BRATTLEBORO — Alfred Hitchcock's last silent film, "Blackmail!" (1929), and Lois Weber's "Suspense!" (1913), two masterpieces of early cinema, will be shown at 8 p.m. on March 18, at Epsilon Spires. This event kicks off the spring 2023 series of silent films screened with live musical accompaniment in Epsilon Spires' converted historic chapel.
"Blackmail!" will run for 76 minutes and follows the travails of a young woman who kills a man while defending herself from assault and is then blackmailed by an opportunistic witness to the act. In this early Hitchcock film, many of the auteur's signatures are already evident: a young blond woman in peril, a climactic chase scene in a culturally significant location, and a penchant for innovation and experimentation.
In the spirit of Women's History Month, the evening opens with the short 10-minute thriller, "Suspense!" in which early feminist film pioneer Lois Weber uses an innovative split screen, inventive point-of-view shots and a high-speed car chase to tell the story of a young husband trying desperately to save his wife and child from a home invasion.
Live musical accompaniment will be provided by organist Dennis James on Epsilon Spires' historic Estey pipe organ.
Tickets for this event start at $5 on a sliding scale and go up to $20. Tickets are available for purchase at epsilonspires.com. $2 from every ticket goes directly towards the historic preservation of the venue. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact Executive Director Jamie Mohr at jamie.mohr78@gmail.com.
