KSC’s “Keene is Curious!” event series screened a rare collection of silent films at the Redfern Art Center’s Putnam Theater on Wednesday, March 27.
The groundbreaking filmmaker Alice Guy-Blache wrote and directed two of the films, her 1912 comedy-western “Parson Sue”, and her 1906 social satire “The Consequences of Feminism” were shown along with “Their First Misunderstanding,” written by and starring Mary Pickford.
Professor Emeritus Lawrence “Larry” Benaquist, who founded the Film Studies Department, restored the silent films “Parson Sue” and “Their First Misunderstanding,” which are a part of KSC’s Film Archive. The original film reels, which had been discovered in a barn in Nelson, New Hampshire in 2006, were given to Benaquist to be identified. Benaquist obtained a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation to have them restored.
“These are films previously thought to be lost to time. A majority of these old silent films aren’t archived in the same way that we have everything Shakespeare has ever written. Old nitrate films deteriorate, especially if not stored properly. We managed to bring them back so that we don’t lose that history,” Benaquist said.
Senior and Film Major Wyatt Codd projected “Parson Sue” on KSC’s 35mm projector. Codd said operating the college’s film projector (as opposed to a modern digital projector) was a dream come true.
“It has been my goal since freshman year to get the projector up and running again. We’ve been working on it for four years, and being able to run this and do a 35mm show has been one of my most important goals at Keene State. It’s an amazing opportunity, and I’m glad all the hard work has this chance to materialize,” Codd said.
Head of Special Collections and Archives and Associate Professor of History Rodney Obien collaborated with Benaquist to preserve the films for the KSC Film Archive and said the preservation efforts help keep film history alive.
“Keene State helped preserve history. It’s amazing to find something like this and be able to preserve it for future generations.” Obien said. “Being able to share this with the world and keep this lost treasure available is something that really represents the school and the work we do here.”
The “Keene is Curious” event series, which Wednesday’s screening was a part of is a new event series on campus designed to foster community building and diversity. Associate Film Professor and Diversity-Equity-Inclusion Fellow Jiwon Ahn said the screening can bring the community together, and showcase the accomplishments of women in cinema.
“After COVID, things have changed a lot. We don’t always get to see and hear what different interests are flourishing on campus, and we don’t always know what each other is doing,” Ahn said.
“These events give us that chance to see what we’re all up to and what we’re all about. We’re also learning about celebrating Women’s History Month by looking at these historic films by women filmmakers.”
Ahn said more events in the “Keene is Curious” series are currently being planned.
Professor Emerita of Anthropology Rosemary Gianno attended the screening.
“I saw an advertisement and thought this would be a neat experience. I’m very interested in the local history of Keene, and I didn’t know a lot about this period in time,” Gianno said. “Professor Benaquist did a great job putting this together and explaining the history behind the films.”
Ryan Pacheco can be contacted at
rpacheco@kscequinox.com
