Invincible Czars: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with Live Score Performance

Showtime:
Saturday, Sept 23, 7:00 pm

Get tickets now for a One-Night-Only screening of Robert Weine’s 1920 German Expressionist silent film with a haunting Live Score performance by Austin, Texas band The Invincible Czars.

Austin-based The Invincible Czars will make their fourth appearance at the Lark Theater as part of their three month Inside the Mind of Dr. Caligari Tour 2023, all over the US and Canada in conjunction with the release of their DVD and soundtraxk. They are known for their cinematic, experimental soundtracks to classic silent movies.

This Halloween season, The Invincible Czars bring their nightmarish-ly fun soundtrack to the world’s first feature-length horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920 Robert Wiene) with an immersive combined live soundtrack experience that transports audiences back 100+ years via an age-old tale accompanied by a chilling, tastefully-modern score featuring an impressive blend of traditional acoustic and present-day electric instruments. The Invincible Czars are also releasing a DVD and downloadable video with their soundtrack.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari inspired modern day filmmaker Tim Burton and musicians like David Bowie with its strikingly modern visuals. Its craggy edges, disjointed backgrounds and heavy make-up have earned this dark fairy tale a reputation as the quintessential German Expressionist film. Its twist ending is also considered the first in cinematic history (and something Rod Sterling’s The Twilight Zone capitalized upon in the 1960s.)

The live accompaniment experience marries the old-world charm of silent film with a contemporary electricity engaging multi-generational audiences. “We strive to create soundtracks that give modern -day audiences a context to appreciate these 100-year-old movies,” said Josh Robins, Invincible Czars founder and bandleader. The group draws upon influences from more modern film composers including Bear McCreary, Angelo Badalmenti, David Buckley, Bernard Herrmann and Danny Elfman

The Experience
Fans, theaters, and media have consistently praised The Invincible Czars’ carefully crafted soundtracks for enhancing movie-goers’ experience. The band has performed for over a decade at hundreds of theatres and art houses across the US and Canada delighting audiences with an array of sonic twists and turns.

The varied compositions and instrumentation adapt individually to each film the Czars score, capturing each thrilling moment and keeping audiences engaged scene by scene.

Their score is performed by a five member touring ensemble using violin, flute, bass clarinet, oboe, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, organ, glockenspiel, music box, drums, percussion, samples and loops.

From delicate passages of longing and love to menacing motifs of dissonant horror and pain, each instrument plays a critical role establishing character themes and creating an aural dreamscape for the film.

The Invincible Czars encourage fans and attendees to dress for the Halloween season.