THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE w/ Pipe Organ Performance by Jeff Rapsis for New Years Day!

The Phantom Carriage (1921) Turns 100 years old on New Years Day! Transport through time at this very special screening with a live musical score performed by composer Jeff Rapsis on our historic Estey Pipe Organ!

In 1921, director Victor Sjöström premiered The Phantom Carriage one of the most important works in Swedish cinema, a film that heavily impacted Ingmar Bergman’s decision to enter the world of filmmaking. As if that isn’t enough, Charlie Chaplin repeatedly called it the best film ever made and Stanley Kubrick used pivital scenes as inspiration for his horror masterpiece: The Shining. Based on the novel Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness! by Selma Lagerlöf (the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature) this silent film tells a dark and atmospheric ghost story reminiscent of the Dicken's classic: A Christmas Carol. Read more about our once-in-a-lifetime centennial celebration of this technologically groundbreaking film in The Commons.

Film Synopsis:

The last person to die on New Year’s Eve before the clock strikes twelve is doomed to take the reins of Death’s chariot and work tirelessly collecting fresh souls for the next year. So says the legend that drives The Phantom Carriage (Körkarlen), directed by the father of Swedish cinema, Victor Sjöström. The story concerns an alcoholic, abusive ne’er-do-well (played by Sjöström himself) who is shown the error of his ways, and the pure-of-heart Salvation Army sister who believes in his redemption. This extraordinarily silent classic is a complex and deeply moving morality tale showcasing groundbreaking special effects and highly innovative approaches toward cinematography.

The Performance:

Jeff Rapsis lives in Bedford, New Hampshire, and accompanies silent film programs in venues throughout New England. A lifelong silent film fan, he began creating original musical scores and staging silent film programs in 2007 as a way to keep the form vibrant before the public. His technique is rooted in a traditional approach and texture, while applying imporovisation using contemporary scoring methods when appropriate to connect with today's audiences. Outside New England, he has accompanied films at the New York Public Library’s “Meet the Musicmakers” series and the Kansas Silent Film Festival. Rapsis has also provided original music for several silent film DVD releases by Looser Than Loose Vintage Entertainment of Manchester, N.H., and scored the independent feature film Dangerous Crosswinds (2005). His recorded scores also include piano music for Kino Lorber's reissue of Gloria Swanson's 'Zaza' (1923) and music for Reel Classic DVD's reissue of 'The Bells' (1926) starring Lionel Barrymore and Boris Karloff. As a composer, his 'Kilimanjaro Suite' for large orchestra was premiered in 2017 by the N.H. Philharmonic. A journalist by profession, Rapsis is co-founder and associate publisher of HippoPress, a weekly newspaper based in Manchester, N.H. He also serves as executive director of the Aviation Museum of N.H., a non-profit educational center based at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.