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December

18 December

The Live Ghost Tent – The Quarterly meeting of the Laurel and Hardy Society.  Includes screenings of  Big Business (1929), short directed by James W. Horne; The Fixer Uppers (1935), short directed by Charley Rogers; Below Zero (1930), short directed by James Parrott; and Babes in Toyland aka March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934), directed by Gus Meins and Charley Rogers.  The Cinema Museum, Lambeth, London Link

12 December

Nosferatu (Dir. F W Murnau, 1922) (Screening format – not known, 96mins) A German Expressionist horror masterpiece starring Max Shreck as the vampire Count Orlok.  The film was an unauthorised adaption of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ with names and other details changed because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel.  Stoker’s heirs sued over the adaption and a court ruling ordered that all copies of the film be destroyed.  However, a few prints survived and the film came to be regarded as an inspirational master work of the cinema. In the film, Count Orlok travels across Europe leaving a trail of death in his wake.  Brilliantly eerie, with imaginative touches which later adaptions never achieved.  Find out more at wikipedia.org   With live musical accompaniment by Minima.  Studland Village Hall, Swanage Link

 

The Virginian (Dir. Tom Forman, US, 1923) (Screening format – 35mm, 100mins)   Prim East Coast schoolteacher Molly Wood arrives in Wyoming’s Wild West where she falls for an honest ranch-hand known as the Virginian. The feeling is entirely mutual, but the brutal reality of frontier justice threatens to throw their romance off course. He’s the strong, silent type – a model for cowboy heroes down the generations from William S Hart to Clint Eastwood. This is the second silent adaptation of Owen Wister’s eponymous novel, the granddaddy of all westerns. Find out more at imdb.com  Introduced by Bryony Dixon, BFI curator of silent film.  With live musical accompaniment. BFI Southbank, London  Link

 

 

8 December

The Eagle’s Mate (Dir. James Kirkwood, US, 1914) (Screening format – 35mm)   The Eagle’s Mate is a Mary Pickford vehicle long considered lost until a print was acquired by George Eastman House in 2000. Pickford’s first film with actor/director James Kirkwood, The Eagle’s Mate was adapted from a novel by Anna Alice Chapin about a girl abducted by a disreputable mountain family and forced into marriage. In a contemporary review, Variety described Pickford as ‘one of the few picture actresses, or actors for that matter, who can interject personality into a negative. She breathes the role taken, and it fits her, up, down and all around … The Eagle’s Mate is a lively feature without a real kick – but it has Mary Pickford, better than the best kick or punch that could have been put in …’ Kicks and punches were not the issue when a 1918 revival ran into censorship problems in Chicago (and elsewhere) over its violent content; cuts were instead ordered because of shootings and a fight scene in which a man’s mouth is torn.  Find out more at  wikipedia.orgPresented by the Kennington Bioscope.  With live musical accompaniment.  Cinema Museum, London Link

 

9 December

Robin Hood (Dir. Douglas Fairbanks, US, 1922) (Screening format – not known, 120mins) Amid big-budget medieval pageantry, King Richard goes on the Crusades leaving his brother Prince John as regent, who promptly emerges as a cruel, grasping, treacherous tyrant. Apprised of England’s peril by message from his lady-love Marian, the dashing Earl of Huntingdon endangers his life and honor by returning to oppose John, but finds himself and his friends outlawed, with Marian apparently dead. Enter Robin Hood, acrobatic champion of the oppressed, laboring to set things right through swashbuckling feats and cliffhanging perils!  Douglas Fairbanks, the greatest swashbuckler of them all, shines as Robin Hood in this 1922 silent film classic. One of the productions which shaped the adventure movie genre and the first film to receive a premiere, the acrobatic stunts and visual richness of Robin Hood still take the breath away almost a hundred years later.  Find out more at wikipedia.org.  With live piano accompaniment by Jonny Best.  Hull Truck Theatre, Hull Link

 

5 December

A Page of Madness (aka Kurutta Ippēji) (Dir.Teinosuke Kinugasa, Jap, 1926) (Screening format – not known, 73mins)  A man (Masao Inoue) takes a job as a caretaker at a mental asylum in order to be near his wife (Yoshie Nakagawa). Although his wife suffers genuine mental anguish, the man believes he can rescue her , but all is not quite as it seems….Considered lost for some 45 years, Kinugasa thankfully found the print in his garden shed in the early 1970s.  A Page of Madness is a visually stunning, and technically dazzling work of surrealism.   Teinosuke utilizes flashbacks, rhythmic intercutting, and impressionistic symbolism in this independently produced, experimental, avant-garde work  with its cinematic technique equal to if not superior to that of contemporary European cinema and very much reminiscent of Robert Weine’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). The film contained no intertitles as it was intended to be exhibited with live narration delivered by a benshi who would stand to the side of the screen and introduce and relate the story to the audience.  Find out more at  midnighteye.com .  With live musical accompaniment. Art House, Crouch End, London   Link

 4 December

Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – 35mm known, 135mins)  Based on two plays by the German author Frank Wedekind, Erdgeist (Earth Spirit, 1895), which Pabst himself had directed for the stage, and Die Büchse der Pandora (Pandora’s Box, 1904), the silent drama follows Pthe tumultuous life of the showgirl Lulu whose unselfconscious sexuality brings about the ruin of all those that fall for her and eventually her own.  In a daring move, Pabst chose a little known American actress over the more experienced Marlene Dietrich for the part of Lulu, a decision that made the young Louise Brooks an international star. Her innocent looks paired with her natural erotic allure and sense of movement – Brooks was also a dancer – perfectly matched Pabst’s idea of his heroine as unwitting seductress. Subjected to cuts to eliminate some of its “scandalous” content and unfavourably reviewed by critics at the time, it is now considered one of the boldest and most modern films of the Weimar era highlighting Pabst’s command of camera language and montage.  Find out more at silentlondon.co.uk .  With live piano accompaniment by Darius Battiwalla.  Picture House, Hebden Bridge Link

 

25 November

Aelita – Queen Of Mars (Dir. Yakov Protazanov, 1924) (Screening format – not known, 113mins ) Reality and fantasy, revolutionary zeal, and bitter jealousy mix in Yakov Protazanov’s hugely influential yet rarely screened drama, whose impressive constructivist production design by Aleksandra Ekster has been a reference point for countless sci-fi films since. Tormented by a cryptic wireless message from Mars, engineer Los embarks on a journey into the unknown that sees him woo the Martian queen Aelita – fiercely portrayed by iconic actress and director Yuliya Solntseva – and lead an uprising against the planet’s corrupt rulers. Aelita remains one of the most ambitious endeavors of Soviet Russia’s silent cinema, and a bold showcase of its avant-garde design. Find out more at silentfilm.org . Presented by Kino Klassika and South West Silents.  With live piano accompaniment by Juliet Merchant premiering her newly composed score.  Institut Francais, London SW7Link

