Chaplin Under the Stars: A Dog's Life and Shoulder Arms
On 27 June, Cineteca di Bologna’s Il Cinema Ritrovato festival celebrated two milestones in Charlie Chaplin’s career with a programme devoted to his first two First National films, A Dog’s Life and Shoulder Arms (both 1918).
The day began with a panel exploring the new 4K restorations of both films from their original A-negative versions, presented at their original silent speeds. Arnold Lozano (Chaplin Office), Dave Kehr (MoMA), and conductor and restorer Timothy Brock discussed the collaborative work behind the restorations, undertaken by MoMA in partnership with Cineteca di Bologna, under the aegis of Association Chaplin and Roy Export S.A.S. Brock also offered insight into his meticulous restoration and adaptation of Chaplin’s own 1959 orchestral scores, commissioned by Roy Export S.A.S., to accompany the newly restored films.
The discussions found their perfect culmination that evening in Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore, where thousands gathered for the world premiere of the new restorations with Brock’s restored scores, performed live by Orchestra Senzaspine under his direction.
One particularly memorable moment came during A Dog’s Life, when Maestro Brock played the musical saw as part of the live performance.
The screening was introduced by Arnold Lozano and Dave Kehr.
Our thanks to photographer Lorenzo Burlando for capturing some wonderful moments from an exceptional day at Il Cinema Ritrovato. See more of his photographs of the evening on Facebook.
