BUTLER TWP — There are not enough superlatives to describe the Butler Symphony Orchestra’s presentation of “City Lights” on Saturday at the Butler Intermediate High School auditorium.

In a unique format, maestro Matthew Kraemer and the orchestra were barely visible behind a large screen as they played the musical background while the audience watched “City Lights,” which has been called one of the greatest silent movies.

The auditorium lights faded as the music began and the opening titles appeared on the screen. Many in the audience seemed restless and not quite comfortable with the situation. Then the magic began. Old and young alike quickly became immersed in the experience.

The film is a series of vignettes that gradually introduce the central characters: The Little Tramp, The Blind Girl, and The Drunken Millionaire.

How they encounter each other and become interwoven in the surprisingly complex plot was artfully portrayed on screen as well as by the exquisitely performed music that underlined the story.

“City Lights” is a tour-de-force on the part of one the world’s performance geniuses. Charlie Chaplin not only starred in the movie, he wrote it, directed it, produced it and wrote the music for it. The score is surprisingly elegant, for Chaplin was a self-taught musician and composer.

Additionally, “City Lights” was filmed three years after the advent of talking pictures but Chaplin went against the general rush to make “talkies.” He refused to give up on his trademark The Little Tramp whose pantomime was so beautifully expressive.

Nevertheless, he recognized the potential to augment his character with music specifically written to invoke the emotions he wanted the audience to feel. The actors remained silent as always, but the film’s soundtrack played music.

To recreate the effect, Kraemer and the orchestra had the challenge of staying precisely synchronized with the images on the screen despite being unable to see what was going on since they were behind the screen. Instead of conducting the orchestra from pages of written music, Kraemer used a computerized score that scrolled across a monitor screen with a line indicating the exact progress of the music in relation to the action. The result mated antiquated technology with some of the newest.

Naturally, Chaplin’s music fit the moods of the story perfectly. Alternating between slapstick pratfalls and tender romance, Chaplin’s score ranged from wistful humor to lyric love themes to crazed dance tunes. The music flowed constantly even through the fade outs between scenes and the transitions were handled beautifully by the orchestra.

Laughter, sympathy, and more than a few tears flowed spontaneously as the audience was drawn into the tale. People became enchanted by the images and the flawlessly played music to such an extent that when the movie came to an unexpected conclusion, without resolving the potential romance, there was a general cry of disappointment at the words “The End” on the screen.

It was probably the most heartfelt compliment that could have been paid for an evening of enchantment provided by Chaplin and the orchestra.