Library for the Performing Arts, Living Library, Summer at the Library: Silent Film Screenings With Live Musical Score Performance

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Library for the Performing Arts, our librarians bring the magic of silent cinema to Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium. The library will present two 16mm silent films from its collection, curated by Elena Rossi-Snook, with live piano accompaniment by Ben Model, one of the classic film world's leading silent film accompanists. Stay after the film screenings for a discussion and Q&A about the film with Ben Model and NYPL film specialist Elena Rossi-Snook.

For this event, we screen the film Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em (1926), a comedy romance shot at Paramount’s Astoria Studios (today known as Kaufman Astoria Studios), starring Evelyn Brent and Louise Brooks, in her first major film role. Brooks was a dancer in the Ziegfeld Follies before entering the movie industry in New York—today she is remembered as one of the great icons of the silent screen. Lawrence Gray and Osgood Perkins also star in the cast—all together they share scenes with Central Park and other iconic New York locations.

The comedy short Movie Night (1929) opens our program. This Hal Roach film stars the often overlooked Charley Chase, an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and director, and is a look at family movie-going in the 1920s. This is an opportunity to see a rare film, which has never been released on video or digitally—with very few copies in existence, The New York Public Library is the only public institution to have a print in its collection.

For 60 years, The Library for the Performing Arts has provided a hub for artists, scholars, and lovers of dance, music, theater, and the performing arts at-large. In celebration of the Library's 60th anniversary, Summer for the City presents a series of events for all ages, including film screenings, storytimes, reading parties, dance recitals, exclusive tours of the Library's treasures, participatory workshops, play readings, pop-up shops, concerts, silent discos, and more! You’re invited to experience the cultural legacy of New York from an expert's perspective and explore the vast collection of one of the country's greatest arts libraries.

There are two ways to access this free event:
1. General Admission, first-come first-served. Just show up!
2. Fast Track, opening the Monday before the event at noon.  Click here to learn more and reserve.

Please visit Lincoln Center's Summer for the City Event Page or our Living Library: Celebrating 60 Years Series Page for more details.