Recently, Discovery Green presented something of a rarity: a premiere viewing of a new(ish) silent film complete with original score as performed live by Houston's own invaluable symphonic oddball geniuses Two Star Symphony.

It wasn't just any silent film; it was a new film style stitched together out of old films by Andre Perkowski. Using decades-old Batman silent films and a few which were the inspiration for certain Batman villains -- The Man Who Laughs most notably having inspired the creation of the Joker -- Perkowski used tricky cuts and title cards to make the unrelated films gel together into one hour-long episodic story, complete with episode-ending cliffhangers which were resolved in the opening scene of the next episode in classic serial style.

The effect was charming, rendered into something truly substantial with Two Star Symphony's brilliant and varied score. Running the gamut from prim and proper chamber music to high-energy hillbilly folk dance to gloomy Gothic dirge, the variation in tone and execution was staggering. Our favorite piece is Clayface's theme, because it flat-out rocks like hell. This score even references past Batman scores, if your ears are sharp enough to catch them.

Grab some snacks, settle in and check the whole film out, paired alongside Two Star Symphony's score as it was performed live. It's well worth the hour.