Last Friday evening, August 19 set the stage for the perfect viewing of The Adventures of Prince Achmed at Olana Historic State Park in Greenport. This was part of the Hudson Valley Picture Show, a traveling cinema festival held under the stars, produced by Upstate Films and presented by Del’s Roadside. Â
The animated tale was made in 1926 by Lotte Reiniger who used intricately crafted cardboard cutouts, thus achieving a magical silhouette effect. It was one of the first animated features and the only that survives. The movie was based on One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, a text which Frederic Church had several copies of in his library.
A special accompaniment to the film viewing was the live music played by Bill Ware and his band.