Queens of Destruction

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courtesy Overture Center

Bertha Regustus in a still image from the 1907 short film "Laughing Gas."

Bertha Regustus in a still image from the 1907 short film "Laughing Gas."

media release:  Overture Center once again reclaims the silent film heritage of the Capitol Theater with its silent film series, Duck Soup Cinema, with the final show of the season, “Queens of Destruction,” on Saturday, June 1 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Nationally known for providing an authentic silent film experience, the film screenings include local vaudeville entertainment with an emcee, door prizes and a classic feature film. A skilled organist plays live organ accompaniment on Overture’s original Grand Barton Organ, mirroring the actors’ emotions, just as it was done in 1928. Tickets ($9 for adults, $3 for ages 12 and under) are available at overture.org.

Queens of Destruction

From Kino Lorber’s Cinema’s First Nasty Women collection

Saturday, June 1, 2024

2pm and 7pm

Variety of directors and originating countries | 1911-1919

Unearth the hidden gems of cinema's early era in the "Queens of Destruction" from Kino Lorber. Part of a newly released collection, “Queens of Destruction” features French enfant terrible character Léontine in shorts from 1911-1912, Rowdy Ann from 1919 western comedy of the same name, and many other characters you’ll probably meet for the first time.

Program provided by Kino Lorber and part of “Cinema’s First Nasty Women” collection of rarely seen silent films featuring women who challenge gender norms with comic glee.

New York Times critic Manhola Dargis describes “Nasty Women” as “a mind-expanding endeavor… comic rarities produced from 1898 to 1926, gleaned from archives and libraries from across the globe. It is a triumph of scholarship.”

Organist: Jelani Eddington

Vaudeville: Villains from The Jerry Ensemble

Preshow lobby entertainment: Doc the Rube and Wayne the Wizard

Co-curator Dr. Maggie Hennefeld will introduce the program and discuss the films after the screening.

This season’s series is curated by James Kreul, who is thrilled to continue the tradition of Duck Soup Cinema to keep silent film history alive in Madison. Kreul has worked in film programming for more than 25 years, serving as the first programming assistant for the UW-Cinematheque 1998 and a programmer for the inaugural Wisconsin Film Festival in 1999. He has a Ph.D. in film history, focusing on distribution and exhibition of experimental films. Kreul has contributed reviews and film related articles to Isthmus since 2000. Since 2018, he has programmed Mills Folly Microcinema, a monthly experimental film series at Arts + Literature Laboratory, and MMoCA Cinema screenings at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.

NOTE: As these films were released nearly a century ago, some films may depict theatric and social conventions of the time related to race, gender, socio-economic status and identity which are unacceptable. In response, we will be exploring and unpacking some of this material throughout the season and providing pre- and post-show resources.