Described as the ‘Indiana Jones Of The Moving Image’, we are
delighted to welcome Serge Bromberg to Dublin to present his
acclaimed stage show, Retour de Flamme (Saved From the Flames).
Presenting an eclectic programme of silent films with live musical
accompaniment, Retour de Flamme sees Bromberg showcasing some of his
recent treasure-hunting finds. Among the celluloid wonders on tap at
this particular edition: Artheme Swallows His Clarinet, a fragment
of a 1912 slapstick short made by the Eclipse production company,
a mere dozen of whose more than 2000 productions still survive; Le
Papillon Fantastique, a hand-colored print of a previously unknown
1909 film by French cinema pioneer George Méliés; Gregor and His
Gregorians (1929), the earliest known musical sound film made in
France (discovered by Bromberg in the rubble of a demolished film
lab), which offers an early glimpse of a then newly unemployed silent
film pianist – Stephane Grappelli – trying his hand at the violin; and
another musical short, Jazz Hot (1938), featuring a significantly more
advanced Grappelli and the only known film footage of guitar great
Django Reinhardt. Just seeing these films is a rare enough treat,
but Bromberg is more than a mere presenter; he’s a vaudevillian
showman in his own right, bounding enthusiastically about the stage,
lighting a strip of nitrate film ablaze, and providing his own piano
accompaniment. Expect surprises aplenty!

Scott Foundas

Retour de Flamme at JDIFF will include:

Artheme Avale Sa Clarinette
(Artheme Swallows His Clarinet)
France / 1912 / Comique
Production: Eclipse
Direction: Ernest Servaes
Actors: Ernest Servaes

Pour La Fete De Sa Mere
France / 1906 / Drama
Production: Pathe

Papillon Fantastique
(The Spider And The Butterfly)
France / 1909 / Scene A Trucs
Production: Star Film
Direction: Georges Méliés

Gregor Et Ses Gregoriens
(Gregor And His Gregorians)
France / 1930 / Jazz
Direction: Roger Lion
Actors: Gregor Et Ses
Grégoriens, Stéphane Grappelli

Jazz Hot
England / 1939 / Jazz
With: Django Reinhardt,
Stéphane Grappelli, Emmanuel
Soudieux, Joseph Reinhardt,
Pierre “Barro” Ferret

Gertie The Trained Dinosaur
Usa / 1914 / Animation
Production: Vitagraph
Direction: Winsor McCay
Actors: Winsor McCay,
Georges McManus