One Week and Sherlock Jr. with live score by Blue Grassy Knoll

Two Buster Keaton comedy classics, with gypsy-bluegrass score by the legends of the live silent film experience, Blue Grassy Knoll.

Pack a picnic and pull up a deck chair – and catch these hilarious silent-cinema Buster Keaton classics on the Big Screen.

With uproarious scores performed live by gypsy-bluegrass ensemble Blue Grassy Knoll, this special outdoor screening will delight fans of silent cinema – and newcomers to the form – alike.

Presented by Fed Square, in partnership with Insite Arts.

About the films

One Week (1920)

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.

Sherlock Jr. (1924)

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.

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.

Credits

Simon Barfoot – guitar, percussion, foley, tin whistle
Gus Macmillan – banjo, flute, slide whistle, thunder sheet
Mark Elton – double bass
Phil Mcleod – cello, accordion, mandolin, harmonica
Steph O’Hara – violin, mandolin, accordion

Check out the full program of free live music, outdoor cinema and community events on as part of Open Air in the Square.