Directed by Joseph Von Sternberg (1927)
Saturday, August 8 at 8pm
$15 General Admission, $12 Members

Alloy Orchestra Presented as part of the BHC Summer Cultural Series

Directed by the celebrated Josef von Sternberg, Underworld won an Academy Award for its gripping screenplay. Bull Weed (George Bancroft) is a gangster in love with his moll, Feathers (Evelyn Brent), and in command of his turf. But when he takes an alcoholic (Clive Brook) under his wing and gives him a shot at infamy, Weed soon learns that no good deed, especially for a criminal, goes unpunished.

Alloy Orchestra is a three man musical ensemble, writing and performing live accompaniment to classic silent films. Working with an outrageous assemblage of peculiar objects, they thrash and grind soulful music from unlikely sources.

Performing at prestigious film festivals and cultural centers in the US and abroad (The Telluride Film Festival, The Louvre, Lincoln Center, The Academy of Motion Pictures, the National Gallery of Art and others), Alloy has helped revive some of the great masterpieces of the silent era.

An unusual combination of found percussion and state-of-the-art electronics gives the Orchestra the ability to create any sound imaginable. Utilizing their famous "rack of junk" and electronic synthesizers, the group generates beautiful music in a spectacular variety of styles. They can conjure up a French symphony or a simple German bar band of the 20's. The group can make the audience think it is being attacked by tigers, contacted by radio signals from Mars or swept up in the Russian Revolution.

The Alloy Orchestra is being presented as part of the Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation's Summer Cultural Series. A pre-concert talk at 7 PM by Edwin Seroussi, Emanuel Alexandre Professor of Musicology and Director of the Jewish Music Research Centre of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem will discuss the complexities of Jewish musical life in Vienna during the story 19th century fin-de-siécle. Underworld will be followed by Sachertorte, Kaiser Melange, Apfelstrudel! Don't miss the Viennese Cafe sponsored by BHC immediately following the film to benefit The Colonial.