.

If you haven’t been over to the Weston Public Library events page, it’s time to head over. Here’s the link; go check it out and then come back. Or not. So much good stuff I would totally hang out there all day long if life were a bit different. The Owl 100% believes that we have the best public library in the universe and yet met a Weston resident yesterday who had never been in the WPL! Shocking! If I were in a silent movie, there would have been some dramatic music, a hand elegantly to the brow and a bit of fainting. Also less fleece and denim, more black dresses.

Coming up at the library on Tuesday, April 4 is a program titled “Can You Hear Me Now? Hollywood’s Transition from Silents to Sounds.” From the brochure, it seems that horses had everything to do with the creation of the motion picture with a racehorse and horse-drawn wagon leading the charge. If there are horses involved, we need to know about it, especially because by Owl count, we have 7 horses left in town not counting the fancies at Beechwood. How will we do movies anymore? How, Weston? #savethehorses.

Where was I? Ah yes, to the marketing materials:

At first, they were called “flickers” … “actualities” … and entertainment for “common folk.” Then they grew in stature. Bold epics, poignant dramas, slapstick clowns – and MOVIE STARS. So why did Hollywood then proceed to tamper with success and reinvent the wheel by adding sound? What did “talking pictures” do for both the art and the business sides of the film industry? And what does Singin’ in the Rain have to do with it? As Lauren Bacall famously said, “It’s not an old movie if you haven’t seen it.”

A lifelong lover of cinema, speaker Frank Mandosa hosts talks on a wide variety of film topics. A high school English and Film teacher, he also co-hosts Reel Life for Stoughton Media Access Center (SMAC). Twitter: @filmbuff1974 / Facebook film page: “Silver Screeners” / Instagram: frankmandosa1974 / http://www.frankmandosa.weebly.com

This program will be held on Tuesday, April 4 from 4-5:30 pm at the Community Room of the Weston Public Library, 87 School Street. No pre-registration is required.