SLAPSTICON 2013 in Herald Times, Bloomington

[Richard M Roberts]

Slapsticon features known, unknown early film comedians
By Liz Leslie Special to the H-T
June 23, 2013

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Silent comedy is no oxymoron.

For anyone familiar with the antics of legendary Charlie Chaplin or Fatty Arbuckle, expressive comedic actors paired with jaunty musical accompaniments can be engrossing.

Familiar with Charlie Chaplin? What about Lupino Lane or Larry Semon?

Soon Bloomington will have an opportunity to view works of those early comedians in addition to many others — well-known and not as well-known.

Slapsticon 2013 will showcase four days of silent and early comedy with live musical accompanists. The festival will take place at IU Cinema, June 27-30, as a part of Indiana University’s Summer Festival of the Arts.

Many know of the “big” names of early comedy — Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin — but those names are only the tip of the iceberg, Slapsticon director Richard Roberts said.

Before Slapsticon, a lot of the films shown were previously unknown.

For instance, in 2010, Slapsticon introduced a film featuring Charlie Chaplin that was not known previously to have Charlie Chaplin. The film, “A Thief Catcher,” sent biographers and historians scrambling to edit and update their documents.

“We pride ourselves that we are respected for new research,” Slapsticon director Richard Roberts said.

The festival provides an opportunity for collectors, academics and historians to meet, all in one place.

However, the festival isn’t just for those who are already familiar with early and silent comedy.

A historian himself, Roberts noted the family-friendly event is for anyone who likes to laugh.

Slapsticon brings together those who are already passionate about early and silent comedy with those who may be discovering it for the first time.

The main goal is entertainment, Roberts said.

“Remember that it’s fun. Even if you can’t attend for all four days, come for a day,” he said.

There is something for everyone.

“Not many other places have these many laughs available to you,” Roberts said.

Comedy is often “unjustly neglected,” as Roberts put it, in the silent film cannon. Slapsticon not only provides a stage for lesser-known films, but highlights influential films as well.

House accompanist of the George Eastman House in Rochester, N.Y., Philip Carli and Washington, D.C.-based Andrew Simpson will be playing live along with the films. Simpson performs with the Library of Congress Packard Campus Theatre and National Gallery of Art.

Both are Indiana University alumni.

Carli initially pitched Bloomington as a new location for the festival, IU Cinema director Jon Vickers said.

“IU Cinema is starting to build a reputation as a venue and as a program,” he said.

Moving from the Washington, D.C., area to south-central Indiana was not an immediately obvious choice, but it became an attractive option with the strong reputation of IU Cinema and the amenities the city of Bloomington had to offer.

Roberts visited Bloomington before making the offer to move the festival.

Excitement continues to grow as Bloomington prepares for its first Slaptsticon.

People come from all over the world to experience Slapsticon, and with every new year, it grows and changes.

Now in its 10th year, Slapsticon began in 2003.

“We started with a group of film collectors and historians that wanted to run early and silent comedy in a festival forum,” Roberts said.

Slapsticon’s first year was a success. After the first year, the festival began receiving assistance from archives and collectors, including the Library of Congress.

Also in its first year, the festival highlighted rare and recently discovered Buster Keaton films and packed the National Gallery of Art for a screening of rare 35mm short films.

The festival then moved to Boston from Arlington for 2004, then returned to Arlington in 2005, when it re-premiered Mabel Normand’s “Head Over Heels” — previously unscreened for 80 years.

As the event draws near, the organizers are getting ready.

Roberts said the week leading up to the festival is the busiest he has all year, as he coordinates collecting and shipping films from all over to one location.

This year also marks the first time the IU Cinema has hosted Andrew Simpson.

“This is my first Slapsticon,” Vickers said. “Much of it will be a new experience for me as well.”

In addition to giving the films a showcase with live musicians, Slapsticon does something for early comedy YouTube and streaming cannot — it allows early and silent comedy to be seen as it was intended — in front of a live audience.

Roberts said it’s rewarding, “hearing the laughs these films were designed to make come from the audience.”

If you go

Slapsticon will take place at IU Cinema, 1213 E. Seventh Street, June 27-30. Ticket information is available at http://www.cinema.indiana.edu, and children 16 and younger get in for free. For more information, see http://www.slapsticon.org.

[Gary Johnson]

Very nice write-up.
One would think holding the fest on a University campus will generate local film lovers to make a few unscheduled visits to various showings throughout the weekend.
Back in the day one could always find unwanted conversations on film theory going on at any local campus bar. Sometimes the conversation would even spill over straight to the theater, only to return back to the bar when the popcorn ran low. Maybe our generation was more film-conscious but it seemed that everyone had an opinion on movies.

[Richard M Roberts]

Very nice write-up.
One would think holding the fest on a University campus will generate local film lovers to make a few unscheduled visits to various showings throughout the weekend.
Back in the day one could always find unwanted conversations on film theory going on at any local campus bar. Sometimes the conversation would even spill over straight to the theater, only to return back to the bar when the popcorn ran low. Maybe our generation was more film-conscious but it seemed that everyone had an opinion on movies.

As opposed to now? Problem today is everyone still has opinions on movies, but they're all shut-ins sitting behind their keyboards pontificating behind made-up names and/or personalities unable to actually make human contact while they watch these films on their ipods alone. Give me the theater and the bar anyday, which is why I'm waiting for a plane to take me to Bloomington right this minute.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

[Gary Johnson]

But today's opinon's are pretty well concentrated towards films of this moment - not the whole broad spectrum of film history. If I read one more article on how Marvel is going to re-invigorate the 'super hero' films I'm going to turn in my mask and cape.

I'm going to be interested in seeing whether the Bloomington campus attracts any local students to take in the Thurs. night showing of the Marx Bros. rarities (It's nice to have a familar hook. The year I attended in Arlington WAY OUT WEST brought out all of the locals and we sat in a packed house). And then see if they return to take in other showings. Then we'll know if campus life today still exhibits expansive tastes as it has in the past.