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Special live music screening of Raoul Walsh's Thief Of Baghdad


By SPP Reporter


The Thief Of Baghdad with Douglas Fairbanks
The Thief Of Baghdad with Douglas Fairbanks

A SHORT season of films at Eden Court celebrates Raoul Walsh, the director behind the stunning 1924 classic silent film The Thief Of Baghdad – with a special live piano-accompanied screening.

Forrester Pyke – who has provided improvised piano accompaniment for silent movies at many venues over the last 22 years – will provide the music on Tuesday, September 13 at 7pm.

The film stars Douglas Fairbanks as the bold thief whose athleticism and breath-taking stunts showcase an actor at the height of his career.

Thief Of Baghdad with Douglas Fairbanks and Julianne Johnston.
Thief Of Baghdad with Douglas Fairbanks and Julianne Johnston.

And the film launched the career of extraordinary director Walsh.

A crafty thief (Douglas Fairbanks) sneaks into the palace of Bagdad, where, passing himself off as a nobleman, he falls in love with the beautiful princess (Julanne Johnston). But thieves can’t simply marry princesses!

A test is devised to select a husband from her many suitors; sent away to distant lands, he who finds the rarest treasure can return to marry her.

This screening is followed by two more films celebrating Walsh’s work, curated by Tony Janssens in partnership with Inverness Film Fans (InFiFa) and Eden Court Cinemas.

Originally from New York, Walsh is best-known for The Thief Of Baghdad, but also films The Big Trail starring John Wayne, High Sierra starring Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart and White Heat with James Cagney. He lost his right eye when on film for what would prove his last acting role when on location in the desert a jack rabbit jumped through his car’s windshield as he drove and he wore an eyepatch for the rest of his life.

The second film, High Sierra, stars Humphrey Bogart and Ida Lupino and it’s to be shown on Tuesday, September 27 at 7.15pm, while Pursued, starring Robert Mitchum, will be screened on Tuesday, October 11 at 7.15pm.

Full details on each Raoul Walsh film below are provided by Inverness Film Fans:

Thief Of Baghdad with Douglas Fairbanks and Julianne Johnston.
Thief Of Baghdad with Douglas Fairbanks and Julianne Johnston.

THE THIEF OF BAGDAD with live piano accompaniment by Forrester Pyke

Tuesday, September 13 at 7pm

USA / 1924 / 155 mins

Director: Raoul Walsh.

Starring: Douglas Fairbanks, Julanne Johnston, Sojin and Anna May Wong.

A CRAFTY thief (Douglas Fairbanks) sneaks into the palace of Bagdad, where, passing himself off as a nobleman, he falls in love with the beautiful princess (Julanne Johnston).

But thieves can’t simply marry princesses! A test is devised to select a husband from her many suitors; sent away to distant lands, he who finds the rarest treasure can return to marry her.

On his journey our hero wanders into the Cavern of Enchanted Trees, meets the Old Man Of The Midnight Sea, journeys to the Abode Of tTe Winged Horse, fights monsters and battles the army of the evil King of Ho Sho (Sojin), who will stop at nothing to claim the princess and her fortune!

Fairbanks’ incredible athleticism, grace and breath-taking stunts showcase an actor at the height of his career, while this thrilling action/ fantasy / drama launched the career of extraordinary director Raoul Walsh. Forrester Pyke-Forrester has provided improvised piano accompaniment for silent movies at many venues for the last 22 years, including the Filmhouse Edinburgh, Glasgow Film Theatre and for the Edinburgh International Film Festival. He has also composed music for the Scottish Screen Film Archives, Bo’ness Hippodrome Silent Cinema Festival, Falkirk Town Hall, Summerhall, Edinburgh, Eden Court Cinema, Inverness and the Macrobert Filmhouse, Stirling. "His talent for composition and improvisational technique have wowed audiences and brought screenings of classic films vividly to life for a whole new generation of cinema goers".

Humphrey Bogart and Ida Lupino in High Sierra.
Humphrey Bogart and Ida Lupino in High Sierra.

HIGH SIERRA

Tuesday, September 27 at 7.15pm

USA / 1941 / 100 mins

Director: Raoul Walsh. Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino and Alan Curtis.

WHEN Roy "Mad Dog" Earle (Humphrey Bogart) is released from prison after serving time for bank robbery he is met by a henchman of Big Mac, a crime boss who has planned a daring jewel heist at a resort for rich tourists.

Released early because of the underworld influence, Roy’s payback is doing one more job. He is joined by an inside man and a couple of young hoodlums to help him, but the girlfriend of one of them, Marie (Ida Lupino) is attracted to him, disrupting the code among thieves. When the heist goes wrong, Roy goes on the run, pursued by the police deeper into the mountainous Sierra. A man whose family fell victim to the Depression and resorted to crime, Bogart infuses the character with gallantry and strength, qualities which turned him into a movie icon. Opposite him is Ida Lupino, a compellingly good actress, director and pioneer for women in Hollywood. One of director Raoul Walsh’s finest films with superb performances, masterful filming and grand landscapes!

PURSUED

Tuesday, October 11 at 7.15pm

USA / 1947 / 101 mins

Director: Raoul Walsh. Starring: Robert Mitchum, Theresa Wright and Judith Anderson.

WHILE waiting with the woman he loves in the ruins of his family home Jeb (Robert Mitchum) is pursued by traumatic childhood memories. In a life dominated by violence and adversity he has had to kill his adoptive brother, is hated by his foster-mother (Judith Anderson), chased by the head of the family (Dean Jagger) and married his adoptive sister (Teresa Wright) who might just be planning to kill him on their wedding night to avenge her brother. An unforgettable film and a truly great Western!

For ticket info: www.eden-court.co.uk and yu can call the box office on 01463 234 234.


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