The actress Jeanne Roques took to the French stage as a teenager, but it was her collaboration with director Louis Feuillade under her chosen name ‘Musidora’ that made her a star. Musidora created the Irma Vep character in Feuillade’s Les Vampires serial—a cat-suited portrayal that continues to mesmerize. Musidora went on to success as a producer, scriptwriter, and director of her own films. Unfortunately, few have survived making this restoration of Don Carlos a rare treat. Musidora directs herself as Allegria, head of the Carlist faction in the civil war that raged in late 19th century Spain. Musidora fell in love with the Spanish Basque location and set her next film (Soleil et Ombre) there as well.
Restoration by San Francisco Silent Film Festival, La Cinemathèque de Toulouse, and Cinemathèque Française
Free admittance for children under 12
Live Music by the Sascha Jacobsen Ensemble
Bassist Sascha Jacobsen draws on a variety of musical styles from classical to jazz and Argentine Tango. He has performed with Kronos Quartet, theatrical greats Rita Moreno, Mandy Patinkin and Patti LuPone, musicians Bonnie Raitt, Randy Newman, and Raul Jaurena, among many others. Jacobsen is in demand as a performer, composer, and arranger, with commissions by the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, Berkeley Youth Symphony, and SF Arts Council among others. He is also a dedicated teacher and has coached students at numerous arts and music schools in the Bay Area. Jacobsen is the founder of the Musical Art Quintet, which performs his original compositions, and plays bass in the group. The Sascha Jacobsen Ensemble consists of Jacobsen on bass, Carlos Caminos (guitar), Michele Walther (violin), and Sheldon Brown (flute/ clarinet).
Image credit: Pamela Gentile