Silent Louis

Louis, a silent film directed by Dan Pritzker and starring Jackie Earle Haley, Shanti Lowry and Anthony Coleman, will premiere in U.S. cities in late August with live musical accompaniment by trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, pianist Cecile Licad and a 10-piece all-star jazz ensemble. Marsalis will play a score comprised primarily of his own compositions. Licad will play the music of 19th-century American composer L.M. Gottschalk. The group will perform live with the film in a series of special performances in New York City, Chicago, Washington DC, Detroit and Philadelphia from August 25 to 31. Partial proceeds from the five concerts will benefit Chicago’s Providence Saint Mel School in honor of Paul J. Adams III.

Shot by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond as a modern re-imagining of early silent film, Louis is an homage to Louis Armstrong, Charlie Chaplin, beautiful women and the birth of American music. The grand Storyville bordellos, alleys and cemeteries of 1907 New Orleans provide a backdrop of lust, blood and magic for 6-year-old Louis (Anthony Coleman, pictured above) as he navigates the colorful intricacies of life in the city. Young Louis’ dreams of playing the trumpet are interrupted by a chance meeting with a beautiful and vulnerable girl named Grace and her baby, Jasmine. Haley, in a performance reminiscent of the great comic stars of the silent screen, plays the evil Judge Perry who is determined not to let Jasmine’s true heritage derail his candidacy for governor.

“The idea of accompanying a silent film telling a mythical tale of a young Louis Armstrong was appealing to me,” says Marsalis. “Of course, calling it a silent film is a misnomer. There will be plenty of music, and jazz is like a conversation between the players so there’ll be no shortage of dialogue. I look forward to playing with Cecile. The contrast between Gottschalk’s music and jazz can be a revelation to those unfamiliar with Gottschalk’s music and jazz.”

“The combination of Cecile playing Gottschalk and Wynton and his ensemble playing jazz reflects the wide-ranging nature of the American musical landscape,” notes Pritzker. “Louis came about when I was writing a screenplay about Buddy Bolden, the first jazz trumpeter of New Orleans, and I took my mom to see Chaplin’s City Lights with the Chicago Symphony performing the score. It was without a doubt the best movie experience I ever had. The challenge of trying to tell a story visually, without dialogue, was compelling. I thought that if I was going to shoot one film, I might as well try to shoot two, the second being a silent film that picked up where Bolden ended.”

Tour dates for Louis:
Wednesday, August 25: Symphony Center, Chicago, Illinois
Thursday, August 26: Max M. Fisher Music Center, Detroit, Michigan
Saturday, August 28: Strathmore Center, Bethesda, Maryland
Monday, August 30: Apollo Theatre, New York, New York
Tuesday, August 31: Keswick Theatre, Glenside (Philadelphia), Pennsylvania
For additional information, please go to http://www.louisthemovie.com/
http://www.jazziz.com/news/2010/05/28/silent-louis/