Abrons Arts Center is presenting four nights of free outdoor movies in their amphitheater this month. “The Urban Drive In” series kicks off with a screening of the silent film, His People (1925), which will be accompanied by a live original score composed specifically for the film.
His People (aka; Proud Heart), directed by Edward Sloman, is a 1925 silent film about a young, Jewish boxer growing up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. As Abrons notes, “…according to film historian Lester Friedman, ‘Sloman’s compelling vision of the painful depths and joyous heights of immigrant life endow the film with an exuberant vitality that captivates modern filmgoers and enlightens film historians.’ ”
Local saxophonist and jazz composer Paul Shapiro will accompany the film with his original score, played by a six-piece ensemble. Shapiro was originally commissioned by the Museum of Jewish Heritage to write it and has since performed it live, along with the film, at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow Poland, also in Denver, San Diego, at the JCC Manhattan, and the Museum at Eldridge Street.
Other screenings each Thursday at Abrons include The Naked City, Hester Street, and Crossing Delancey.
Thursdays through July 30. 466 Grand St. in the amphitheater at 8:30 p.m. (or sunset). Bring a chair or a blanket.
