The Loves of Pharaoh (1922) October 18, 2012

Lost for decades, a landmark silent film lives again for BAM's 30th Next Wave festival. Meticulously reconstructed, revered German auteur Ernst Lubitsch's 'The Loves of Pharaoh' is returned to near-original form in the New York premiere of this stunning restoration. The inaugural screening is accompanied by the very special world premiere of a new score by Brooklyn-based composer Joseph C. Phillips Jr. --whose provocative, genre-bending work combines avant-garde classical, jazz, and big band music--to be performed live by his 18-piece new music ensemble, Numinous. Set in ancient Egypt, this monumental superspectacle features lavish sets and costumes and a cast of thousands. Emil Jannings (winner of the first Academy Award for Best Actor) stars as the brutal pharaoh Amenes, who leads his country into war for the love of a Greek slave girl.