20 November

City Lights (Dir. Charlie Chaplin, US, 1931) (Screening format – not known, 84mins) Subtitled ‘A Comedy in Pantomime’, City Lights is viewed by many as Chaplin’s greatest film – a ‘silent film’ released three years into the talkie era.  The melodramatic film, a combination of pathos, slapstick and comedy, was a tribute to the art of body language and pantomime – a lone hold-out against the assault of talking film.  The writer-director-star achieved new levels of grace, in both physical comedy and dramatic poignancy, with this silent tale of a lovable vagrant falling for a young blind woman who sells flowers on the street (a magical Virginia Cherrill) and mistakes him for a millionaire. Though this Depression-era smash was made after the advent of sound, Chaplin remained steadfast in his love for the expressive beauty of the pre-talkie form. The result was the epitome of his art and the crowning achievement of silent comedy.  Find out more at rogerebert.com. With live orchestral accompaniment.  Glyndebourne, Sussex Link

17 November

The Eagle (Dir. Clarence Brown, US, 1925) (Screening format – 16mm, 80mins) Based on the novel Dubrovsky by Alexander Pushkin, Rudolph Valentino stars as the title character, a young Russian Cossack officer who rejects the Czarina’s (Louise Dresser) amorous attention and is promptly branded a deserter in this silent tale of love and revenge. On the eve of his dismissal he learns of his father’s ruin–his father had sent a letter pleading for the Czarina’s aid against Kyrilla (James Marcus), a gluttonous and treacherous neighbor who has stolen the family’s estate. Sentenced to death with a reward on his head for shunning the lusty Czarina, Vladimir escapes into the countryside and becomes the Black Eagle, a dashing masked vigilante who seeks to avenge the death of his father. But things get complicated when he falls in love with Mascha Troekouroff (Vilma Banky), Kyrilla’s daughter.  Escaping for once his ‘Latin Lover’ persona, Valentino delivers a charismatic and seductive performance in this full-scale romantic adventure that shines with early Hollywood’s technical advancements and stylish production values.  Find out more at iamhist.net.  Presented by the Kennington Bioscope. Introduced by Kevin Brownlow.  With live musical accompaniment.  Cinema Museum, London Link

15 November

A Page of Madness (aka Kurutta Ippēji) (Dir.Teinosuke Kinugasa, Jap, 1926) (Screening format – DCP, 73mins)  A man (Masao Inoue) takes a job as a caretaker at a mental asylum in order to be near his wife (Yoshie Nakagawa). Although his wife suffers genuine mental anguish, the man believes he can rescue her , but all is not quite as it seems….Considered lost for some 45 years, Kinugasa thankfully found the print in his garden shed in the early 1970s.  A Page of Madness is a visually stunning, and technically dazzling work of surrealism.   Teinosuke utilizes flashbacks, rhythmic intercutting, and impressionistic symbolism in this independently produced, experimental, avant-garde work  with its cinematic technique equal to if not superior to that of contemporary European cinema and very much reminiscent of Robert Weine’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). The film contained no intertitles as it was intended to be exhibited with live narration delivered by a benshi who would stand to the side of the screen and introduce and relate the story to the audience.  Find out more at midnighteye.com .  With recorded Alloy Orchestra score .   BFI Southbank, London Link

14 November

13 November

Nosferatu (Dir. F W Murnau, 1922) (Screening format – not known, 96mins) A German Expressionist horror masterpiece starring Max Shreck as the vampire Count Orlok.  The film was an unauthorised adaption of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ with names and other details changed because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel.  Stoker’s heirs sued over the adaption and a court ruling ordered that all copies of the film be destroyed.  However, a few prints survived and the film came to be regarded as an inspirational masterwork of the cinema. In the film, Count Orlok travels across Europe leaving a trail of death in his wake.  Brilliantly eerie, with imaginative touches which later adaptions never achieved.  Find out more at wikipedia.org  With live musical accompaniment by Minima.  Village Hall, Tutbury Link

12 November

Cyrano de Bergerac (Dir.  Augusto Genina, Fr, 1925) (Screening format – not known, 104mins) Soldier and poet Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with Roxane, but he’s too ashamed to admit it because of his big nose. When a cadet, Christian, falls for Roxane, he asks for Cyrano’s help in sharing his feelings. Cyrano writes love letters signed with Christian’s name, and Roxane doesn’t realize that it’s Cyrano’s words she falls for…Based on Edmond Rostand’s classic play of the same title, Augusto Genina’s 1925 French-Italian stunning version of Cyrano de Bergerac was the first key feature film adaptation opening up the play to take advantage of the spectacular backdrop of 17th-century France, the grandeur of the costumes and the possibility for some great classic swashbuckling action. The wonderful Cyrano of this film, Pierre Magnier, understudied Coquelin in the original stage production. Magnier frequently performed Cyrano following Coquelin’s death in 1909 and remained active on stage and in films for another forty years, being best remembered today as the General in Jean Renoir’s Rules of the Game (1939). Magnier paved the way for other Cyrano’s to follow, including the best remembered 1990 adaptation starring Gérard Depardieu. A very rare chance to see on the big screen, this particular restoration also showcases the filmmakers’ bold decision to present almost the entire work in the highly stylised and beautiful Path Stencil Color process which took the film company another three years to complete; delaying the film’s release till 1925. Find out more at moviessilently.com  Presented by Turner Sims in association with Southampton Film Week and South West Silents.  With live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne.  Turner Sims, Southampton Link

5 November

Crainquebille (Dir. Jacques Feydar, Fr, 1922) (Screening format – not known,  76 mins) An ageing Parisian vegetable peddler gets caught in the cogs of a corrupt legal system after resisting attempts by a policeman to move him on from his pitch of 40 years in Les Halles. After serving his prison sentence, he is shunned by his regular customers and falls into poverty and alcoholism. Contemplating suicide, he is saved by the intervention of young newspaper seller who encourages him to make a fresh start and forget the past. Based on a short story by Anatole France, the film stands out both for its realistic cinematic technique in the market scenes and the nightmarish fantasy scenes as the protagonist is overwhelmed by the legal system and was a popular and critical success.  D.W. Griffith, upon seeing Crainquebille, declared “I have seen a film that, for me, symbolizes Paris. That man with his barrow load of vegetables – what a striking image – and how forceful! And Feraudy – great, powerful acting! A fine work, beautiful, compelling, bold!” while the New York Times selected Crainquebille as one of the best films of the year.  Find out more at imdb.com  A collaborative presentation by Bristol Ideas, South West Silents and Arnolfini.  With live piano accompaniment by Meg Morley.  Arnolfini, Bristol Link

2 November

Phantom Of The Opera (Dir. Rupert Julian, 1925)  (Screening format – not known, 103mins)  A title that needs no introduction, The Phantom of the Opera has spawned many remakes, remasters and sequels. This original film version, produced with moments of early Technicolour, sees Lon Chaney, the ‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ perform one of his most iconic roles. His ghastly make-up and outrageous performance made this title a benchmark in the American silent film era.  The mysterious phantom (Lon Chaney) is a vengeful composer living in the catacombs under the Paris Opera House, determined to promote the career of  the singer he loves (Mary Philbin).  Famed for the phantom’s shock unmasking, incredible set designs and the masked ball sequence, it still packs a punch. Find out more at wikipedia.org  With live musical accompaniment by Aaron Hawthorne (organ) and Rosie Lavery (soprano).  Neuadd Pendre, Tywyn   Link

