The world-renowned Alloy Orchestra is returning to the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center to perform an original score for the digitally restored, 1925 silent film “Varieté.”
The three-man musical ensemble will take the stage for the 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 showing of the film. Also opening at the Ross on Oct. 7 is Werner Herzog’s documentary “Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World” and the thought-provoking “Mia Madre.”
Working with an outrageous assemblage of peculiar objects, the Alloy Orchestra thrash and grind soulful music as live accompaniment to classic silent films. The group has performed at prestigious film festivals and cultural centers around the world, helping revive some of the great masterpieces of the silent era. For more information on the orchestra, click here.
“Varieté,” a film by E.A Dupont, tells the story of former trapeze artist “Boss” Huller, who leaves his wife and child to go to Berlin with the younger and seductive Berta-Marie. The two become the lead attraction at Berlin’s famed Wintergarten. They perform as a trio with trapeze artist Artinelli, until Huller realizes Berta Marie is cheating on him with their partner.
“Lo and Behold” takes viewers on a journey through a series of provocative conversations that reveal the ways in which the online world has transformed how virtually everything in the real world works — from business to education, space travel to healthcare, and the very heart of how we conduct personal relationships.
The film, which is rated PG-13 for strong language and some thematic elements, shows through Oct. 13.
Directed by Nanni Moretti, “Mia Madre” follows Margherita, a harried film director trying to juggle the demands of her latest movie and a personal life in crisis.
The star of Margherita’s film, a charming but hammy American actor imported for the production, initially presents nothing but headaches and the crew is close to mutiny. Away from the shoot, Margherita tries to hold her life together as her mother’s illness progresses and her teenage daughter grows ever more distant.
“Mia Madre” premiered in the main competition of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Ecumenical Jury prize. The film, which is rated R for language, shows at the Ross through Oct. 13.
For more information on films showing at the Ross, click here or call 402-472-5353.
