Classic Silent Film, Live Organ

UPDATE: The following program has been canceled as of Jan. 23.

The East Hampton Presbyterian Church is offering film enthusiasts an opportunity to journey into the cinematic past with a screening of “Our Hospitality,” a 1923 film starring Buster Keaton that will be accompanied by Bernie Anderson on the church’s organ, on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Keaton, known for his physical comedy and his “great stone face,” plays a city slicker from New York who finds himself in the middle of a family feud in Kentucky in the 1840s. He also directed the film, which includes train chases, waterfalls, romantic intrigue, and slapstick. At the time of its release, Variety called it “one of the best comedies ever produced for the screen.”

Mr. Anderson has an M.F.A. in musical theater writing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and studied with the famed organists Lee Erwin and Ashley Miller. In 2001, he was the organist for the New Jersey edition of the Library of Congress’s American Movie Classics Film Preservation Tour, performing his own scores for Laurel and Hardy’s “Big Business,” “The Great Train Robbery,” and Harold Lloyd’s “Safety Last.”

Although some silent films were released with separate soundtracks, in most locations they were accompanied by piano or organ, and the music was usually improvised. Mr. Anderson follows in that tradition, improvising on the spot in order to maintain a feeling of spontaneity, regardless of his familiarity with the film.

The church suggests a $15 donation, though children and young adults will be admitted free.