31 October

Phantom Of The Opera (Dir. Rupert Julian, 1925)  (Screening format – not known, 103mins)  A title that needs no introduction, The Phantom of the Opera has spawned many remakes, remasters and sequels. This original film version, produced with moments of early Technicolour, sees Lon Chaney, the ‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ perform one of his most iconic roles. His ghastly make-up and outrageous performance made this title a benchmark in the American silent film era.  The mysterious phantom (Lon Chaney) is a vengeful composer living in the catacombs under the Paris Opera House, determined to promote the career of  the singer he loves (Mary Philbin).  Famed for the phantom’s shock unmasking, incredible set designs and the masked ball sequence, it still packs a punch. Find out more at wikipedia.org  With live piano accompaniment by Lillian Henley.  Palace Cinema, Broadstairs  Link

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Dir.Wallace Worsley, US, 1923) (Screening format – not known, 117mins) A classic silent film, full of drama, frights, romance, and excitement – Quasimodo’s story is told with the thrilling addition of a live score – bringing this extraordinary movie to life like never before.  Quasimodo is ordered to kidnap a gypsy girl, Esmerelda, by his wicked master, and an unlikely friendship forms between them. However, the reclusive hunchback is tested to his limits when Esmerelda is framed for attempted murder, and must fight back against the powers that have subjugated him. Victor Hugo’s tragic tale of the deformed bellringer and his love for Esmeralda, a doomed gypsy girl, has been filmed so many times and it’s not hard to see the film’s ageless appeal. While some movie lovers  cite the 1939 Charles Laughton version as their favorite interpretation, the general consensus  is that Chaney remains the definitive Quasimodo. Find out more at  wikipedia.org. Presented by Pitshanger Pictures.  With live organ accompaniment by Henry Tozer. St Barnabas Church, London, W5   Link

Body And Soul (Dir. Oscar Micheaux, US, 1925) (Screening format – digital, 102 mins) Paul Robeson made his film debut in this key work from pioneering black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. One of a number of ‘race’ films produced for America’s segregated southern audiences, Body and Soulfeatures an all-black cast, led by Robeson in a twin role as both a scheming convict posing as a reverend, attempting to swindle his congregation of their offerings, and his long-lost twin brother. The themes of morality and civility that run through the film are typical tropes of the race film, but Micheaux’s film has a potent force enhanced by Robeson’s undoubted star charisma.  Micheaux’s original cut was nine-reels long, but he was forced to cut footage after complaints about the story’s supposed sacrilegious elements. The five-reel version is the one that survives today.  Find out more at homemcr.org   With live piano accompaniment.  BFI Southbank, London   Link

Phantom Of The Opera (Dir. Rupert Julian, 1925)  (Screening format – not known, 103mins)  A title that needs no introduction, The Phantom of the Opera has spawned many remakes, remasters and sequels. This original film version, produced with moments of early Technicolour, sees Lon Chaney, the ‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ perform one of his most iconic roles. His ghastly make-up and outrageous performance made this title a benchmark in the American silent film era.  The mysterious phantom (Lon Chaney) is a vengeful composer living in the catacombs under the Paris Opera House, determined to promote the career of  the singer he loves (Mary Philbin).  Famed for the phantom’s shock unmasking, incredible set designs and the masked ball sequence, it still packs a punch. Find out more at wikipedia.org  With live organ accompaniment by Donald McKenzie.  Town Hall, Birmingham Link

Phantom Of The Opera (Dir. Rupert Julian, 1925)  (Screening format – not known, 103mins)  A title that needs no introduction, The Phantom of the Opera has spawned many remakes, remasters and sequels. This original film version, produced with moments of early Technicolour, sees Lon Chaney, the ‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ perform one of his most iconic roles. His ghastly make-up and outrageous performance made this title a benchmark in the American silent film era.  The mysterious phantom (Lon Chaney) is a vengeful composer living in the catacombs under the Paris Opera House, determined to promote the career of  the singer he loves (Mary Philbin).  Famed for the phantom’s shock unmasking, incredible set designs and the masked ball sequence, it still packs a punch. Find out more at wikipedia.org  With live musical accompaniment by Aaron Hawthorne (organ) and Rosie Lavery (soprano).  Pollokshaws Burgh Hall, Glasgow   Link

Nosferatu (Dir. F W Murnau, 1922) (Screening format – not known, 96mins) A German Expressionist horror masterpiece starring Max Shreck as the vampire Count Orlok.  The film was an unauthorised adaption of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ with names and other details changed because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel.  Stoker’s heirs sued over the adaption and a court ruling ordered that all copies of the film be destroyed.  However, a few prints survived and the film came to be regarded as an inspirational masterwork of the cinema. In the film, Count Orlok travels across Europe leaving a trail of death in his wake.  Brilliantly eerie, with imaginative touches which later adaptions never achieved.  Find out more at wikipedia.org  With live, improvised musical accompaniment by Leeds City Organist Darius Battiwalla.   Howard Assembly Room, Leeds Link

Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (Dir. Benjamin Christensen, Swe., 1922) (Screening format – not known, 105mins) A fictionalized documentary with dramatic reconstructions showing the evolution of witchcraft, from its pagan roots to its confusion with hysteria in modern (1922) Europe. Based partly on Christensen’s study of the  Malleus Maleficarum, a 15th-century German guide for inquisitors, Häxan is a study of how superstition and the misunderstanding of diseases and mental illness could lead to the hysteria of the witch hunts.  Although it won acclaim in Denmark and Sweden when first released, Haxan was heavily censored or banned outright in many countries.  But it is now considered to be Christensen’s finest work, a witches’ brew of the scary, the grotesque, and the darkly humorous. Find out more at thedevilsmanor.blogspot.co.uk .  With live musical accompaniment from Jane Gardner (piano) and Hazel Morrison (percussion).  Hippodrome Cinema, Bo’Ness  Link

30 October

Souls On The Road (aka Rojô no reikion) (Dir. Minoru Murata, Jap, 1921) (Screening format – 35mm, 112 mins) One of the very few Japanese films of its period to survive today, this is a pioneering example of Western-influenced cinema by a studio, Shochiku, committed to the modernisation of Japanese film. Minoru Murata was one of the most important figures in early Japanese cinema but as the majority of his 36 films are lost and he died prematurely in 1937, his work has largely been over looked. Starting out as an actor in the ‘shingeki’ movement which aimed to bring modern, naturalist theatre to Japanese stages, Murata subsequently became an exponent of  ‘Pure Film’ which sought to create a new, more modern Japanese cinema, as opposed to the overly theatrical, kubuki influenced productions of the time.  The narrative of Souls on the Road is adapted from two foreign literature sources – Gorky’s play The Lower Depths and the German novel Mother Road, the End of a Youth by Wilhelm August Schmidtbonn. Influenced also by the work of D.W. Griffith, Murata cuts between the stories of four interconnected groups of people – a failed violinist who returns home to his family with a wife and daughter in tow, two escaped convicts hiding out in the woods, the local master and his servants including a young woodcutter played by the director, and a wealthy young girl. Find out more at acinemahistory.com  With live piano accompaniment.  BFI Southbank, London Link

