The BQE Project to accompany Buster Keaton's 'Sherlock Jr.' at CU Cinema

Brooklyn-based chamber ensemble The BQE Project will accompany Buster Keaton's masterpiece "Sherlock Jr." Saturday, Nov. 13, at Cornell Cinema. Courtesy of Cornell Cinema

Cornell Cinema is thrilled to present two screenings of Buster Keaton's cinematic masterpiece "Sherlock Jr.," with live musical accompaniment by the Brooklyn-based chamber ensemble, The BQE Project, Saturday, Nov. 13, at 3 and 7:30 p.m. in Willard Straight Theatre.

Keaton's imagination runs wild in "Sherlock Jr.," the hilarious story of a cinema projectionist who fancies himself a detective who travels to the far corners of the world in the name of love. After falling asleep on the job, Keaton forces himself onto the screen and into the movie he's projecting, only to find himself confronted by perils and predicaments as the action around him changes in rapid montage. More than just a gag, the sequence is "an astonishingly acute perception of the interaction between movie reality and audience fantasy, and the role of editing in juggling both" (Time Out Film Guide). The zany acrobatic stunts and whirlwind of technical accomplishments are enhanced by The BQE's score, which transports the audience to faraway places with music that matches the magical shifts in scenery. "Sherlock Jr." will be shown with the animated cartoon "Fadeaway," featuring KoKo the Clown. Together, these comedy classics explore the world of cinematography and animation with artfully crafted music.

Fresh from a Halloween performance at the world-famous Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts, where the group played a new score by composer/conductor Tom Nazziola for James Whale's "Frankenstein," The BQE Project will follow its Ithaca performance with another screening of "Sherlock Jr." at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York. Led by Nazziola, The BQE Project has developed a loyal and critical following for its original musical scores and live-to-picture performances. According to Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer, "The BQE Project's innovative mix of original musical themes and enhanced live accompaniment fills the theater with an energy and a spirit that makes classic cinema come to life in whole new ways."

In addition to musical director and composer Nazziola, the ensemble comprises Tom Chiu (of Flux Quartet), violin; Dave Eggar (of Flux Quartet), cello; Gregg August, bass; Jack Morer, electric guitar; Eric Heubner, piano; and Noah Heldman, percussion. For more information on The BQE Project, visit http://www.thebqeproject.com.

Ticket prices for the 3 p.m. show are $6 adults/$5 kids 12 and under; and for the 7:30 p.m. show, $10/$8 students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased in advance from Ithaca Guitar Works in the DeWitt Mall downtown and from the Willard Straight ticket office. For more information, call 255-3522 or visit http://cinema.cornell.edu. The event is co-sponsored with the Cornell Council for the Arts, the Department of Theatre, Film and Dance and the Pentangle Film Program.