After their sell-out event at the 2020 Festival we welcome back Sonic Silents with a new programme of two silent films by Frank Borzage, (the first Hollywood director to win an Oscar) The Pilgrim (1916) and The Pitch O’Chance (1915) accompanied with live original music on fiddle, banjo, guitar, dobro, and percussion. The films evoke a world of hobos, travelling men, cowboys and adventurous women, and the moral and practical dilemmas to which their precarious lives lead them. The Artists: Luminary of American old-time country music Kate Lissauer, champion fiddler and band-leader of Buffalo Gals bluegrass band. Leon Hunt, widely regarded as the best 5-string banjo player in the country today. Jason Titley, one of the UK’s finest Bluegrass guitarists also renowned for his improvisational and percussive skills. Together they provide a live performance of Kate’s score for the films, combining original composition and arrangements of traditional material.

Director
Frank Borzage

Date of release
1915 & 1916

Running time
25 min & 28 min

Country of origin
USA

Language
English