Jekyll & Hyde together again at Disney Concert Hall

I see that this year’s Halloween Silent Film with Live Organ event at the Walt Disney Concert Hall will feature the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) with John Barrymore – again. Now don’t get me wrong: I’ve seen the film with live organ accompaniment, and I think it’s a great choice that should entertain fans of classic horror. However, it’s starting to seem as if the annual Halloween concert and film at Disney Hall has a rotation of only three titles: Nosferatu, The Cat and the Canary, and this one. There are some other silent horror classics worth considering: The Golem, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Haxen, etc; there’s even a silent Buster Keaton comedy titled The Haunted House that’s worth a laugh or two.* In the future, it would be nice to see more titles thrown into the mix.

Footnote:

• If you think I’m overlooking Lon Chaney’s The Phantom of the Opera, I’m not. That film shows up at a Los Angeles theatre at least once every Halloween, so there’s no need for the Disney Concert Hall to screen it too. (This year, you can see Chaney’s Phantom at the Old Town Music Hall on October 30 & 31.)