The music of R.E.M. will be used as the soundtrack to the classic silent Buster Keaton film Sherlock Jr. as part of the recently launched Silents Synced screening series. The series pairs the music of modern rock artists with memorable movies from the silent age.
The screenings of Sherlock Jr. will feature songs from two R.E.M. albums—Monster (1994) and New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996).
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Rolling Stone reports that the premiere screening of the Silents Synced version of Sherlock Jr. will take place on February 1, 2025, at the Morton Theatre in R.E.M.’s hometown of Athens, Georgia. According to a trailer for the film, it will then open in select theaters across the U.S. on February 4. The video promo also notes that the screenings will be held “Exclusively at Art House, Drive-ins and Indie Cinemas.”
Sherlock Jr. is an inventive comedy film that was first released in 1924. It stars Keaton as a kind movie projectionist who wants to be a great detective. One day, he falls asleep at work and dreams he’s Sherlock Holmes, while being drawn into a movie he’s showing.
R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck said in a statement, “Buster Keaton is one of my favorite actor/director/writers in movie history. I’m honored that in some small way R.E.M. is collaborating with him from beyond the grave!”
In a separate statement, R.E.M. manager Bertis Downs noted, “The guys thought it seems like a good idea and they like the uncanny way their music and Buster Keaton’s Sherlock, Jr., match up—kind of perfect. What a great and unlikely way of presenting great art.”
About Sherlock Jr.’s Silents Synced Trailer
The trailer features footage from Sherlock Jr. accompanied by the Monster track “Star 69.” The video shares some background information about the movie and the aforementioned R.E.M. albums.
According to the trailer, the movie “is today considered one of the greatest silent comedies that influenced generations of filmmakers, comedy writers, and actors.” Sherlock Jr. was chosen by TIME as one of the All-Time 100 Movies. In 1991, it was selected by the Library of Congress for the U.S. National Film Registry in 1991.
The trailer also notes that Monster debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while New Adventures in Hi-Fi is the favorite R.E.M. album of both Michael Stipe and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke.
More About the Silents Synced Series
The Silents Synced was the brainchild of Josh Frank, owner of the Blue Starlite drive-in theater in Austin, Texas. The series launched recently with screenings of the classic 1923 vampire film Nosferatu featuring music from the Radiohead albums Kid A and Amnesiac. Future screenings are planned pairing the film collaboration of Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali with the Pixies, and the 1925 comedy A Woman of the World with Pearl Jam.
