REVIEW: ‘Two Knights of Vaudeville’ to screen at Film Forum
The Pioneers of African-American Cinema series, currently running at New York City’s Film Forum, offers a rare chance to view early films from the 20th century with a cast of African-American actors working with African-American directors. On Monday, Feb. 15, Within Our Gates is coupled with a rarely seen, 10-minute film, Two Knights of Vaudeville.
The short movie features slapstick comedy from two actors who first watch a vaudeville performance after finding tickets on the ground, and then they try their hand at comedy on their own stage. The audience, including several musicians, laughs along with the performance but eventually heckles them.
The Pioneers campaign, which began on Kickstarter, is an important initiative that will see several forgotten films from this time period brought to modern-day audiences. The movies, including 1916’s Two Knights of Vaudeville, allow for a better understanding of the movie offerings from more than 80-90 years ago and commentary on their context and means of creation. Several of the selections offer humbling lessons on the prejudice of the day, the history of exclusion, the artistic expressions of early African-American directors and the religious faith of the community. Click here for a review of The Blood of Jesus.
In the case of Two Knights of Vaudeville, the score is one of the most memorable attributes of the film. Audience members will be able to hear Donald Sosin’s recorded music, featuring jazzy, music-hall tunes that keep the action moving along for 10 minutes. The DCP restoration is top-notch, and thanks to the folks at Kino Lorber, these historic examples will live on to learn from and view.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
- Two Knights of Vaudeville shares a bill with Within Our Gates at New York City’s Film Forum. Click here for more information.
