Buster Keaton’s ‘The General’ with live music at Moultonborough Library

MOULTONBOROUGH — He never smiled on camera, earning him the nickname of “the Great Stone Face.” But Buster Keaton's comedies rocked Hollywood's silent era with laughter throughout the 1920s.

The Moultonborough Public Library will host a screening of Keaton’s “The General” (1926), one of Keaton's landmark feature films, on Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m.

The screening will feature live music for the movie by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis. The screening is free and open to the public; attendees are asked to register online at moultonboroughlibrary.org under events.

The show is intended to give Lakes Region movie-goers the opportunity to experience early cinema as it was intended: on the big screen, with live music, and with an audience.

“The General,” set during the U.S. Civil War, tells the story of a southern locomotive engineer (Keaton) whose engine is hijacked by northern spies with his girlfriend on board. Rapsis will improvise an original musical score for “The General” as the movie is shown, which was typically done during the silent film era.

“When the score gets made up on the spot, it creates a special energy that's an important part of the silent film experience,” said Rapsis, who uses a digital synthesizer to recreate the texture of a full orchestra for the accompaniment.