Wednesday, July 18, 2018.  7pm.  FREE.  Historical Society of Cheshire County.

First shown at the Scenic Theatre in Keene, July 24th and 25, 1918, The Whispering Choris was directed by Cecil B. DeMille and written by actress/screenwriter Jeanie Macpherson.

The Whispering Chorus is a tightly-written melodrama, the story of John Tremble, a man whose life is governed by urges which are externalized onto the screen through DeMille’s use of double exposure. A series of bad decisions, driven largely by his desire to give his family a more secure financial footing, takes Tremble through a nearly-surreal downfall to a strange and tragic redemption. The acting is excellent, making the improbable story very powerful.

With The Whispering Chorus we will show Shoulder Arms, Charlie Chaplin’s short comedy, set on the battlefields of the First World War, and shown in Keene December 10th, 1918, at both the Scenic and the Majestic theatres. Shoulder Arms was released on October 27th, two weeks before the Armistice was declared. It shows Chaplin at the height of his popularity, and also stars Edna Purviance, and Syd Chaplin, Charlie’s brother.