Blood and Sand by Fred Niblo (1922)

The film was based on the Spanish novel Blood and Sand (Sangre y arena) by Vicente Blasco Ibanez (1909) and the play version of the book by Thomas Cushing. Juan Gallardo, a village boy born into poverty, grows up to become one of the greatest matadors in Spain. He marries a friend from his childhood, the beautiful and virtuous Carmen, but after he achieves fame and fortune he finds himself drawn to Dona Sol, a wealthy, seductive widow. They embark on a torrid affair with rather sadomasochistic overtones, but Juan, feeling guilty over his betrayal of Carmen, tries to free himself of Dona Sol.

Original music: Argyro Koliogiorgi

Kostas Karageorgopoulos (violin), Filnadros Karras (clarinette), Manos Kitsikopoulos (piano)

Direction: Fred Niblo

Screenplay: June Mathis

Starring: Rudolph Valentino, Lila Lee, Nita Naldi, Rosa Rosanova, Walter Long

Composer’s CV

Argyro Koliogiorgi was born in Athens in 1982 and raised in Chalkis. She has received diplomas in piano, harmony, counterpoint and fugue, and she is studying composition in Athens. She has also received a bachelors degree from the Technical University of Crete , where she studied Environmental Engineering. She has participated in a number of seminars about film music, music for the media and music technology by Alexandros Mouzas. In 2014 was one of the two winners of the call for scores of the 6th International Pharos Contemporary Music Festival in Cyprus for the film Mechanical Principles (Director: Ralph Steiner). The music performed by the Ergon Ensemble. In 2016 the same work, Mechanical Principles, (without the film) got honorable mention at the call for scores of the TEMPO New Music Ensemble (College Park, USA) between 500 submissions. She has participated four times in the Silent Film Festival of the MichalisKakogiannis Foundation, producing the original music for four films: «The Phantom Carriage» by Victor Sjostrom, «Diary of a lost girl» by Georg Wilhelm Pabst, «Queen Kelly» by Erich Von Stroheim and «Blood and Sand» by Fred Niblo.

*****

The Michael Cacoyannis Foundation is organizing the 7th Silent Film Festival, entitled Love and Eroticism in Silent Film from Wednesday 22 June until Friday 1st July 2016, at 21:30, with the artistic direction of Alexandros Mouzas.

Alexandros Mouzas says about the 7th Silent Film Festival: The eroticism of silent film is subconscious, allusive, disguised, and is supported by the irresistible charm of the leading ladies or the enchanting gaze of the men. There is a constant battle between that which is proper and acceptable and that which is not, between censorship and social acceptance. This years festival attempts to map the erotic element as it was evident in these great films by great creators, in different genres, from comedy to drama to adventure and exotic tales. Accompanied by original musical compositions which will be performed live during the screenings, another dimension and stimulus is offered to the audience in order to enhance the atmosphere of the times.

In cooperation with the STUDIO Parallilo Kykloma and Christos Papadimitriou.

^Information:

^{Wednesday 22nd June until Friday 1st July 2016, at 21:30}

^{7th Silent Film Festival, 2016}

^{LOVE & EROTISM}

^{Love and Eroticism in Silent Film}

^{With live music accompaniment}

^{Artistic Direction: Alexandros Mouzas}

^{Michael Cacoyannis Foundation}

^{Hall: Cinema}

^{Free Entrance}

^{Seats must be reserved: Tel: 210 34.18.579, Mon-Fri 11.00-14.00}