Cine Concert with a screening of the film "The Merry Widow" by Erich von Stroheim featuring improvisation on the piano by Jean-François Zygel, organised by the Monte-Carlo Opera in partnership with the Monaco Audiovisual ArchivesThursday 25 October, at 8 pm, Opéra de Monte-Carlo - Salle Garnier
Heir to the Kingdom of Monteblanco Prince Mirko and his cousin Danilo are vying for the attentions of music hall dancer Sally O'Hara. She agrees to marry Danilo, but the King and Queen oppose their union. Distraught, she weds the extraordinarily wealthy and infirm Baron Sadoja, whose fortune keeps the Kingdom's economy afloat. When he dies suddenly, Danilo must seduce the young widow anew.
With the relationship between the erratic director Eric von Stronheim and his star Mae Murray a particularly turbulent one, the shoot proved anything but smooth. The film was a huge success with critics and audiences alike when it was released. The press hailed the director's talent and his ability to transform the delightful Miss Murray into a true actress. It was a costly production but went on to generate record profits. The Merry Widow would later be adapted for the big screen on multiple further occasions (1934, 1952, 1962 and 1994) and the studio allowed this particularly glittering but silent version to be forgotten in order to avoid any competition. The most observant viewers will catch a brief glimpse of two young actors who would go on to achieve future fame: Joan Crawford and Clark Gable.
An internationally renowned expert in accompanying concert versions of silent films, composer Jean-François Zygel will be at the piano to improvise a soundtrack to von Stroheim's film for the first time, in yet another addition to his prolific career.