Phantom of the Opera screening to celebrate 100 years of the film with a live band
A century ago, audiences filled theaters to experience the thrilling murder and mayhem of “The Phantom of the Opera” put to screen for the first time.
Early screenings were reportedly accompanied by a concert orchestra playing an original score by Joseph Carl Breil. That music has been lost to time.
On Monday, Salem audiences will enjoy the film’s same twists and turns from 1925 alongside a new original soundtrack.
Salem Cinema will host a screening of “The Phantom of the Opera” with live music by The Invincible Czars. The event is part of the Texas band’s nationwide tour to celebrate the movie’s centennial.
The show is on Monday, April 21, at 7 p.m. The movie theater is located at 1127 Broadway St. N.E. and tickets can be purchased for $18 online.
“The Phantom of the Opera” is a 1925 silent movie that follows a mysterious phantom who falls in love with a soprano at the Paris Opera House. He then causes mayhem and confusion at the venue to make her a star. It’s based on a 1910 novel by the same name written by Gaston Leroux.
The Invincible Czars formed in late 2002 and include a keyboard player, drummer, violinist, a woodwind player and Josh Robins, the leader of the band who plays the bass and guitar. They started out playing at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a venue in Austin that gained popularity for being the first cinema to serve pizza and beer during screenings, Robins said.
The band gained notoriety in Austin for playing silent films at the venue, and eventually started touring around the country playing original soundtracks to titles like “Metropolis,” “Nosferatu” and “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.” Silent film soundtracks became the band’s specialty.
Robins enjoys playing “The Phantom of the Opera” because it has “really good acting, really good sets, really good editing,” he said. “Everything flows well, so it’s fun to play.”
Many people are familiar with the 1986 stage musical but not with the original film, he said.
The band will perform an original soundtrack they have written for the film, and will make their performance interactive and engaging for the audience, Robins said.
Audiences are invited to cheer and clap as an added layer of sound to the once-silent film.
“We like people to have fun,” Robins said.
Contact reporter Alan Cohen: [email protected].
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Alan Cohen is an intern at the Salem Reporter and an undergraduate at Willamette University. Born and raised in Spain, he has also been involved in student journalism for three years, and is passionate about bringing a voice to underrepresented communities through ethical reporting.
