The Adventures of Prince Achmed
Featuring an original score and live accompaniment by the Anvil Orchestra!
About The Adventures of Prince Achmed
When The Adventures of Prince Achmed premiered in Germany on September 23, 1926, it was hailed as the first full-length animated film. More than seventy-five years later, this enchanting film still stands as one of the great classics of animation—beautiful, mesmerizing, and utterly seductive.
Taken from The Arabian Nights, the film tells the story of a wicked sorcerer who tricks Prince Achmed into mounting a magical flying horse and sends the rider off on a flight to his death. But the prince foils the magician’s plan and soars headlong into a series of wondrous adventures—joining forces with Aladdin and the Witch of the Fiery Mountains, doing battle with the sorcerer's army of monsters and demons, and falling in love with the beautiful Princess Peri Banu.
About the Anvil Orchestra
The Anvil Orchestra is Terry Donahue (Alloy Orchestra, Concussion Ensemble) and Roger Clark Miller (Alloy Orchestra, Mission of Burma, Trinary System). Their unique live musical performances to silent films transform the viewing experience for adults and children alike in locales across the United States and abroad.
As two-thirds of Alloy Orchestra, Roger and Terry will continue the tradition of high-caliber compositions and performances. Percussionist Lawrence Dersch (Binary System, Trinary System, Concussion Ensemble, AKA/COD) will be added to the line-up when films call for a bigger percussive sound. The Sound of Silent Film will live on in The Anvil Orchestra. The group is based in Southern Vermont, but can play anywhere in the world.
“The Anvil Orchestra” is a name coined by film critic Roger Ebert. The first time the Alloy Orchestra played the Ebertfest, he incorrectly announced the group by that name from the stage. His creative wordplay has now come full circle.
