Tim Romano: A view into silent films from the projection booth

Very few people get a bird’s eye view inside Overture’s historic Capitol Theater, but it’s a familiar scene for Tim Romano, the film projectionist for Duck Soup Cinema silent film series. A hike to the summit of the theater leads you to the projection booth, where the magic begins. Romano is responsible for all the mechanics of presenting the films and maintaining the equipment, some of which are original to the 1928 venue. Let’s just say it’s not so simple as streaming on Netflix.

“If something goes wrong, you’d better know how to fix it,” said Romano.

As valuable historical artifacts, all materials and equipment must be handled with expertise and care. The physical films are typically rented out from the Library of Congress through a painstaking permission process.

Romano received his first projector as a 10^th birthday present, and since then his passion for this niche has never dwindled. A self-proclaimed “geek for film,” he has worn many hats within the industry, including personal film collector and restorer for the Library of Congress. He has serviced theaters all over the Midwest and nearly every theater in the Madison area, and this year marks his 40^th anniversary as the projectionist for Duck Soup Cinema.

Romano’s role requires vigilance to keep the film running smoothly and prevent the projection lamp from drifting and disrupting the picture. A typical silent movie has three to five reels of film, which need to be prepped and loaded into the projectors. After each reel is run, it must be mechanically rewound and the carbon rods that fuel the lamp must be replaced. Maintenance is of utmost importance, as spare parts are notoriously expensive and difficult to find. Thankfully, connections are strong within the film community across the country, and fellow “film geeks” are always reaching out to one another and swapping parts.

“We’re a rare and dying breed,” according to Romano.

The Duck Soup Cinema experience is by no means short of nostalgia. The Capitol Theater, a Madison treasure, opened nearly a century ago as a silent film theater and continues to provide a glimpse into the world of Charlie Chaplin. Live music traditionally magnifies the drama of these films, adding both comedy and suspense, and is performed on our recently refurbished Grand Barton Organ. Appealing to all generations, vaudeville-style acts serve as prelude to the film. The charming cut-glass chandeliers will have you seeing life through rose-colored glasses and channeling your inner flapper.

Duck Soup Cinema is a place where art, science and history intersect. In our modern society that regards last year’s iPhone as outdated, we can see the cutting edge technology of the 1920s in action, no Wi-Fi necessary. We see how artists employed the tools available for their own creative expression and social commentary. The theater organ itself, an engineering marvel, is one of just a few in the world to exist in its original venue and function exactly the way it did almost 100 years ago. From acting and film production to the live performance, few mediums provide such a multi-faceted context for art. The film scores often incorporated popular music of the time, references which are lost to most audiences today.

“The soundtracks are incredible even if you don’t know the songs, but if you do know them, it adds dimension (to the experience),” said Romano.

Ten Nights in a Bar Room (1926), the final show of the 2022/23 season, is a rarely seen “race film,” made for and by Black audiences and artists. It features an African American cast and is one of only four films produced by the Colored Players Film Corporation, an influential Philadelphia-based production company in the 1920s. Released during Prohibition and based on an 1854 temperance-themed novel by Timothy Shay Arthur, the film addresses relevant issues of its era and informs our understanding of current events. Two shows on Saturday, June 3 at 2pm and 7pm, will be accompanied by organist Jelani Eddington and emceed by Joe Thompson, and are recommended for audiences ages 13 and up. Dr. Allyson Nadia Field, Black cinema scholar and director of the Film Studies Center at University of Chicago, will lead post-performance talkback sessions.

Duck Soup Cinema presents three to five silent films per year. Stay tuned for our 2023/24 season!

To dig deeper, watch “University Place: The Art of Silent Film Music” aired on PBS.

RETURN TO BLOG INDEX