A rare screening of the 1916 silent film treasure, “Snow White,” accompanied by an original live score, will take place at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, at the Vashon Havurah, located at 15401 Westside Hwy. SW.
The cozy family event comes complete with popcorn and holiday treats provided by local Vashon Girl Scout Troop 41983, as well as a fascinating look back at film and fairy tale history.
Almost everyone knows Disney’s classic animated film “Snow White,” but few are aware that a teenage Walt Disney, growing up in Kansas City, saw the original silent movie of the fairy tale, and it was this 1916 silent that inspired him to blaze a path in filmmaking and make his own version in 1937.
As were all silent films, “Snow White” was made on flammable nitrate film stock, and for many years, it was rumored to have been destroyed in a vault fire. But a single theatrical print was discovered in the Netherlands in 1992, and a heroic restoration was performed by the George Eastman House film archive.
Now, Vashon film lovers can see the long-lost “Snow White” with local harpist-composer Leslie McMichael’s magical score, bringing the silent film alive again.
McMichael will perform live on her concert harp for the 63-minute film, with her sister Barbara McMichael, on viola, by her side.
Seattle’s Northwest Film Forum originally commissioned Leslie to compose her new score for “Snow White” in 2016, and the 100-year-old film, and her live music premiered on the opening night of the Children’s Film Festival Seattle that year. Since then, Leslie has taken the old film and her live score to venues across the country.
How did Leslie approach the project of scoring the film?
The harpist said that her DVD remote and digital timer were two modern tools that she relied on to compose a soundtrack that seamlessly fits the onscreen action.
After watching the 63-minute film and writing longhand notes about every scene and character, she developed musical themes to reflect the moods in the storyline. Certain motifs reappear in her score whenever a character appears — sweet Snow White has specific music, as does the Witch, the Huntsman, the Prince, and, of course, the Seven Dwarves.
“It’s thrilling to play live and pair the visuals of the film with my music,” Leslie said.
“With every performance, we get to use our instruments to underscore the expressive acting so typical of the silent era – very fun.”
For advance tickets to the screening, visit www.pluckmusic.net.
Admission is $10/adults, $5/kids, and families with unlimited kids will be admitted for $20.
