederate army and from perceived cowardice by his beloved Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack).

Ben Model works full-time presenting and accompanying silent films in a wide variety of venues around the USA and internationally, carrying on a tradition he learned from silent film organist Lee Erwin (1919-2000).

Over the past 30+ years Ben has created and performed live scores for several hundred silent films, films lasting anywhere from one minute to five hours. Ben is a resident film accompanist at the Museum of Modern Art (NY) and at the Library of Congress' Packard Campus Theatre, and performs at theatres, museums, schools and other venues around the US and internationally.

His recorded scores can be heard on numerous DVD/Blu-Ray releases, on TCM and on his YouTube channel. His indie DVD label Undercrank Productions has released several discs of rare/lost silent films, including films preserved by the Library of Congress.

Ben is a regular accompanist at classic film festivals around the U.S.A. and internationally, and performs at universities, museums, and historic theaters. Ben is the producer and co-founder of The Silent Clowns Film Series, now in its 19th season in NYC. Ben has composed film scores for both orchestra and concert band for accompaniment to films by Chaplin and Keaton. These scores are performed around the U.S. every year by professional and school ensembles.

As a film programmer, Ben has co-curated film series for The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and co-programs a monthly silent film series at the Cinema Arts Center. As the archivist of the Ernie Kovacs/Edie Adams collection, he has curated two recent DVD box sets of Ernie Kovacs television shows for Shout! Factory, and was instrumental in the Library of Congress' acquisition of the Kovacs film and videotape elements for preservation in 2015.

Ben Model is currently a Visiting Professor of Film Studies at Wesleyan University.

The historic crown jewel of downtown Patchogue, Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts (PTPA), first opened in 1923 as the largest theatre in Suffolk County. Ninety-five years since its construction, Patchogue Theatre has been through multiple renovations, including a $1.15 million renovation of its interior in 2016 with the installation of over 1,000 new seats, and the addition of a state-of-the-art LED marquee to its exterior in 2018. PTPA has produced more performances and welcomed more patrons than ever before during its 2018 season. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the revitalization and reopening of Patchogue Theatre's doors since standing abandoned for nearly a decade. Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts (organization name: Patchogue Village Center for the Performing Arts) operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization. Our mission is to enrich, educate, and entertain a diverse audience by cultivating and showcasing a broad variety of performing artists. Patchogue Theatre serves as an innovative cultural resource for its community and the Long Island region by collaborating with neighboring organizations and fostering educational opportunities. Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts is located at 71 East Main Street in Patchogue, N.Y., and can be reached at 631-207-1313 or by visiting PatchogueTheatre.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.