Barbara Kent

The Alloy Orchestra brings its unique exuberance to this remarkable masterpiece, an early “partial talkie” that had languished in obscurity before the Orchestra’s first presentation of the film at the 1994 Telluride Film Festival.

The Orchestra is a three-man musical ensemble that performs fresh and innovative musical scores to important and frequently forgotten masterpieces of the Silent Era.  It combines modern, traditional and invented instruments – alongside electronic synthesizers it might feature accordions and percussion from a “rack of junk,” which includes outrageous objects such as musical saws and toilet seats.

Though Lonesome was initially released as a silent, it was quickly withdrawn from theaters and sent out again with three sound sequences; the additions technically make it Universal’s first talking picture.  In the film, director Paul Fejos masterfully portrays the frenzy of life and the loss of new love over the course of one day in the modern “big city,” New York.

The film’s stunning views of Coney Island and other Gotham locations are shown to full advantage in a new tinted print from the George Eastman House.  Lonesome has been described by the Los Angeles Times as “a major rediscovery, an exquisite urban romance of poetic realism and acute psychological insight.  Timelessly exhilarating and beautiful.”

Cast Barbara Kent (Mary), Glenn Tryon (Jim), Fay Holderness (Overdressed woman), Gustav Partos (Romantic gentleman), Eddie Phillips (The Sport), Andy Devine (Jim’s friend on boat).

Directed by Paul Fejos.  Produced by Carl Laemmle Jr.  Screenplay Edward T. Lowe Jr., Mann Page, Tom Reed.  Cinematography Gilbert Warrenton.  Film Editing Frank Atkinson.  Art Direction Charles D. Hall.  Universal Pictures.  1928.  35mm.  69 mins.  Print courtesy of the George Eastman House and Universal.