A Page of Madness (aka Kurutta Ippēji) (Dir.Teinosuke Kinugasa, Jap, 1926) (Screening format – not known, 73mins)  A man (Masao Inoue) takes a job as a caretaker at a mental asylum in order to be near his wife (Yoshie Nakagawa). Although his wife suffers genuine mental anguish, the man believes he can rescue her , but all is not quite as it seems….Considered lost for some 45 years, Kinugasa thankfully found the print in his garden shed in the early 1970s.  A Page of Madness is a visually stunning, and technically dazzling work of surrealism.   Teinosuke utilizes flashbacks, rhythmic intercutting, and impressionistic symbolism in this independently produced, experimental, avant-garde work  with its cinematic technique equal to if not superior to that of contemporary European cinema and very much reminiscent of Robert Weine’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). The film contained no intertitles as it was intended to be exhibited with live narration delivered by a benshi who would stand to the side of the screen and introduce and relate the story to the audience.  Find out more at midnighteye.com .  Presented by South West Silents.  With live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne. Introduced by Miranda Gower-Qian (Diversity & Inclusion Professional + Event Producer BFI). Arnolfini, Bristol  Link

Dragnet Girl (Dir. Yasujiro Ozu, 1933) (Screening format – not known,  110mins) Tokiko is an office typist who is more pleased at catching the attention of the owner’s son than he knows. That’s because her real boyfriend is Joji, a washed up boxer turned gangster and her employers present a great opportunity to make some money for them both. However, when Kazuko, the innocent sister of Hiroshi, a hopeful new member of the gang, comes to Joji to plead with him to send Hiroshi away, the gangster is attracted to her. However, Tokiko is jealous and determined to win Joji back no matter what the cost…..Yasujiro Ozu’s cool and clever gangster film is one of Japanese cinema’s masterpieces. Dazzlingly stylized, spirited and kinetic, Dragnet Girl is also an intimate, compassionate study of young people caught in the cultural cross fire. For all its snappy and whimsical homages to Warner Brothers gangster flicks (check out all of those background Hollywood gangster film posters), this is still an Ozu film, ending not with gunshots or kisses but with a still life in an empty room.  Find out more at silentfilm.org  Presented by South West Silents.  With live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne.  Introduced by Dr Mark Bould (Associate Professor of Film and Literature at University of the West of England)  Arnolfini, Bristol Link

Nosferatu (Dir. F W Murnau, 1922) (Screening format – not known, 96mins) A German Expressionist horror masterpiece starring Max Shreck as the vampire Count Orlok.  The film was an unauthorised adaption of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ with names and other details changed because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel.  Stoker’s heirs sued over the adaption and a court ruling ordered that all copies of the film be destroyed.  However, a few prints survived and the film came to be regarded as an inspirational masterwork of the cinema. In the film, Count Orlok travels across Europe leaving a trail of death in his wake.  Brilliantly eerie, with imaginative touches which later adaptions never achieved.  Find out more at wikipedia.org  With live, improvised musical accompaniment by organist Darius Battiwalla. St Thomas, Heptonstall  Link

Phantom Of The Opera (Dir. Rupert Julian, 1925)  (Screening format – not known, 103mins)  A title that needs no introduction, The Phantom of the Opera has spawned many remakes, remasters and sequels. This original film version, produced with moments of early Technicolour, sees Lon Chaney, the ‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ perform one of his most iconic roles. His ghastly make-up and outrageous performance made this title a benchmark in the American silent film era.  The mysterious phantom (Lon Chaney) is a vengeful composer living in the catacombs under the Paris Opera House, determined to promote the career of  the singer he loves (Mary Philbin).  Famed for the phantom’s shock unmasking, incredible set designs and the masked ball sequence, it still packs a punch. Find out more at wikipedia.org  With live musical accompaniment by Aaron Hawthorne (organ) and Rosie Lavery (soprano).  Summerlee Museum, Coatbridge Link

29 October

Phantom of the Moulin Rouge (aka Le fantôme du Moulin Rouge) (Dir Rene Clair, Fr, 1925) (Screening format – not known, 90 mins)  After two short films, Entr’acte and Paris qui Dort (both 1924) Rene Clair went on to direct this, his first feature length film. The Phantom of the Moulin Rouge continues with the same mischievously surreal themes of his first two short films with the story of a man, frustrated in his romantic ambitions, who becomes the victim for a scientific experiment in which a strange doctor separates the soul of the man from his body. Disembodied and invisible, the man whiles away his time playing practical jokes but eventually seeks to return to his own body.  However, that body has now been discovered by the police and the doctor charged with murder.   Will soul and body ever be reunited.  Perhaps not in the same class as later Clair silents such as The Italian Straw Hat or Les Deux Timides (both 1928) this is an amusing tale, especially in this UK premier of a newly restored version.  Find out more at imdb.com.     A collaborative presentation by Bristol Ideas, South West Silents and Arnolfini.  With live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne and Elizabeth Jane Baldry.  Arnolfini, Bristol Link

Phantom Of The Opera (Dir. Rupert Julian, 1925)  (Screening format – not known, 103mins)  A title that needs no introduction, The Phantom of the Opera has spawned many remakes, remasters and sequels. This original film version, produced with moments of early Technicolour, sees Lon Chaney, the ‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ perform one of his most iconic roles. His ghastly make-up and outrageous performance made this title a benchmark in the American silent film era.  The mysterious phantom (Lon Chaney) is a vengeful composer living in the catacombs under the Paris Opera House, determined to promote the career of  the singer he loves (Mary Philbin).  Famed for the phantom’s shock unmasking, incredible set designs and the masked ball sequence, it still packs a punch. Find out more at wikipedia.org  With live musical accompaniment by Aaron Hawthorne (organ) and Rosie Lavery (soprano).  St John’s Kirk, Perth Link

27 October

House on Trubnaya (Dir. Boris Barnett, 1928) (Screening format – not known, 64mins)  Boris Barnet’s Dom na Trubnoi, Mezhrabpom-Rus (The House on Trubnaya) is a masterpiece of Soviet silent cinema. It is a delightful comedy of manners that satirises contemporary life in Moscow during the height of the New Economic Policy (NEP, 1921-28). The film celebrates the changing character of Moscow while offering a sharp social commentary on the contradictions of the shifting Soviet state. Blending slapstick with the formalism of the Soviet avant-garde, the film achieves outstanding narrative dynamism and finely observed character portrayals.   This is the story of a city and the trials and tribulations of a young peasant girl, Parasha (Vera Maretskaya), who comes to Moscow with her pet duck in search of her uncle but discovers the injustices of the petite-bourgeoisie. When Mr. Golikov (Vladimir Fogel), owner of a hairdressing salon, looks for a housekeeper who is modest, hard-working and non-union, Parasha looks to be a suitable candidate but occupants of the house on Trubnaya are shocked when Parasha demonstrates her genuine revolutionary spirit  and affirms her proletarian rights by joining the domestic workers union! Another classic Russian comedy from Boris Barnett, a real delight.  Find out more at silentfilm.org  Presented by the Kennington Bioscope.  With live musical accompaniment.  Cinema Museum, London Link

24 October

Nosferatu (Dir. F W Murnau, 1922) (Screening format –not known, 96mins) A German Expressionist horror masterpiece starring Max Shreck as the vampire Count Orlok.  The film was an unauthorised adaption of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ with names and other details changed because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel.  Stoker’s heirs sued over the adaption and a court ruling ordered that all copies of the film be destroyed.  However, a few prints survived and the film came to be regarded as an inspirational masterwork of the cinema. In the film, Count Orlok travels across Europe leaving a trail of death in his wake.  Brilliantly eerie, with imaginative touches which later adaptions never achieved.  Find out more at wikipedia.org  With live organ accompaniment by Donald McKenzie.  Musical Museum, Brentford Link

