Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St. in Wilton, will host a screening of the “part-talkie” romantic drama “Lonesome” Sunday, Nov. 20, at 2 p.m.
The screening will feature live music by silent-film accompanist Jeff Rapsis.
Directed by Paul Fejos and starring Barbara Kent and Glenn Tryon, “Lonesome” was conceived as a silent drama but was released as a “part-talkie” due to three sequences featuring recorded dialogue. To meet the growing interest in talking pictures, the six minutes of talking scenes were inserted after the feature-length film was completed.
“Lonesome” follows Jim and Mary, two working-class residents of New York City, over a 24-hour-period during Independence Day weekend. The pair have a chance meeting at Coney Island. They swiftly fall in love, but then become separated. Will they ever see each other again?
In filming “Lonesome,” Fejos employed color tinting, superimposition effects, experimental editing and a roving camera. He also captures the frenetic pace of life in 1920s New York City. In 2010, “Lonesome” was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Admission is free, and a donation of $10 per person is suggested to help defray expenses.
For information, visit the theater’s Facebook page or call 603-654-3456. For more about the music, visit jeffrapsis.com.