Monday November 17, 2008
By: Kevin Coughlin
Morristown Green/Star-Ledger
Stretch limo. Red carpet. Cast interviews.
Independent filmmaker Michael Pleckaitis threw a great party Sunday at the Bickford Theatre for the premiere of "Silent," his feature-length homage to pre-talkie classics made in Jersey.
Three years in the making, "Silent" boasts some fine performances by a volunteer cast, a lively musical score by Tom DeStefano and great North Jersey settings including Madison's Presbyterian Church and the Boonton falls.
A talented filmmaker, Michael clearly clearly did his homework on the silent film era.
It really was a labor of love: He married his wife Andrea in 2005, and ever since they have devoted evenings and weekends to this venture.
"Most newlyweds start by making a family or getting a puppy," Andrea told cast, family and friends prior to Sunday's screening. "We made a movie."
"Silent" marks the film debut of Plainsboro's Katie Ritz. She portrays Abigale Archibald, who risks execution by singing in a world where silence rules.
Her days as a lifeguard in West Windsor proved handy when the script called for her to be tossed, with hands and feet bound, into chilly October waters near the Boonton falls.
"I loved every second of it," Katie insisted.
Unfortunately, every second of that scene got cut from the picture!
Other notable performers include Katie's onscreen love interest, Dan Bailey (as the intestinally challenged "Finnius Furt"), who literally got religion while making this film.
Dan has decided to enroll in Drew University's theological school.
Sam Sebastian of the Franklin Community Players is deliciously evil in the bad guy role, and Kevin Simons, a ballroom dancer, plays a ghoul with gusto.
Fast-paced and sometimes funny, "Silent" has the makings of a cult hit.
That being said, there are two things you need to know if this film ever gets distributed.
First, the plot device--a mute world where vocalizing is a capital offense--is a trifle perplexing without the director's explanation.
That's because all the characters in this fable actually speak to each other. Their lips move as they emote, and their dialog appears in subtitles just like in any silent movie.
Michael, who co-wrote the story, described it like this:
They are speaking in captions. The other important thing to remember is, you will need a strong tolerance for bathroom humor.
Think D.W. Griffith-meets-Howard Stern.
Let's just say we're going to think twice before licking chocolate icing off a cake again
