Author: Ben Model

  • “The Gaucho” w/Douglas Fairbanks at MoMA

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    Ben Model

    After some initial futzing with audio set-up we got the Miditzer sounding just right for tonight’s showing of The Gaucho at MoMA’s Titus 2 theater. This happens from time to time, but the MoMA projectionists are fantastic and they always figure out how to make this work right. Steven Higgins (curator of the retrospective) told…

  • John Gilbert in “The Cossacks”; audio from “Two Tars”

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    Ben Model

    Today’s show at MoMA went well. Both prints were in 35mm. Two Tars looked okay…I’d be curious to A/B it against a good Blackhawk 16mm. The Cossacks looked fantastic, and while the audience really enjoyed it I found its 10 reels felt like 15. It’s a big Hollywood star vehicle for John Gilbert and Renee…

  • long day at MoMA

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    Ben Model

    pictured above, L-R: Sandra DeFeo, Steve Massa, Ron Magliozzi, Ben Model Okay, here’s what my day was like — Arrived at MoMA at 11:15-ish, went to Titus 1 and got the Miditzer equipment and rolled it through the catacombs of the museum to the education building and to the Bartos Theater. Set up the Miditzer,…

  • Madalena weekend at MoMA

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    Ben Model

    Here’s a photo of the Miditzer set up in Titus 1 theatre at MoMA. I accompanied The Last Command (2 times), Old Ironsides (2 times), Sally of the Sawdust and Hotel Imperial over 3 days on Thanksgiving weekend, using the Miditzer. MoMA’s projectionists and A/V staff were terrific getting the sound right, and we had…

  • William S. Hart DVD of “SAND” now available

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    Ben Model

    A DVD that I scored for Unknown Video about a year ago has just been released (on Nov 15). It’s the William S. Hart film Sand (1920), mastered from a real nice, sharp color-tinted print. I did a Miditzer theatre organ score for it, as well as for the disc’s two extras – a gallery…

  • Three Musketeers @ SCFS

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    Ben Model

    Yesterday’s showing of Douglas Fairbanks’ The Three Musketeers went quite well. Much better crowd than I’d expected, as usually dramas mean a dip in audience turnout at the Silent Clowns series. Getting the Miditzer to the N-YHS and back was as much of a snap as posisble, as I’ve really gotten the packing and unpacking…

  • Westchester Magazine: “Top 5 picks”

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    Ben Model

    The December 2008 edition of Westchester Magazine has a piece on me in it. They’d contacted me about this in September; they have a profile in each monthly issue of a local (or hails-from) resident who then recommends his/her top 5 picks of something in their field. Chef recommends restaurants, golf pro recommends golf courses,…

  • Cruel and Unusual @ MoMA Nov 19

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    Ben Model

    photo of our Nov 19th class with guest speaker Eileen Bowser, MoMA senior film curator emerita. L to R: Eileen Bowser, Ron Magliozzi, Steve Massa, Ben Model Last night was our third class session for Cruel and Unusual Comedy at MoMA. The class is going really well, and we’ve got 20 people in the class.…

  • an “educational” week

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    Ben Model

    Yesterday was the Silent Clowns program of shorts released by E.W. Hammons’ Educational Pictures. We’d planned 5 shorts, but then I turned up a lost one-reeler starring Wallace Lupino on eBay a couple weeks ago, and we threw it into the program. So, our audience was the first to see this film in several decades.…

  • Spooky Silents ’08

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    Ben Model

    October is wrapping up, and I’ve just wrapped up a slew of shadowy, creepy silent films: Barrymoore’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Sun 10/26 @ Silent Clowns, on piano), the Chaney/Browning West of Zanzibar (Tues 10/28 @ C.A.C., on Miditzer VTPO), Lon Chaney in Phantom of the Opera (Weds 10/29 @ Church of St. Paul…