23 October

A Page of Madness (aka Kurutta Ippēji) (Dir.Teinosuke Kinugasa, Jap, 1926) (Screening format – DCP, 73mins)  A man (Masao Inoue) takes a job as a caretaker at a mental asylum in order to be near his wife (Yoshie Nakagawa). Although his wife suffers genuine mental anguish, the man believes he can rescue her , but all is not quite as it seems….Considered lost for some 45 years, Kinugasa thankfully found the print in his garden shed in the early 1970s.  A Page of Madness is a visually stunning, and technically dazzling work of surrealism.   Teinosuke utilizes flashbacks, rhythmic intercutting, and impressionistic symbolism in this independently produced, experimental, avant-garde work  with its cinematic technique equal to if not superior to that of contemporary European cinema and very much reminiscent of Robert Weine’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). The film contained no intertitles as it was intended to be exhibited with live narration delivered by a benshi who would stand to the side of the screen and introduce and relate the story to the audience.  Find out more at midnighteye.com .  With live musical accompaniment.   BFI Southbank, London Link

I Was Born, But…… (Dir. Yasujiro Ozu, Jap, 1932) (Screening format, DCP, 90mins)  This early comedy from Yasujirô Ozu focuses on the Yoshii family – dad Kennosuke, his homemaker wife, and two sons Keiji and Ryoichi – who have just moved from Tokyo’s crowded city centre to a suburban development. Straight away the two boys start slugging it out to find a place in the pecking order among the neighbourhood kids. One of those deposed by their wily antics is Taro, son of Mr Iwasaki, the owner of the company where Kennosuke works as a humble salaryman. Then one night the Yoshii family are invited round to the Iwasaki’s, where the boys are mortified to see their dad dutifully kowtowing to his boss: “You tell us to become somebody, but you’re nobody. Why do you have to bow so much to Taro’s father?” Kennosuke’s attempts to explain the realities of the adult world to his sons leads to some soul-searching of his own.  One of the few surviving examples of Ozu’s silent period filmmaking, like his later films this one focuses on the internal dynamics of a single family unit as a way of drawing out broader generalisations about contemporary Japanese society, and uses the low-angle camera shots of domestic interiors that would become his stylistic trademark. Find out more at silentfilm.org .  With recorded Ed Hughes and New Music Ensemble score.  BFI Southbank, London Link

22 October

Early Film Pioneers: Cecil Hepworth To see the real world in films was a pleasurable thrill for cinema audiences at the beginning of the twentieth century, and, as a result, the production of non-fiction films reached an all-time high, both in terms of quality and quantity. Out of all of the film pioneers featured in this season, Cecil Hepworth (1874-1953) is the longest surviving writer, director and producer within the British film industry which he helped establish. In 1899 he converted a small house in Walton-on-Thames into a studio, making it his base for every film project he did for the next 25 years. During that period, Hepworth would cover many traditional aspects of early filmmaking at the time, producing actuality films covering every form of life during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, as well as some of the first British comedy shorts and even drama features. Some of these subjects will be covered in this screening of Through Three Reigns, the early compilation film which was completed in 1922. This lengthy programme put together by Hepworth himself was largely made from films in his own collection and is a look back at history as recorded by the cinematograph.  Presented by the Royal Photographic Society and South West Silents.  With live piano accompaniment by Meg Morley.  Arnos Vale, Bristol . Link

Souls On The Road (aka Rojô no reikion) (Dir. Minoru Murata, Jap, 1921) (Screening format – 35mm, 112 mins) One of the very few Japanese films of its period to survive today, this is a pioneering example of Western-influenced cinema by a studio, Shochiku, committed to the modernisation of Japanese film. Minoru Murata was one of the most important figures in early Japanese cinema but as the majority of his 36 films are lost and he died prematurely in 1937, his work has largely been over looked. Starting out as an actor in the ‘shingeki’ movement which aimed to bring modern, naturalist theatre to Japanese stages, Murata subsequently became an exponent of  ‘Pure Film’ which sought to create a new, more modern Japanese cinema, as opposed to the overly theatrical, kubuki influenced productions of the time.  The narrative of Souls on the Road is adapted from two foreign literature sources – Gorky’s play The Lower Depths and the German novel Mother Road, the End of a Youth by Wilhelm August Schmidtbonn. Influenced also by the work of D.W. Griffith, Murata cuts between the stories of four interconnected groups of people – a failed violinist who returns home to his family with a wife and daughter in tow, two escaped convicts hiding out in the woods, the local master and his servants including a young woodcutter played by the director, and a wealthy young girl. Find out more at acinemahistory.com  With live piano accompaniment.  BFI Southbank, London Link

21 October

Phantom Of The Opera (Dir. Rupert Julian, 1925)  (Screening format – not known, 103mins)  A title that needs no introduction, The Phantom of the Opera has spawned many remakes, remasters and sequels. This original film version, produced with moments of early Technicolour, sees Lon Chaney, the ‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ perform one of his most iconic roles. His ghastly make-up and outrageous performance made this title a benchmark in the American silent film era.  The mysterious phantom (Lon Chaney) is a vengeful composer living in the catacombs under the Paris Opera House, determined to promote the career of  the singer he loves (Mary Philbin).  Famed for the phantom’s shock unmasking, incredible set designs and the masked ball sequence, it still packs a punch. Find out more at wikipedia.org  With live musical accompaniment by Aaron Hawthorne (organ) and Rosie Lavery (soprano). Victoria Hall, Saltaire, Shipley Link

17 October

Funny Business: A compilation of slapstick comedy featuring Laurel & Hardy and friends.  Renowned composer, musician and TV presenter Neil Brand selects  a triple-bill of his favourite silent film slapstick, featuring Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chase, and Charlie Bowers..  Presented as part of the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live piano accompaniment by Neil Brand. Abbeydale Picture House, Sheffield  Link

Back To God’s Country (Dir. David Hartford/Nell Shipman, Can, 1919)  (Screening format – not known, 73 mins) The first, most successful and earliest surviving feature film made in Canada by Canadians, Back to God’s Country tells the story of Delores LeBeau, who goes on a treacherous journey to the Arctic with her husband on a vessel captained secretly by the man who murdered her father. In a tense and action-packed sequence, Delores must save her husband from the malicious Rydal and survive in the unfamiliar Arctic conditions.  Nell Shipman was a unique trailblazer of Canadian silent film. She produced, wrote, and directed as well as maintaining a menagerie of up to 200 animals which she wrangled herself on her film shoots. As with many early female film pioneers, Shipman’s  contribution to film history remains largely overlooked.  Although she went on to produce and direct several successful Hollywood productions, her bankruptcy in 1924 meant the loss of her beloved animals and her departure from the film industry.  Find out more at moviessilently.com  Presented as part of the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live musical accompaniment by  Jonny Best (piano) and Trevor Bartlett (percussion).  Abbeydale Picture House, Sheffield  Link

