The Dust Bowl was headed to downtown Mobile’s Crescent Theater, where the 1928 silent film classic “The Wind” screened June 25 with a brand-new score performed live by Austin’s Invincible Czars.
Based on Dorothy Scarborough’s novel of the same name, “The Wind” stars Lillian Gish in one of the silent era’s most haunting roles. The book itself carried a bit of controversy: originally published anonymously, it so angered West Texas community leaders with its bleak depiction of life on the plains that they insisted its author could never have visited the region.
A stripped-down score with a Fairhope connection
The Invincible Czars’ dramatic soundtrack matched the film’s stark portrayal of west Texas, but the touring arrangement was anything but sprawling. The band performed as a four-piece — flute and clarinet, violin, electric bass and acoustic guitar, woven together with looping technology.
The group also brought along auxiliary instruments, most notably a homemade wind sound-effect generator built in the style of 1930s radio-era devices by bass player Henry Q. Vines — Fairhope’s own contribution to the evening.
Silent film, live music
Screenings pairing silent films with original live scores were a rare treat on the Gulf Coast, and the Crescent Theater — long a home for independent and specialty cinema in downtown Mobile — provided an intimate setting for the fusion of classic Hollywood and contemporary instrumental music.