See the hear-nos of the silver screen

It’s not easy to be a silent movie fan. Poor storage techniques and a fire that devastated the silent film archives of two major studios in the 1930s have contributed to the sad fact that only about a quarter of the original films made remain.

Which makes those surviving films even more precious and worthy of enjoying.

Join fellow fans of the era on Wednesday, Sept. 29, as the Bijou Theatre in Lincoln City celebrates the first National Silent Movie Day with the 1923 classic, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” starring Lon Chaney.

One of the things that make the silent film so fun to watch today are the physical ways the actors made up for the lack of dialogue. Known as the “Man of a Thousand Faces,” Chaney created many iconic character portrayals, including as the phantom in the “Phantom of the Opera.” But it was his heartbreaking portrayal of Victor Hugo’s character Quasimodo in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” that has cemented the film as one of the all-time greats of the era.

Mack Pimentel from Pacific City will help set the classic mood on the Bijou's mighty Allen organ. Pimentel has played-in the crowds at the Bijou's Monday and occasional Friday afternoon shows for the past 15 years.

A $2 minimum donation for entry will go to the restoration and enhancement of the Allen organ. 

The film begins at 11 am at the Bijou, located at 1624 NE Highway 101, Lincoln City. For more information, go to cinemalovers.com.