Cat And The Canary (Dir. Paul Leni, US, 1927) (Screening format – not known, 82mins) The Cat and the Canary, originally a stage play, weaves a tale now very familiar to lovers of the horror genre. Cyrus West, a millionaire, died a presumed madman. His will is only to be read 20 years following his death. The heir? A 20-something girl by the name of Annabelle West. However, the will has an odd condition – since the greed of West’s family drove him to madness (like cats surrounding a canary), Annabelle must be deemed psychologically sound, or the money turns over to a secret heir named in an envelope held by Mr. Crosby, the lawyer overseeing the will reading. Mr. Crosby soon goes missing, with Annabelle the only witness to his disappearance. Is Annabelle spiraling into insanity? Or is the mystery heir pushing her there? The film takes us on a twisty whodunit, one of the very first of the genre, and indubitably one of the few that withstands the test of time. Directed by German expressionist film-maker Paul Leni, his first Hollywood film after having been recruited by producer Carl Laemmle for Universal, and remade three times in the sound era, this silent version is considered the definitive rendering.  Find out more at silentfilm.org. Presented as part of the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live piano accompaniment by  Neil Brand.  Abbeydale Picture House, Sheffield Link

Au Bonheur des Dames (aka Ladie’s Paradise) (Dir.  Julien Duvivier, Fr, 1930) (Screening format – not known, 90mins)  Set within the glamourous world of a Parisian department store, Julien Duvivier’s long-forgotten masterpiece was one of the last silent films to be made in France and is ripe for rediscovery.  Dita Parlo, a German actress who later appeared in Jean Vigo’s L’Atalante (1934) and Jean Renoir’s The Grand Illusion (1937), plays a wide-eyed innocent from the country who is relocated to the city of lights and is lured away from her uncle’s small shop by the richness of the department store. While Duvivier’s film celebrates the richness of Parisian life, it is, at the same time, a damning portrait of rampant consumerism and the demise of small, local shops. Directed by the iconic director of future celebrated French classics such as La belle Equipe (1936), Pépé le Moko (1936) and Un Carnet deBal(1937), Julien Duvivier’s breathtaking Au Bonheur des Dames will leave you laughing, crying and asking for more. Find out more atsilentfilm.org.  Presented as part of the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live musical accompaniment by  the Frame Ensemble .  Abbeydale Picture House, Sheffield Link

A Page of Madness (aka Kurutta Ippēji) (Dir.Teinosuke Kinugasa, Jap, 1926) (Screening format – not known, 73mins)  A man (Masao Inoue) takes a job as a caretaker at a mental asylum in order to be near his wife (Yoshie Nakagawa). Although his wife suffers genuine mental anguish, the man believes he can rescue her , but all is not quite as it seems….Considered lost for some 45 years, Kinugasa thankfully found the print in his garden shed in the early 1970s.  A Page of Madness is a visually stunning, and technically dazzling work of surrealism.   Teinosuke utilizes flashbacks, rhythmic intercutting, and impressionistic symbolism in this independently produced, experimental, avant-garde work  with its cinematic technique equal to if not superior to that of contemporary European cinema and very much reminiscent of Robert Weine’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). The film contained no intertitles as it was intended to be exhibited with live narration delivered by a benshi who would stand to the side of the screen and introduce and relate the story to the audience.  Find out more at midnighteye.com .   Presented as part of the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live musical accompaniment by  In The Nursery .  Abbeydale Picture House, Sheffield Link

16 October

Funny Business: Laurel & Hardy and friends – Triple Bill of Comedy Start your Saturday afternoon with a triple-bill of slapstick silent film comedy with live piano. Alongside hapless duo Laurel and Hardy are one of early Hollywood’s most inventive female comedians, Mabel Normand, and the subtle, acrobatic beauty of Buster Keaton.  (Film titles TBC).  Presented as part of the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live piano accompaniment by Jonny Best. Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds  Link

Drifters (Dir. John Griersen, UK, 1929) (Screening format – not known,   61 mins) Drifters, the story of the North Sea herring fleets from Yarmouth and Lowestoft to Shetland, broke new ground in 1929. Filmed mainly at sea in all weathers, but with studio sets for some interior scenes, it established Grierson’s style of “creative interpretation of actuality” which came to characterise the British school of documentary film-making. Directed and edited by Grierson and photographed by Basil Emmott. The film was successful both critically and commercially and helped kick off Grierson’s documentary film movement.  Find out more at imdb.com .  Presented as part of the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live musical accompaniment by the Chapel FM Jazz Collective.  Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds Link

Piccadilly (Dir E A Dupont, UK, 1929) (Screening format – not known, 92 mins)  A film noir before the term was in use, uncredited German director E.A. Dupont’s Piccadilly is one of the true greats of British silent films, on a par with the best of Anthony Asquith or Alfred Hitchcock during this period. Valentine Wilmot (Jameson Thomas) owns a nightclub featuring dancers Mabel (Gilda Gray) and Vic (Cyril Ritchard). After a confrontation with Wilmot, Vic quits performing at the club. When the joint starts losing business, a desperate Wilmot hires former dishwasher Shosho (Anna May Wong) as a dancer. She is an instant hit and forms a rapport with Wilmot, which makes both Mabel and Shosho’s friend (King Ho Chang) jealous, leading to a mysterious murder.  A stylish evocation of Jazz Age London, with dazzlingly fluid cinematography and scenes ranging from the opulent West End to the seediness of Limehouse. One of the pinnacles of British silent cinema, Piccadilly is a sumptuous show business melodrama seething with sexual and racial tension – with an original screenplay by Arnold Bennett.  Find out more atscreenonline.org.uk .  Presented as part of the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live piano accompaniment by Neil Brand.   Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds  Link

Chicago (Dir. Frank Urson & Cecil B.DeMille (uncredited), US, 1927) (Screening format – not known,  118mins )  Seventy-five years before Bob Fosse’s Oscar-winning musical version of Maurine Watkins’ successful stage play, Cecil B. DeMille’s production company made this saucy silent film version.  Phyllis Haver is hugely entertaining as the brazen Roxie Hart “Chicago’s most beautiful murderess” – a woman so pathologically shallow she sees notoriety for a murder rap as an opportunity to secure her fortune.  Egged on by her crooked lawyer (“they’ll be naming babies after you”) Roxie neglects her long-suffering loyal husband and sets about milking her celebrity status for all she’s worth.  The sequence in the prison is an absolute delight – particularly the rivalry between Roxie and fellow-murderess Velma (played by DeMille’s mistress, Julia Faye), as are the climactic courtroom scenes.  A cracking, satire on fame and the media, this fun-filled tale of adultery, murder and sin (so sinful that DeMille – known for his Biblical epics – was at pains to keep his name off the credits) is as fresh and relevant as ever.  Find out more at wikipedia.org .  With live piano accompaniment from John Sweeney.  Hippodrome Cinema, Bo’Ness  Link

