By Bob Gelfand

Our parents used to tell us about the old days when giants strode the earth. Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd made movies that connected with people, and audiences laughed themselves silly. We take pride that it happened here in our home town, but without the direct experience, we really can't know why film lovers and cultural historians so revere those pioneers and their creations.

In order to really appreciate their works, we would have to experience them in the way that the movie-going public of the 1920s experienced them --watching them in the way they were meant to be watched -- and this means being  part of a live audience and with live musical accompaniment.

Buster and Charlie developed their craft in an era when emotion had to be conveyed by expression and gesture and body language. The modern term for their creations is "silent film." It is a misnomer, because film was never intended to be shown in silence. It was always part of a complete performance in which a musician interpreted and accompanied the film. When brought together properly, it is like musical theater or grand opera, but with better acting. Modern audiences find themselves cheering and applauding, much as we do at the live theater.

Los Angeles is home to a unique institution that recreates the performances and atmosphere of the 1920s "silent" cinema. It features live musical accompaniment by organists who understand how to "play the film" for maximum emotional and artistic effect. That institution is the Silent Movie Theatre , now in its 65th year.

On February 18, the theatre is showing one of Buster Keaton's later silent comedies, Seven Chances. The premise: Buster will inherit seven million dollars, but only if he is married -- today. One little problem: he needs a wife. He takes out a newspaper ad, and the streets of 1926 Hollywood will never be the same.
 
On the 22nd, the original swashbuckler himself, Douglas Fairbanks, stars in The Black Pirate. There is a damsel in distress, pirates, a pirate ship, and our local maritime scenery. Nobody could buckle swash like Doug could.

Later in the month, a historic and cultural rarity: Director Oscar Micheaux was one of the founders of the alternative cinema created and distributed by African Americans in the face of a segregated industry. I have not seen this particular film, Body and  Soul, but Micheaux's later work was that of a powerful director who took up uncomfortable themes in an era of hatred and prejudice. This was Paul Robeson's first film.
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Can't miss: February 18, 5 PM: Seven Chances. February 22, 8 PM: The Black Pirate. Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N. Fairfax; 323-655-2520.

(Bob Gelfand is a founding member of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council and currently serves as Chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs and Historical Preservation for the L.A. Neighborhood Council Congress.)