Hawthorne visionary Jimi Cabeza de Vaca—real name, real marker of destiny—must hear Sun Ra and see Harry Smith when he puts on any quality silent film; his arcestra’s original live score to Murnau’s Faust at the Art Theatre inflamed the original’s simmering mysticism and invoked (in the most solemn sense) the revelatory psychedelia of Beausoleil and Lucifer Rising. With members of outré LA bands and crack CalArts musicians, he had both the personnel and the force of personality necessary to push a film experience toward pure white light. The harrowing Scandinavian silent mock-doc Haxan was de Vaca’s first-ever choice for a silent to soundtrack; after a year and then some working with other films, the young master gets his chance.
Fri., Feb. 19, 11:20 p.m., 2010
