Snow White

The Towne Cinema in Watertown will be hosting an evening that celebrates the silent film era with the screening of the 1916 "Snow White", directed by J. Searle Dawley.

The event will be held in honor of the 100th anniversary of the film's release.

A Wisconsin native, Alice Washburn, plays the role of the Witch Hex in the film.  She was born in Oshkosh in 1860 and was a silent movie actress for Edison Films appearing in over 90 films.  Around 1900 she left her job as a teacher at the Oshkosh High School to attend acting school in New York City.

She was best known for her roles in comedies, and had "an irrepressible sense of humor, keen and subtle with an unerring eye for detail in designing

her marvelous costumes which constitute comedy in themselves."  

We will be showing the film on Saturday, December 10 at 6:30 pm at the Towne Cinema located at 308 E. Main Street.   Doors open at 5:45 pm.  

The film is 63 minutes in length.  The screening will be free and open to the public, and tickets will be available on the day of the show.  

Although the film is silent, the theater will be filled with music.  We are going to feature live piano accompaniment as it would have been when the film was released 100 years ago.   We are thrilled to have David Drazin a silent film accompanist from Evanston, Illinois who will perform during the film.  Drazin is internationally recognized for his piano improvisations accompanying silent films, and has played at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival in Italy.  He performs for silent films regularly at the Chicago Art Institute, The Detroit Film Theater, and at UW-Madison's Cinematheque.  Following the film Drazin will also perform during a reception at Lyons Irish Pub, 201 E. Main Street, which is just one block from the theater.  The performance at Lyons will feature his work in jazz and blues, and is free and open to the public.

The Towne Theater built in 1913 has been a part of our community for over 100 years and first opened its doors during the silent film era. In 2013 Watertown and it's surrounding communities rallied behind the theater to support a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $70,000 in 60 days to keep it's doors open and help purchase the new Digital Cinema Package projectors.