Doors – 7:00 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $12 

Shorts Program: The Goat (1921) and One Week (1920)  

48min | NR | Comedy | United States  

Feature: Sherlock Jr. (1924) 100th Anniversary Screening! 

45min | NR | Comedy/Fantasy | United States 

Live organ accompaniment by Dennis Scott

A season of Silents at the Senate would not be complete without the timeless pairing of cinema and physical comedy—SLAPSTICK!

With two classic shorts and one short feature directed and starring the most deadpan titan of silent comedy, An Evening with Buster Keaton is sure to delight.  

Irate cops stepping into open elevator shafts, a crudely assembled house with teetering walls, a movie screen turned into a doorway toward which a dreamer falls, searching for a way back to his beloved. Even after a century or more, his films—overflowing with physicality, absurdity, mischief, and even wonder—remain as captivating and hilarious as ever. They are . . .

PURE MOVIE MAGIC!

And their magic will be made all the more powerful by the internationally known silent film accompanist out of Chicago, Dennis Scott. At the console of our Mighty Wurlitzer theater pipe organ, Mr. Scott is sure to show off our instrument’s kaleidoscopic tonal color without ever showing up the images on the screen as he creates a live film score in real time, right before your very ears! 

A LIVE FILM SCORE IN REAL TIME, RIGHT BEFORE YOUR VERY EARS!

Be sure to stick around after the show for a chance to ask the organist a question and take a tour of the organ pipe chambers. This is a rare opportunity to get an up-close look at the inner workings of this marvelous musical machine! 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts 

Parking is available in a gated parking lot on Gilbert St., behind the theater.

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $12 

1hr 22min | NR | Historical Drama | France 

Live Organ Accompaniment by Scott Smith 

Presented in partnership with Cinema Lamont

Silents at the Senate and Cinema Lamont invite you to behold this singular film. An exaltation. An ode. A rousing picture of conspiracy, belief, and sacrifice. 

The Passion of Joan of Arc is a timeless artistic achievement, relentless in style and achingly evocative. It rightly stands as one of the finest films of all time.

Watch as an icon of women’s history transcends her era, the psychological drama of her final hours on screen. Listen as her struggle unfolds in bold imagery, invigorated by a live score from organist Scott Smith on the Senate Theater’s Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ. 

Based on the actual medieval records of the trial and execution of Joan of Arc, Carl Th. Dreyer’s masterwork is nothing less than a cinematic reincarnation.

In the soulful visage of Renée Maria Falconetti the patron saint of France comes to life, shot in startling close-ups that aim to “interpret a hymn to the triumph of the soul over life." 

Experience it the way it was meant to be seen: in the communal atmosphere of a theater, the majestic sounds of a theater organ filling the room. It will be a true feast for the ears, eyes, and spirit. We hope to see you there! 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts 

Parking is available in a gated parking lot on Gilbert St., behind the theater.

Sat. Feb. 17 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $12 

1hr 11min | NR | Drama/Romance | United States 

Live Organ Accompaniment by Lance Luce 
 

Depravity seizes upon poverty as extravagance collides with innocence in Queen Kelly,

a silent drama of doomed romance, presented with live musical accompaniment by Lance Luce on the Senate’s Mighty Wurlitzer theater organ! This incomplete but still captivating exercise in cinematic excess from director/screenwriter Erich von Stroheim proves that even an unfinished work from a master is still a masterwork. 

Co-produced by and starring Gloria Swanson, one of the silent era's biggest stars, what survives of the film tells the story of a playboy aristocrat who balks at his betrothal to his mad queen. On the eve of the marriage, he falls for an enchanting and fiery convent girl (Swanson) and then schemes to possess her, no matter the cost.  

In its existing form, the film presents a meticulously realized world in beautiful detail, a simple but sumptuous tale of worlds colliding—an ill-fated meeting that ends, (spoiler) in tragedy.  

But the epic and transgressive melodrama that could have been was never completed, itself a victim of incompatibility. But rather than a clash of class and circumstance, what doomed Queen Kelly from reaching its potential was the battle between art and business, the vision of an auteur versus censorship. 

Silents at the Senate is proud to present the 1932 release of this almost lost piece of silent film history!

Released only in Europe well into the “talkie” period, this is the most concise and cinematically pure version of the film. It features the so-called “Swanson” ending, filmed after the dismissal of Stroheim and shot two years after the abrupt end to the production due to massive cost overruns and the directors’ efforts to skirt the demands of censors. 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts.