Charlie Chaplin's 'The Gold Rush' Movie Presented with Live Orchestra at Tempe Center for the Arts

TEMPE, Ariz. - Feb. 23, 2014 - PRLog -- It has been called one of the greatest films ever made. It resides in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, recognized for its cultural, historical and aesthetic significance. It contains scenes that have been lovingly paid tribute to by stars from Robert Downey Jr. to Johnny Depp to the Muppets. And it is the film Charlie Chaplin himself said he hopes he is best remembered for. Yet it is rarely seen in the form Chaplin himself would have you remember. On March 1, film and music lovers here in the Valley will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a silent classic on screen, with the music Chaplin himself composed for it performed live by a theater orchestra.

Watch preview video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v7uDDBB9ws



Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush” was one of the most successful films in history when it was released in 1925. The film and its hero, Chaplin’s “Little Tramp,” were taken to heart by millions around the world. But Chaplin was a notorious perfectionist, and nearly two decades after the film premiered, Chaplin released it again, this time with a recorded orchestral score he composed. It is that music, Chaplin’s own, that the Arizona Pro Arte Ensemble will perform live in the theater of the Tempe Center for the Arts to accompany the restored version of “The Gold Rush.” The event takes place one night only, March 1 at 7:30 p.m.

These silent film/live music combinations have become a specialty of APA and Founding Artistic Director and Conductor Timothy Verville. Last season the orchestra took audiences down the rabbit hole with “Alice in Wonderland.” Oct. 31 brought a terrifying turn with the 1922 vampire epic “Nosferatu.” This spring, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Chaplin’s beloved character, the Little Tramp, Verville and his ensemble take the audience on a Yukon trek with “The Gold Rush.” The film is treasured by film lovers, and is perfect for families who want to show young people that great films must have great stories, not just blockbuster special effects.

As he did for “Nosferatu,” Ron Newcomer will join APA for this film and music event for a Pre-Concert Q and A segment beginning at 7:00 p.m., before the screening. The author of “Moments in Film” (2012), Newcomer received his degree in arts management and directing from Arizona State University. He has since been involved with more than 1,700 stage, television or film productions. He is a prize-winning screenwriter, a faculty member at Chandler-Gilbert Community College and a previous winner of the Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award from ASU’s Herberger College of the Arts.

“The Gold Rush” will be Arizona Pro Arte’s fourth performance in the orchestra’s first full season in the Tempe Center for the Arts. Previous performances have sold out, so advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended. Information and tickets are available at http://www.azproarte.com/tickets/.

“The Gold Rush,” with the orchestra score performed live by Arizona Pro Arte, will be presented one night only, Saturday, March 1, in the Theater of the Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 West Rio Salado Parkway on the south shore of Tempe Town Lake. The curtain goes up at 7:30 p.m., and Ron Newcomer’s expert discussion kicks off the performance at 7:00 p.m. A film-themed silent auction to benefit APA begins at 6:30 p.m.

The 2013–14 Arizona Pro Arte season in the Tempe Center for the Arts is providing the same fearless and fun artistic synthesis that brought attention to the group in its first season. The orchestra performed live on TV in November of 2012, earning recognition from 12 News Phoenix for “a unique collaboration of performing and visual arts that’s never been done before.” KBAQ-FM likewise described APA’s debut season as “…infused with a vigorous dose of collaboration often utilizing visual arts: film, painting and real-time computer visualizations.”

Read more about Arizona Pro Arte and the new season at azproarte.com. Hear Sterling Beeaff’s July interview with APA Artistic Director and Conductor Timothy Verville on KBAQ at kbaq.org/content/arizona-pro-arte-ensemble (http://www.kbaq.org/content/arizona-pro-arte-ensemble).