Buster Keaton's locomotive chase, Jean Renoir's last Hollywood film and a Depression-era story of teenagers riding freight trains are returning to theaters this month in prints supplied by the Library of Congress. The screenings stretch from Chicago to Seattle, with a separate nitrate-film weekend in Rochester, New York.
The Library's November loan list, published November 1, includes these in-person engagements. All times below are local to the venue.
Chicago: Keaton with live organ accompaniment
Music Box Theatre will show The General on Sunday, November 8, at 11:30 a.m. in Theater 1. The 79-minute silent film screens on 35mm, with live accompaniment by house organist Dennis Scott. The theater credits the Library of Congress with restoring the print.
Keaton plays a locomotive engineer whose engine is stolen by Union soldiers during the Civil War. His pursuit supplies the film's extended train chase. Keaton and Clyde Bruckman share directing and writing credits, and Marion Mack stars alongside Keaton. Music Box is billing the engagement as a 100th-anniversary screening of the 1926 film.
The live organ performance is part of this particular show. Music Box lists the address as 3733 N. Southport Ave., Chicago, and its film page links directly to the 11:30 a.m. ticket option.
New York: Renoir's restored final Hollywood film
Metrograph lists The Woman on the Beach for Sunday, November 15, at 6 p.m. The 1947 film runs 71 minutes and will screen on a 35mm print courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Robert Ryan plays a Coast Guard officer troubled by a maritime tragedy who becomes involved with Joan Bennett's character, the wife of a blind painter. The film was Renoir's final Hollywood feature. Metrograph places the screening in its Neuro-Noir series and credits the Library of Congress and The Film Foundation with the restoration, funded by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.
Metrograph's page has a ticket link for the November 15 performance; its membership advertisement does not establish the general-admission price for this screening.
Maryland: two films within a larger weekend
AFI Silver in Silver Spring will show Rain on Friday, November 13, at 1 p.m., and Three on a Match on Sunday, November 15, at 1:30 p.m., according to its festival lineup. The Library lists Rain as a digital cinema package and Three on a Match as 35mm. The AFI program also marks the latter as a 35mm presentation.
They are part of the November 12 to 15 Classic Film Weekend, co-curated by film historian David Pierce. AFI lists individual tickets at $15 and a $200 combined pass covering the weekend and its Silent Cinema Showcase. At those posted prices, two individual tickets total $30, or $170 less than the combined pass. The pass covers a much larger program, so attending only these two films would not justify its price on admission cost alone.
AFI Silver is at 8633 Colesville Road. Silver Cinema Club discounts are currently available in person only, according to the festival page.
Seattle: two chances to see Wild Boys of the Road
SIFF Film Center lists William Wellman's Wild Boys of the Road on Monday, November 16, and Thursday, November 19, both at 7 p.m. The 1933 film runs 67 minutes, and SIFF identifies the 35mm print as a Library of Congress loan.
The story follows two teenagers who leave home and ride freight trains to reduce the burden on their families during the Great Depression. Its cast includes Frankie Darro, Edwin Phillips and Rochelle Hudson. The screening belongs to SIFF's The Open Road program. Unlike the single dates listed for Chicago and Metrograph, Seattle offers two evenings for this title. SIFF directs buyers to select a showtime for pricing and tickets.
Rochester: nitrate screenings have separate ticket rules
The Dryden Theatre's November Nitrate Weekend runs November 20 and 21. The Library's loans include Daisy Kenyon and Hamlet, screening November 21 at 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively. The museum identifies both as 35mm nitrate presentations.
The four-film weekend draws on the George Eastman Museum and Library of Congress collections. Other screenings are Mutiny on the Bounty on November 20 at 7:30 p.m. and A Star Is Born on November 21 at 1 p.m. Tickets are sold individually, but the museum says its Admit One and Take-10 passes are not valid and complimentary admission is unavailable for these engagements.
Pennsylvania: two loans already marked sold out
The Library also lists The Man with the Golden Arm on November 14 and Humoresque on November 15 at Ambler Theater. The theater's NOIR CITY program marks both 35mm screenings sold out, along with full weekend passes. Other individual films in the November 13 to 15 festival still have ticket links. A place on the Library's loan list does not establish that seats remain available.
