Legendary movie star Fay Wray will appear at the 5th Annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival, a day-long event showcasing silent films with live musical accompaniment at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco. Ms. Wray will introduce a special screening of the newly restored Erich von Stroheim classic The Wedding March, the film in which she gave her first starring performance. Other festival highlights include the Chinese silent classic The Peach Girl and the Buster Keaton comedy Steamboat Bill, Jr., presented with a new score composed and performed by the Alloy Orchestra.

The first program of the day is The Clash of the Wolves (1925). A classic Saturday matinee movie starring the most popular animal star of the silent era, Rin-Tin-Tin, whose films were so successful they single-handedly saved Warner Brothers Studio from financial ruin in the 1920's, it tells the story of a resourceful wolf who forges a bond with a young prospector to fight a villainous claim-jumper. Presented in affiliation with The Library of Congress, this film will be accompanied by pianist Jon Mirsalis, who regularly provides accompaniment for silent films at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley.

Next up isThe Peach Girl, a masterpiece of Chinese silent cinema which is being presented in cooperation with the China Film Archive of Beijing. The tragic tale of a love affair between a peasant girl and a wealthy landowner's son, it stars legendary actress Ruan Lingyu, who was known as the Greta Garbo of China. One of the most idolized stars of the early Chinese film industry, she appeared in 29 films before the pressures of fame caused her to take her life in 1935 at the age of 25. The screening will be accompanied by a new piano score composed and performed by Dr. Kevin Purrone of the Ball State University School of Music.

The third program is The Wedding March (1928), starring Fay Wray and Erich von Stroheim. Newly restored by Kevin Brownlow of Photoplay Productions in association with The Library of Congress, it is both a romance and a caustic portrayal of the fading Viennese aristocracy in the years preceding WWI. A true classic of the silent era, the film features the enchanting Fay Wray in her first major role - five years before her appearance in King Kong. Accompaniment for this special presentation will be provided by Chris Elliott on the Castro Theatre's Mighty Wurlitzer, and the program will be introduced by Fay Wray herself.

The day will conclude with the Buster Keaton comedy Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928), the Romeo and Juliet story of two star-crossed lovers whose fathers are competing riverboat captains on the Mississippi. Shot on location in the Sacramento Delta, the film is famous for its concluding cyclone sequence, in which Buster Keaton performed one of the most dangerous stunts of his career. Using a unique array of percussion instruments and keyboards, the Alloy Orchestra have dazzled audiences around the world with their accompaniment to such classics as Metropolis, Man With a Movie Camera and Strike. This will be their debut appearance at The San Francisco Silent Film Festival.

The 5th Annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival is produced by The Silent Film Festival, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting greater awareness of silent film as an art form and its historical value as a record of life in the 20th century. Sponsors for The 5th Annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival include American Airlines, The Hotel Majestic, The Booksmith, Harding Design, Zocalo Catering, Ironstone Vineyards, La Nouvelle Patisserie, Ixia, Foreign Cinema, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, SKYY Spirits, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Crystal Geyser Water Company and See's Candies.

Further information can be obtained by calling The San Francisco Silent Film Festival at 415-777-4908 or online at wwww.silentfilm.org.