Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., will present a theatrical screening of the 1924 silent movie “Hot Water,” starring Harold Lloyd, Sunday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m.
The program will include music by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis, who improvises live scores for silent films using a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of the full orchestra.
“It’s kind of a high-wire act,” he stated. “But for me, the energy of live performance is an essential part of the silent film experience.”
Lloyd was known for his thrill comedies that could leave him dangling from a clockface high above Los Angeles, but “Hot Water” finds him not climbing tall buildings, but braving the perils of family life.
As a young husband, Lloyd has everything: a family, a new house and a brand new car. He also has in-laws, and discovers that happiness depends on placating his wife’s demanding mother and phenomenally lazy brother. The film is episodic in nature, divided into three parts, with each section playing like a situation comedy. Along the way, Lloyd chases a turkey on a streetcar, takes his new car for a memorable spin and contends with a sleepwalking mother-in-law. How he negotiates the domestic obstacle course is a source of comedy, but also an in-depth look at how a typical 1920s household was set up.
“That’s one of the accidentally fascinating things about films from the silent era,” stated Rapsis. “Seen today, they’re like a time capsule that shows how people lived: what their furniture was like, how their kitchens were set up, what fashion was in style, how they got around and so much more.”
“Hot Water” is the only feature film in which Lloyd is depicted as married and settled, rather than a young man striving to achieve success.
The screening is free and open to the public; a donation of $10 per person is suggested to support the Town Hall Theatre’s silent film programming. For information, visit wiltontownhalltheatre.com or call 603-654-3456. For more about the music, visit jeffrapsis.com.