Ben Model’s blog

  • For those of you who aren’t on our snail-mail list, here’s a peek at what you miss by just receiving our eBlasts. Our new brochure, designed masterfully by Marlene Weisman-Abadi, arrived from the printers a couple days ago. Seen at right is our front cover panel, and if you scroll…

  • Well, I’d only seen the American-release version of Variety, up till Weds (Feb 4). I’d played for it a number of times, and was glad I finally got to see the film with its original first 2 reels and storyline intact. When Paramount released it they cut out the film’s…

  • Just uploaded this video to YouTube. This was aired in January 2000, during MoMA’s six-month silent film series coinciding with their museum-wide “MoMA 2000” gallery exhibitions. I was playing for 5-8 shows a week. If my years at NYU as an accompanist was silent film accompaniment boot camp – as…

  • This week MoMA is presented a program in tribute to Stuart Oderman, who this year celebrates his 50th year as a silent film accompanist. On Thursday, Jan 29 at 6pm, Stuart accompanied Broken Blossoms, which was the first film he accompanied way back when. The show was in T1, and…

  • Played a matinee of L’Inconnu – or The Unknown – at MoMA today. The print came from GEH and has French titles which looked like they were made in the ’40s(?), white helvetica-ish against black. There is a print with the original release titles around (available from Turner/WB); I played…

  • 01.06.09 Silent but Deadly: An Evening of Comedy ShortsOriginally uploaded by PopRally Here’s a photo of me at the Steinway in Titus I accompanying one of the slapstick silents during “Silent But Deadly”, from the event’s page on Flickr.com

  • Last night’s showing of Don Q, Son of Zorro went quite well. We had a nice crowd, and a few kids too. Audience members enjoyed spotting Donald Crisp, the original/first Charlie Chan, Warner Oland, and Jean Hersholt (seen a couple months ago at the CAC in Greed). Miditzer sounded great,…

  • It was fun getting to play for as a charming a picture as The Blue Bird is. Today’s matinee was part of the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s “Dance on Camera” festival. The show was introduced by film critic and historian Elliott Stein. Elliott’s a long-time supporter of the Silent…

  • Today was a “marathon” — three shows in one day. Unlike running a marathon, though, I felt a little exhilarated instead of wiped out. Playing organ for two of the three shows was a factor, and so was playing for four Douglas Fairbanks pictures. The day started at 12:30 with…