Tomorrow is the second in the series The Sounds of Silents at the downtown KCMO library. This month’s selection is a 1925 documentary called Grass: A Nation’s Struggle For Life. The local public radio station, KCUR, ran a story on it as part of its Friday arts coverage this morning. Since Jeffrey and I did minor edits to the movie for the DVD to be shown, I can tell you it’s an amazing piece. The movie was made by the guys who later did the original King Kong, and tells the story of the migration of 25,000 people and half a million animals across rivers and mountains in search of (literal) greener pastures, in what is now Iran. There are many unforgettable scenes. I know the sight of nomads hacking a narrow path up a mountain through knee-deep snow in their bare feet (their crude shoes were too slippery), the thin line of thousands of people and hundreds of thousands of goats and sheep winding for miles behind them, will stay with me a long time.

I haven’t heard the music yet, of course, since Jeffrey needed the DVD to compose to, but last month’s installment was wonderful and well-played. Really, if you’re looking for something to do Saturday afternoon, this is pretty hard to beat: 3:30 pm, at the beautiful downtown library, 14 W. 10th Street. Admission is free, and they even provide snacks! The movie is about an hour long. They do recommend reservations—call 816.701.3407.