Silents at the Senate – Flesh and the Devil (1926)  

Sat. October 22 

Doors – 7:00 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $12 

1hr 52min | Not Rated | Melodrama/Romance | USA 

Silents at the Senate closes out the Fall season with Flesh and the Devil, a film so intense with emotion – swinging from youthful cheer and love, to uninhibited lust, jealousy, and wrath – that we may need to keep the lights off in the theater for a minute after the movie. 

You'll need some time to collect yourself.  

This enduring silent classic deftly blends light comedy, steamy romance, and tragic melodrama, making our Mighty Wurlitzer theater organ, unparalleled in its versatility, the perfect instrument for providing musical accompaniment. As the film takes you on this journey of agony and passion, organist John Lauter will be there to compliment and intensify the feelings with his live organ score. 

Starring romantic screen idols Greta Garbo and John Gilbert, Flesh and the Devil was and still remains a shocking and trailblazing film with visual style and stirring performances. Calling to mind the erotic thrillers of the 1980s like Fatal Attraction, this movie sizzles. The chemistry between its stars, who began a real love affair during shooting, cannot be denied. Meanwhile the camera titillates with then unheard-of close-ups of open mouth kisses and horizontal love scenes, while evocative flourishes of light and shadow heighten the dazzling eroticism of the drama.   

You will hardly believe what they were allowed to put on screen in the old days. 

And seeing it the way it was intended to be seen, on the big screen with live organ accompaniment, is a cinematic and musical time-traveling experience you won’t soon forget. Plus, as an added bonus, you can stick around after the show for a chamber tour, a rare chance to get an up-close look at the inner workings of a theater pipe organ. 

See you at the theater! 

Silents at the Senate is supported by the Knight Arts Challenge 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and The National Endowment for the Arts.