Two Buster Keaton comedy classics, with banjo-fuelled live scores performed by one of Australia’s most unusual, accomplished and enduring performance troupes, Blue Grassy Knoll.

"The musicianship and charisma of the players is brilliant" Rolling Stone

Fully immerse yourself this unique spin on silent film era cinema as two Buster Keaton classics receive live bluegrass scores from one of Australia’s most comical, accomplished and enduring performance troupes, Blue Grassy Knoll.

Not just a live performance of new accompanying songs; expect a raucous cacophony of slapstick foley, banjo-fueled rag time and razor sharp musical wit as the band bring each film to life before your very eyes.

About the films

One Week (1920)

Written and Directed by Buster Keaton and Edward F Cline. USA, Unclassified (All Ages).
Buster and his new bride receive a build-it-yourself house as a wedding gift, but their week-long construction project goes from tough to absurdly impossible (or, absurd and impossible!) when a rejected suitor re-numbers all the packing crates.

Cops (1922)

Directed by Buster Keaton and Edward F Cline. Written by Buster Keaton. Unclassified (All Ages).
A young man (Buster Keaton) who somehow gets on the bad side of the entire Los Angeles Police Department during a parade, and is chased all over town. One of Keaton’s most iconic and brilliantly-constructed short films, Cops was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in their National Film Registry in 1997

Sherlock Jr. (1924)

Directed by Buster Keaton. Written by Clyde Bruckman, Jean Havez, and Joseph A. Mitchell. USA, Unclassified (All Ages).
A cinema projectionist (Buster Keaton) who aspires to become a detective finds himself knee-deep in a mystery when he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Framed and shamed in front of the woman with whom he is besotted, he retreats to a cinematic dreamworld where he can flex his detective muscle.
Buster Keaton’s tightly wound mini-feature begins at a patient and measured pace but unwinds to its conclusion at an ever-increasing speed. Complete with a slew of physical gags and stunts by Keaton himself, Sherlock Jr. feels dangerous, and indeed it was, with Keaton seriously injuring himself in some sequences and coming frighteningly close in others. Upon its release, Sherlock Jr. was considered a commercial and critical disappointment. Today, 100 years later, it’s revered as one of the great silent comedies.

Language: Silent with English Intertitles.

About Blue Grassy Knoll

Over their 28-year career Blue Grassy Knoll have cemented their place as one of Australia’s most well-loved, accomplished, and enduring performance troupes. In recreating the silent movie experience the band sits watching the film with the audience, playing their own original compositions, and using the film itself for their cues – a truly amazing experience to witness.

When writing for silent films, the Blue Grassy Knoll have developed an organic process of generating music to moving image that is uniquely collaborative. They draw on influences from a hugely diverse range of musical sources, creating arrangements and textures that mirror contemporary film scoring concepts. They aim to re-invigorate classic films with a modern aesthetic and energy, as well as inject a spontaneity that comes with live performance and improvisation. Their aim is always to deliver what they believe would be the intention of director had he knowledge of today’s film scoring techniques.

"An inspired fusion of cinema and performance that never fails to delight… The Blue Grassy Knoll are a national treasure" The Age

"This is a show to cheer!" The New York Times

"Nothing less than pure magic" The List, Edinburgh

Sound and Vision

Sensory experiences that blur the boundary between music and image.

• Artists

  Composer: Blue Grassy Knoll
  
  Musicians:
  Simon Barfoot – guitar, percussion, foley
  Gus Macmillan – banjo, flute, guitar
  Philip McLeod – accordion, cello, mandolin, harmonica
  Mark Elton – double bass
  Steph O’Hara – violin, mandolin, accordion