Silent Film Concert “GREED (Gier)”

Sat, April 9, 2022
8:00 PM
Rochus Church

Info:

General:
USA 1924 – Director: Erich von Stroheim – Duration: approx. 140 min.
Screenplay: June Mathis and E. v. Stroheim, based on the novel McTeague by Frank Norris
Cast: Zasu Pitts – Trina; Gibson Gowland – McTeague; Jean Hersholt – Marcus; and others
Music: New arrangement for organ and live electronics by Wilfried Kaets
Before the concert: Introductory talk by film expert Joachim Steinigeweg
Participants: Wilfried Kaets – Organ and Live Electronics; Joachim Steinigeweg – Talk and Silent Film Technology

About:
Greed is a silent film classic from 1924 by Erich von Stroheim about the theme of human greed.
It tells the story of a woman who, after winning the lottery, becomes obsessed with money, ruins her marriage, and loses her social environment.

Plot:
McTeague, a simple man, works in a mine. He meets Trina, the fiancée of his friend Marcus, falls in love with her, and marries her.
When Trina wins a large sum in the lottery, Marcus becomes overwhelmed with envy and believes he is entitled to a share of the money…

Music Arrangement:
The music is designed in homage to the great silent film scores of the 1920s.
It is intended to sound as it might have in 1924, with a typical cinema organist, and aims to present the audience with a unique sense of the era and emotional color.

Beginning of Holy Week:
For decades, Rochus Church has been a place where experimental happenings have found a forum and received support.
In the series “Concerts for the Beginning of Holy Week,” multimedia contemporary and experimental projects are regularly presented, seeking to approach the “drama of love and devotion” — also as a spiritual search beyond familiar paths.
The silent film Greed explores the darker sides of human nature: rage, despair, and the futility of human action.
It invites the audience to confront fundamental human questions and reflect on themes like guilt, the evil in people, and redemption.
Rochus Church is the only known church in Germany equipped with a permanently installed professional cinema projector, including a soundproof booth in the gallery.
Wilfried Kaets is one of the most experienced and longest-serving silent film musicians in Germany. He has composed and performed live music for more than 300 silent films, which he has presented worldwide.
He was the first composer/performer since the silent film era to regularly present historical films with live music in churches, starting in the 1980s, thereby initiating the renaissance of this performance form in Germany.

Directions:
Address:
Rochus Church
Rochusstr. 100
50827 Cologne

More Informations about: Greed