In the early 20th century, filmmakers were frequently compared to hypnotists, enticing hysterical movie audiences with wild collective hallucinations! In these rarely seen films curated by UMN’s Maggie Hennefeld, a woman is hypnotized by a Svengali, a jealous lover practices tele-hypnosis to defeat his rival, an overworked housemaid has sleeping sickness, a female coach drive can’t believe her eyes, an obsessive inventor gives us a sneak preview of Zoom, and cinematography offers a miraculous cure to hysterical amnesia. With live, original music by Dreamland Faces (Karen Majewicz and Andy McCormick, featuring Molly Raben on Northrop’s historic pipe organ) this singular program is a must-see for film buffs, music lovers, and the historically-curious.

Program curated by Maggie Hennefeld. Co-presented by the IAS Research and Creative Collaborative Media Archives for the Future.

At the Hypnotist's (Chez le magnétiseur), Alice Guy-Blaché, Gaumont, France, 1897

*Hypnotizing the Hypnotist, Laurence Trimble, Vitagraph, US, 1911

*Rosalie Has Sleeping Sickness (Rosalie a la maladie du sommeil), Pathé, France, 1911

*Cunégonde the Coachwoman (Cunégonde femme cochère), Lux, France, 1913

*Love and Science (Amour et science), M.J. Roche, Éclair, France, 1912

The Mystery of the Rocks of Kador (Le mystère des roches de Kador), Léonce Perret, France, 1912

*Included in Cinema's First Nasty Women (Kino Lorber, 2022)
 

“Falling in love with Dreamland Faces might appear, at first, like falling in love with Buster Keaton … Or silent film itself.” —Star Tribune

“For nearly two decades, Karen Majewicz and Andy McCormick have composed and performed dozens of scores for silent films filled with accordion, organ and the warbling of a musical saw. The duo sets the mood, builds the mystery and cues the mayhem.” —Star Tribune