1922: Marion Davies (1897 - 1961) plays the young Mary Tudor in the film 'When Knighthood Was In Flower', directed by Robert G Vignola for Paramount.

WILTON – It was a movie that transported audiences back to the reign of England’s King Henry VIII, scoring an enormous box office success.

It was ‘When Knighthood Was in Flower’ (1922), a costume epic starring Marion Davies that became the year’s second-highest-grossing film.

See what all the royal fuss was about when the picture is shown with live music on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $10 per person to help support the theater’s silent film series.

The classic Tudor-era drama will be shown with live music by silent film accompanist Jeff Rapsis.

In ‘When Knighthood Was in Flower,’ Marion Davies plays Mary Tudor, younger sister of England’s King Henry VIII, who falls in love with a guardsman below her class.

Unfortunately, Mary is already betrothed to the aged King Louis XII of France. Her illicit romance thus touches off a furor with international complications.

Planned from the start as a big budget spectacle, ‘When Knighthood Was in Flower’ cost $1.8 million to produce, making it among the most expensive movies of the silent era.

The film was directed by Robert G. Vignola and based on a popular 1898 novel by Charles Major.

‘When Knighthood Was in Flower’ was produced by William Randolph Hearst (through his Cosmopolitan Productions) for Marion Davies and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Davies, longtime mistress of publishing magnate Hearst, would go on to become one of the most popular leading ladies of the silent era.

For ‘When Knighthood Was in Flower,’ she spent four months learning to fence in order to convincingly perform her own on-screen swordfighting.

Although some exteriors were shot on location at England’s Windsor Castle, most of the film was actually made in Connecticut and New York City, where Cosmopolitan was based at the time.

Ziegfeld Follies designer Joseph Urban planned so many lavish sets, Hearst had to rent space at two other New York studios to complete the film and hire 3,000 extras for the crowd scenes.

For Davies’ 15 gowns, Urban’s daughter, Gretl Urban Thurlow, duplicated outfits originally worn by Mary Tudor.

The screening is part of the Town Hall Theatre’s ongoing series honoring the 100th anniversary of significant motion pictures that debuted in 1922.

Programs will include all of 1922’s five highest-grossing titles, each shown on the big screen with live music, as well as century-old oddities, short films, cartoons, and more.

“Putting these films back on the big screen is a great way to celebrate the 100th anniversaries of some terrific motion pictures,” said Rapsis, the silent film accompanist who will create live music for all screenings.

“These are films that set the standard for Hollywood, and still retain their power to entertain, especially when shown in a theater with live music and an audience,” Rapsis said.

Upcoming programs in the Town Hall’s 100th anniversary series include:

• Sunday, March 13, 2022 at 2 p.m.: Norma Talmadge in ‘Smilin’ Through’ In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, a 1922 romantic drama set in the Emerald Isle.

• Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 2 p.m.: Douglas Fairbanks in ‘Robin Hood’ Celebrate the 100th anniversary of this blockbuster adaptation. Massive sets, great action, and Doug Fairbanks in the lead made this the top grossing film of 1922!

• Sunday, April 3, 2022 at 2 p.m.: Chaney/Houdini Double Feature. In ‘Flesh and Blood’ (1922), escaped convict Lon Chaney hides out in Chinatown and plots revenge. In ‘The Man From Beyond’ (1922) illusionist Harry Houdini plays an Arctic adventurer frozen for 100 years!

• Sunday, April 17, 2022 at 2 p.m.: Emil Jannings in ‘Othello’ The Bard’s immortal tragedy brought to the screen in this early German version. Silent Shakespeare in honor of the author’s 458th birthday.

‘When Knighthood Was in Flower’ (1922) will be shown live music on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. at the Town Hall Theatre, 40 Main St., Wilton, N.H.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $10 per person to help defray expenses. For more info, call (603) 654-3456 or visit www.wiltontownhalltheatre.com.

For more info on the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com.