15 October

Piccadilly (Dir E A Dupont, UK, 1929) (Screening format – not known, 92 mins)  A film noir before the term was in use, uncredited German director E.A. Dupont’s Piccadilly is one of the true greats of British silent films, on a par with the best of Anthony Asquith or Alfred Hitchcock during this period. Valentine Wilmot (Jameson Thomas) owns a nightclub featuring dancers Mabel (Gilda Gray) and Vic (Cyril Ritchard). After a confrontation with Wilmot, Vic quits performing at the club. When the joint starts losing business, a desperate Wilmot hires former dishwasher Shosho (Anna May Wong) as a dancer. She is an instant hit and forms a rapport with Wilmot, which makes both Mabel and Shosho’s friend (King Ho Chang) jealous, leading to a mysterious murder.  A stylish evocation of Jazz Age London, with dazzlingly fluid cinematography and scenes ranging from the opulent West End to the seediness of Limehouse. One of the pinnacles of British silent cinema, Piccadilly is a sumptuous show business melodrama seething with sexual and racial tension – with an original screenplay by Arnold Bennett.  Find out more atscreenonline.org.uk .  Presented as part of the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live piano accompaniment by Jonny Best.   Community Theatre, Saltburn-by-the-Sea. Link

14 October

Nanook of the North (Dir. Robert J Flaherty, US, 1922) (Screening format – not known, 79 mins) Robert Flaherty’s classic film tells the story of Inuit hunter Nanook and his family as they struggle to survive in the harsh conditions of Canada’s Hudson Bay region. Enormously popular when released in 1922, Nanook of the North is a cinematic milestone that continues to enchant audiences.  Filmed from 1920-1921 in Port Harrison, Northern Quebec, Flaherty brought an entirely unknown culture to the western world. It describes the trading, hunting, fishing and migrations of a group barely touched by industrial technology.  Nanook of the North was widely shown and praised as the first full-length, anthropological documentary in cinematographic history, but it is a film around which controversy still rages, particularly over Flaherty’s inclusion of staged sequences. In a sad footnote, the hunter at the centre of the film Allakariallak (dubbed Nanook by Flaherty) died of starvation not long after the film’s release. Find out more at www.rogerebert.com. Presented as part of the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live musical accompaniment by the Frame Ensemble.  National Centre for Early Music, York  Link

13 October

Nanook of the North (Dir. Robert J Flaherty, US, 1922) (Screening format – not known, 79 mins) Robert Flaherty’s classic film tells the story of Inuit hunter Nanook and his family as they struggle to survive in the harsh conditions of Canada’s Hudson Bay region. Enormously popular when released in 1922, Nanook of the North is a cinematic milestone that continues to enchant audiences.  Filmed from 1920-1921 in Port Harrison, Northern Quebec, Flaherty brought an entirely unknown culture to the western world. It describes the trading, hunting, fishing and migrations of a group barely touched by industrial technology.  Nanook of the North was widely shown and praised as the first full-length, anthropological documentary in cinematographic history, but it is a film around which controversy still rages, particularly over Flaherty’s inclusion of staged sequences. In a sad footnote, the hunter at the centre of the film Allakariallak (dubbed Nanook by Flaherty) died of starvation not long after the film’s release. Find out more at www.rogerebert.com. Presented as part of the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live musical accompaniment by the Frame Ensemble  Square Chapel, Halifax Link

25 September

Grass: A Nation’s Battle For Life (Dir. Merian C. Cooper/Ernest B. Schoedsack, US, 1925) (Screening format – not known, 71 mins)  Before they went on to make King Kong, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack told the jaw-dropping true story of a tribe of nomads in Iran known as the Bakhtiari and their epic annual  48 day trek across inhospitable terrain from Turkey to Iran to their flock’s summer pastures.  Venturing through deserts, mountains, rivers and snowy wastelands in search of the life-sustaining grasslands, the Bakhtiari’s 50,000 strong caravan – complete with 500,000 cattle and goats – becomes the sole focus of the camera’s gaze.  A spectacular ethnographic record, this film was intended for the lecture circuit but was snapped up by Paramount for theatrical distribution on the strength of its powerful dramatic punch. It’s easy to see how the character of Denham in King Kong was modelled after the adventurer Cooper, whose daredevil real-life exploits were the stuff of Hollywood adventure films. Find out more atwikipedia.org.  With live piano accompaniment from Mike Nolan.  Hippodrome Cinema, Bo’Ness   Link

Epic of Everest (Dir. J B L Noel, UK, 1924) (Screening format – not known, 85mins) A real adventure captured on film! The Epic of Everest is the official record of the fateful 1924 expedition This is the very earliest footage of the Himalayas and beautifully captures its untouched landscape in colour (tinted) film, while displaying the bravery of this group of British mountaineers and their Nepalese team.   This third attempt to climb Everest culminated in the deaths of two of the finest climbers of their generation, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, and sparked an on-going debate over whether or not they did indeed reach the summit.  Filming in brutally harsh conditions with a hand-cranked camera, Captain John Noel captured images of breathtaking beauty and considerable historic significance. The film is also among the earliest filmed records of life in Tibet and features sequences at Phari Dzong (Pagri), Shekar Dzong (Xegar) and Rongbuk monastery. But what resonates so deeply is Noel’s ability to frame the vulnerability, isolation and courage of people persevering in one of the world’s harshest landscapes.  Find out more at silentlondon.co.uk  With live piano accompaniment from Stephen Horne.  Hippodrome Cinema, Bo’Ness   Link

24 September

Cyrano de Bergerac (Dir. Augusto Genina, Fr/It, 1925) (Screening format DCP, 104 mins) Based on Edmond Rostand’s classic play of the same title,  Genina’s stunning 1925 French-Italian version of Cyrano de Bergerac was the first key feature film adaptation of the play, by opening it up to take advantage of the spectacular black drop of 17th-century France, the grandeur of the costumes and the possibility for some great classic swashbuckling action.  The wonderful Cyrano of this film, Pierre Magnier, understudied Coquelin in the original stage production. Magnier frequently performed Cyrano following Coquelin’s death in 1909 and remained active on stage and in films for another forty years, being best remembered today as the General in Jean Renoir’s Rules of the Game (1939). Magnier paved the way for other Cyrano’s to follow, including the best remembered 1990 adaptation starring Gérard Depardieu.  A very rare chance to see on the big screen, this particular restoration also showcases the filmmakers’ bold decision to present almost the entire work in the highly stylized and beautiful Pathe Stencil Color process which took the film company another three years to complete; delaying the film’s release till 1925.  Find out more at ithankyouarthur.blogspot.com  Presented by South West Silents.  With live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne.  Arnolfini, Bristol Link

23 September

Piccadilly (Dir E A Dupont, UK, 1929) (Screening format – not known, 92 mins)  A film noir before the term was in use, uncredited German director E.A. Dupont’s Piccadilly is one of the true greats of British silent films, on a par with the best of Anthony Asquith or Alfred Hitchcock during this period. Valentine Wilmot (Jameson Thomas) owns a nightclub featuring dancers Mabel (Gilda Gray) and Vic (Cyril Ritchard). After a confrontation with Wilmot, Vic quits performing at the club. When the joint starts losing business, a desperate Wilmot hires former dishwasher Shosho (Anna May Wong) as a dancer. She is an instant hit and forms a rapport with Wilmot, which makes both Mabel and Shosho’s friend (King Ho Chang) jealous, leading to a mysterious murder.  A stylish evocation of Jazz Age London, with dazzlingly fluid cinematography and scenes ranging from the opulent West End to the seediness of Limehouse. One of the pinnacles of British silent cinema, Piccadilly is a sumptuous show business melodrama seething with sexual and racial tension – with an original screenplay by Arnold Bennett.  Find out more atscreenonline.org.uk .  With live musical accompaniment by Wurlitza.  Presented as part of the Chagford Film Festival.  Dartmoor, Devon Link

