The Civil War Sesquicentennial will be commemorated at Hagaman Memorial Library in East Haven with a family program that will be both educational and entertaining. With the help of a $1200 Public Humanities Challenge Grant from the Connecticut Humanities Council, the library has commissioned a new musical score to be performed live to a screening of the Buster Keaton 1926 silent film classic “The General”.
Orson Welles called the film “the greatest comedy ever made, the greatest Civil War film ever made, and perhaps even the greatest film ever made”. “The General” will be shown on Saturday, April 14 at 2 p.m. at Hagaman Memorial Library with live orchestra accompaniment under the direction of composer and musician Steve Asetta. The orchestra performing the new score will be comprised of a combination of professional musicians and students from East Haven High School.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A session led by two scholars of the Civil War, Hugh Cuthbertson and Anthony DeMayo, and the new score’s composer, Steve Asetta. Admission is free and registration is strongly recommended. For more information, please call 203.468.3890 or visit www.hagamanlibrary.info to register online.
