SILVER

THE IRON MASK (1929) in 35mm
Introduction by Tracey Goessel, author of "The First King of Hollywood: The Life of Douglas Fairbanks"
Douglas Fairbanks' final silent film is a rollicking and bittersweet swashbuckling action adventure, following the characters from his 1921 hit THE THREE MUSKETEERS in a mash-up of several Alexandre Dumas novels, including "The Man in the Iron Mask." Nigel De Brulier burns up the screen as the cunning Cardinal Richelieu, whose plan to conceal the secret that the King has a twin brother is disrupted by D'Artagnan (Fairbanks) and the Musketeers. Cinema had matured during the decade of the 1920s, as had the now 45-year-old Fairbanks. This farewell to the silent screen tempers the star's charismatic energy and swashbuckling action scenes with a sense of loss and transition. During production, Fairbanks agreed to add sound to the film, and this restored print includes the orchestral score by Hugo Riesenfeld, sound effects and three spoken sequences. "The new order — sound — was coming, and with it much richness," author Tracey Goessel notes. "But the old order was being lost, and with it its treasures. The universal language of the silent film was about to disappear, the very language in which its greatest hero — Douglas Fairbanks — had a remarkable fluency." DIR Allan Dwan; SCR/PROD Douglas Fairbanks, from novels by Alexandre Dumas. U.S., 1929, b&w, 95 min. NOT RATED
Restored 35mm print from The Museum of Modern Art.

Preceded by:
90th Anniversary
UMPA (1933)
This delightful and unique film from Columbia's short-lived "Musical Novelties" shorts, produced by songwriters Archie Gottler, Con Conrad and Sidney D. Mitchell, is a musical comedy entirely in song (or rhyme with underscore) with dancing. Vaudeville and Broadway song-and-dance man Jack Osterman stars as the patient with "umpa" symptoms, and Gloria Shea and Lois January play his two nurses. DIR/SCR Archie Gottler; SCR Con Conrad, Sidney D. Mitchell; PROD Jules White. U.S., b&w, 16 min. NOT RATED

Followed by:
THE SOUNDMAN (1950) in 35mm
Introduction by Oscar®-winning sound designer Ben Burtt
The pivotal role of the sound engineer and sound mixer is highlighted in this short film. Produced as part of a series by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, this entertaining featurette educates the public about the role of various crafts in the production of films. DIR Aaron Stell; SCR Jack Roberts; SCR/PROD Grant Leenhouts. U.S., 1950, b&w, 10 min. NOT RATED
35mm print from the Library of Congress.

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No AFI Member passes accepted.