^{CHARLEY BRADY}

It’s been a great couple of weeks at the Silent Cinema Galway, where we have been meeting the most interesting new people.

I would like to give a blanket ‘thank you’ to all those of you who attended our first showing at Pálás Cinema. We were understandably nervous as to how many tickets would sell for Screen One and our presentation of Buster Keaton’s The General. We needn’t have worried, as the attendance figures far outstripped our expectations. Thanks to all of you and in particular to those who traveled distances to be there.

As an aside (but a hell of an important one!) I had no idea that the three artists who provided the live musical accompaniment had put so much time and effort into their presentation. It soon became clear that they had already gone through the film meticulously in order to integrate their beautiful and eclectic music with events on the screen. Just as an example, their surprising sound effect is when a table is pushed over. It added so much to the richness of the entire experience.

So, thank you to Agustina Taborda on piano, Mila Maia on flute, and Gustavo Lobão on percussion.

It was particularly great to see entire families in attendance, as well as those who were familiar with Keaton’s film but just wanted another chance to see it on the big screen. I can’t tell you how happy we were with the whole evening and with the general buzz of enthusiasm.

For those of us meeting up in the bar afterward, I hope that new friendships with like-minded people were forged and remain solid for future visits.

I’d like to give a particular shout-out to Silent Screen Superfan John Dalton. John had traveled from his home in Dun Laoghaire only the previous week in order to attend the Cinephile Paradiso/Silent Cinema co-presentation of Greta Garbo in A Woman of Affairs. A true, lifelong authority on Garbo, John afterward enthralled us with his tales of love and admiration for the silent legend. And below are a couple of mouthwatering shots of the ‘Garbo’s Corner’ in his home.

^{Far left: John Dalton}

To my delight, it quickly became clear that not only did John have an interesting background in everything from acting to ballet to mime but that he was ALSO an aficionado of the outstanding British film director and contrarian, Ken Russell. And in particular of Russell’s exquisite 1969 masterpiece Women in Love, with Oliver Reed, Glenda Jackson, and Alan Bates -- which Mr. Dalton declares with some passion that invites no argument to be ‘the greatest literary adaptation ever made.’

And if you know of my decades-old enthusiasm for this maverick genius’s work you may guess that at this point the smelling salts were produced to cure my vapours.

As we waved goodbye to him, we had no idea that he would be making a return visit so soon! But sure enough, there was Mr. Dalton, hale and hearty at Pálás the very next week. And not only had he brought himself along, but he had brought us a portfolio of various images and -- still, my beating heart! -- the original lobby cards for Russell’s wonderful 1977 film on the silent cinema movie god that was… Valentino.

[For those of you under the age of oh…ninety or so… lobby cards are a reminder of a more civilized age, when these miniature posters were displayed under glass in the foyer of those magical old ‘picture palaces’. And today they have become often rare collectibles. So the fact that John had transported them across the country was very much appreciated.]

Here are a few of the posters that he has sent us images of:

^{Spanish poster for Camille.}

^{French poster for Son of the Sheik.}

^{Original poster for Nureyev as Valentino.}

^{Gift from John}

But! As pièce de resistance, this cynical old hack found that he had something in his eye when presented with a Garbo film still as well as a book on the Swedish Sphinx from his own collection.

He had a spare copy. Well, of course, he had.

John, it was a pleasure to meet you – and we look forward to seeing you Way Down West again sometime soon!

^{charleybrady@gmail.com}