Dozens of people were imprisoned in a false reality leading them to Davies Symphony Hall Saturday night, expecting to get a ticket, but their only option became the standing room ... which doesn't exist. Besides channeling the murky pseudo-philosophical jargon of the Wachowskis' 1999 award-winning Sci-Fi flick, there is an actual message here.
The Summer and the Symphony program in Davies Hall, combining the screening of The Matrix with the SFS orchestra on stage, conducted by the score's composer, Donald R. Davis, was a great success. So if you want to catch another program like this in the future, get your tickets now.
Projection on the big screen is excellent, the soundtrack (minus the music) fine, and the live, full orchestra provides the music as no regular screening can. Except for a few instances of the orchestra "stepping on" the dialog, everything went swimmingly.
Beyond remaining summer programs, note now — and act to avoid the disappointment of Saturday's overflow would-be audience — the inaugural SF Symphony Film Series that's part of the 2013-2014 season. Subscription to the series will get you into the Halloween week Hitchcock series (see below), the Feb. 15, 2014, A Night at the Oscars, April 12 Chaplin City Lights (with the director-star's own music), and, perhaps most importantly, the May 31 Fantasia — the 1940 Disney hit that first brought classical music to the screen with a big impact on new audiences.
"Hitchcock Week" will highlight the partnership between Hitchcock and composer Bernard Herrmann with Psycho (Oct. 30), The Lodger (Oct. 31 — organ accompaniment for the silent film), Vertigo (Nov. 1), and Hitchcock! Greatest Hits: (Nov. 2).