Sospeso presents the world premiere of French composer Bruno Mantovani's music to Allan Dwan's silent film East Side, West Side on March 5, 2003.

Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Canada, Allan Dwan worked for a lighting company, and in 1909 was in Chicago dealing with one of their customers, the Essanay studios, when he was offered a job there as a writer.  By 1911 he was directing films in California.  After making hundreds of one-reel Westerns, comedies, and documentaries, he graduated to features, and in the late teens guided such stellar talents as Mary Pickford, the Gish Sisters, and Douglas Fairbanks.

In the '20s, Dwan's memorable films included the Fairbanks swashbucklers Robin Hood (1922) and The Iron Mask (1929); he also produced and directed several Gloria Swanson films, including Zaza (1923), Manhandled (1924), and Her Love Story (1924). 

In the 1930s Dwan was relegated mostly to low-budget fare, but managed to score with the Shirley Temple films Heidi (1937) and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938), and the period drama Suez (1938).  His '40s work includes a quartet of clever farces for producer Edward Small (Up in Mabel's Room [1944], Abroad With Two Yanks [1944], Brewster's Millions [1945], and Getting Gertie's Garter [1945]) and the John Wayne war film Sands of Iwo Jima (1949).  In the '50s, Dwan capped his career with a series of Westerns, including Silver Lode (1954) and Tennessee's Partner (1955).

All Movie Guide.