CIVILIZATION
dirs. Reginald Barker, Raymond B. West and Thomas H. Ince, 1916
United States, 88 min.
Silent with English Subtitles

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23 - 7:30 PM - ONE NIGHT ONLY! LIVE SCORE BY JAKE PEPPER AND ZACH KOEBER

AN EPIC OF HUMANITY

Closing out 2025's programming year is our third collaboration with local improvisational musicians Jake Pepper and Zach Koeber, performing a heady new score for what is widely regarded as the first anti-war film. CIVILIZATION tells the story of the fictional nation Wredpryd and the doomed naval siege led by engineer and commander Count Ferdinand (Howard C. Hickman). This disaster brings the Count on a journey through the afterlife, where none other than Jesus Christ (George Fisher) is forced to reckon with humanity's resistance to true peace. A dramatic epic, both biblical and humorous, and as starkly relevant now as it was over 100 years ago, Spectacle is thrilled to bring you this historical picture through an expansive new score.

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Jake Pepper and Zach Koeber make up half of Ace Bandage-- the jam-heavy rock band based in Brooklyn, celebrating the release of their debut record Way Beyond. Their fondness for improvisation and vast knowledge of timbral music allows them to shift seamlessly through varied sonic palettes. Pepper also performed in Brooklyn synth punk outfit Future Punx, while Koeber got his start in the local scene as one-third of Archie Pelago, and he currently collaborates with deep house producer Max in the World. Both Jake and Zach have also guest DJ'd on the prestigious independent station The Lot Radio.

Special thanks to Steve MacFarlane