lillian gish

Description

The Wind is a psychological thriller telling the tale of Letty (Lillian Gish) who moves from Virginia to the dusty plains of Sweetwater, TX to live with her cousin. Quickly ousted from her cousin's ranch by an unwelcoming in-law, Letty must choose among less-than-ideal suitors, and finds herself confined to the ramshackle home of a new husband she doesn't love. As she is slowly driven mad by the region's relentless wind, the untimely return of another suitor leads to an almost Hitchcock-ian plot turn. The film is a gem of the silent era, full of both drama and comedy with stark and haunting sets and striking visual effects. The Wind is based on the novel of the same name by Dorothy Scarborough. The book, originally published anonymously, created an uproar in West Texas where community leaders resented the bleak depiction of their region and insisted the author must never have visited the area. The Invincible Czars are known for challenging both themselves and their audiences, and this performance will be no exception. The Wind is the band's sixth silent film score and the first to be written for only 4 primary instruments -- acoustic guitar, winds/vocals, electric bass and violin. It's the first original music the group has created that doesn't incorporate drum set or keyboards and is even more understated that the band's eerie score for the 1920 film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It is their only score to date that does not incorporate any themes from the classical music realm (besides a brief quote from Austin composer Graham Reynolds' "The Ship"). Bass player Hen3ry Q Vines (the "3" is silent) has also constructed a 1920s-style wind sound effect machine like those used on old radio programs. The device is essentially a foot cranked cylinder that creates friction against a stretched piece of canvas to create a very expressive wind sound. The band encourages audience members to give it a spin at the end of the show