Early Film Pioneers: Charles Urban – Kinemacolor  Charles Urban (1867-1942) was not a director, but as the most important producer of films in Britain in the pre-1914 period, he wielded considerable influence on the overall direction of early British cinema. A renowned figure in his time, Urban was a pioneer in the filming of war, science, travel, actuality and news; a fervent advocate of the value of film as an educative force; and a controversial but important innovator of film propaganda in wartime. Today he has remained a name in film history chiefly for his development of Kinemacolor, the world’s first successful natural colour moving picture system.  This programme of striking shorts comes straight from the L’Immagine Ritrovata labs in Bologna from the original Kinemacolor black and white nitrate positive prints. From a royal procession in India and the everyday life on the working farms of England  to the beauty of Lake Garda, expect a grand tour of the world, in colour.  Presented in association with South West Silents.  With live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne.  With recorded introduction by Luke McKernan, film historian and Lead Curator of Moving Image at the British Library.  RPS House, Bristol Link

16 September

City Lights (Dir. Charlie Chaplin, US, 1931)  + The Garage (Dir. Roscoe Arbuckle, US, 1920)(Screening format – not known, 84/25mins) Subtitled ‘A Comedy in Pantomime’, City Lights is viewed by many as Chaplin’s greatest film – a ‘silent film’ released three years into the talkie era.  The melodramatic film, a combination of pathos, slapstick and comedy, was a tribute to the art of body language and pantomime – a lone hold-out against the assault of talking film.  The writer-director-star achieved new levels of grace, in both physical comedy and dramatic poignancy, with this silent tale of a lovable vagrant falling for a young blind woman who sells flowers on the street (a magical Virginia Cherrill) and mistakes him for a millionaire. Though this Depression-era smash was made after the advent of sound, Chaplin remained steadfast in his love for the expressive beauty of the pre-talkie form. The result was the epitome of his art and the crowning achievement of silent comedy.  Find out more at rogerebert.com. Accompanied by virtuoso organist Jonathan Eyre at the Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ.  Victoria Hall, Saltaire, Shipley,  Link

11 September

Easy Street  (Dir, Charles Chaplin, US, 1917) + Wrong Again (Dir. Leo McCarey, US, 1929) (Screening format – not known, 19/21 mins). For Easy Street, his ninth film for Mutual and the most famous of the twelve he was contracted to make, Chaplin ordered the first of the T-shaped street sets to be built that he would consistently utilize to provide a perfect backdrop to his comedy.  Poverty, starvation, drug addiction, and urban violence—subjects that foreshadow the social concerns in his later films—are interwoven in “an exquisite short comedy” wrote critic Walter Kerr, “humour encapsulated in the regular rhythms of light verse.” . In the film, Charlie is a down-and-out derelict, sleeping at the steps of the religious mission .  He is entranced by the beautiful mission worker and organist, Edna Purviance.  Passing a police recruiting notice he decides to join but his ‘beat’ is Easy Street, terrorised by giant bully Eric Campbell!   Upon its release, Easy Street was hailed as a watershed moment in Chaplin’s career.Find out more at silentsaregolden.com.  Wrong Again  is one of Laurel and Hardy’s more bizarre films. Stan and Ollie work as stable-hands for a racehorse named “Blue Boy.” They overhear two men talking about “the famous Blue Boy,” which has been stolen. There is a $5000 reward for its return, but the boys don’t know that the men are talking about a famous painting. Trying to collect the reward, they take the horse to the mansion of the owner of the painting, arriving as he is getting out of the shower. Without looking at what Stan and Ollie have brought in, the owner tells them to put it on top of the grand piano. Stan does not understand, but Ollie tells him that rich people are “just the reverse” from everybody else. Stan and Ollie have quite a struggle to get the horse on top of the grand piano! Find out more at laurel-and-hardy-blog.com   With live piano accompaniment from Neil Brand.  Hippodrome Cinema, Bo’Ness   Link

20 August

The Eagle (Dir. Clarence Brown, US, 1925) (Screening format – not known, 80mins) Based on the novel Dubrovsky by Alexander Pushkin, Rudolph Valentino stars as the title character, a young Russian Cossack officer who rejects the Czarina’s (Louise Dresser) amorous attention and is promptly branded a deserter in this silent tale of love and revenge. On the eve of his dismissal he learns of his father’s ruin–his father had sent a letter pleading for the Czarina’s aid against Kyrilla (James Marcus), a gluttonous and treacherous neighbor who has stolen the family’s estate. Sentenced to death with a reward on his head for shunning the lusty Czarina, Vladimir escapes into the countryside and becomes the Black Eagle, a dashing masked vigilante who seeks to avenge the death of his father. But things get complicated when he falls in love with Mascha Troekouroff (Vilma Banky), Kyrilla’s daughter.  Escaping for once his ‘Latin Lover’ persona, Valentino delivers a charismatic and seductive performance in this full-scale romantic adventure that shines with early Hollywood’s technical advancements and stylish production values.  Find out more at iamhist.net. Presented by South West Silents.  With live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney.  Arnolfini, Bristol  Link

15 August

The Wit And Wisdom Of A A Milne. Most of us know the stories and poems of A.A. Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh. Here is a rare chance to experience more of his unique humour in two silent comedies made a century ago, playing alongside the first film Lotte Reiniger made in England, illustrating Milne’s poem ‘The King’s Breakfast’.   Films are; The Bump (Dir,  Adrian Brunel. UK, 1920 28min).  A famous explorer gets lost in London; plus Bookworms(Dir. Adrian Brunel. UK, 1920 27min). A young man leaves a love letter in a zealously guarded girl’s library book; plus The King’s Breakfast(Dir Lotte Reiniger, UK, 1937,11min)  A king demands butter for his royal slice of bread.  Introduced by Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at BFI.  With live musical accompaniment.  BFI Southbank, London Link

13 August

Nosferatu (Dir. F W Murnau, 1922) (Screening format – not known, 96mins) A German Expressionist horror masterpiece starring Max Shreck as the vampire Count Orlok.  The film was an unauthorised adaption of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ with names and other details changed because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel.  Stoker’s heirs sued over the adaption and a court ruling ordered that all copies of the film be destroyed.  However, a few prints survived and the film came to be regarded as an inspirational masterwork of the cinema. In the film, Count Orlok travels across Europe leaving a trail of death in his wake.  Brilliantly eerie, with imaginative touches which later adaptions never achieved.  Find out more at wikipedia.org Presented as part of the Putney Festival.  With live organ accompaniment by Nick Miller.  St Margaret’s Church, Putney   Link

12 August

Diary Of A Lost Girl (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – not known, 106mins) A masterpiece of the German silent era, Diary of a Lost Girl was the second and final collaboration of actress Louise Brooks and director G.W. Pabst a mere months after their first collaboration in the now-legendary Pandora’s Box (1929). Brooks plays Thymian Henning, a beautiful young woman raped by an unscrupulous character employed at her father’s pharmacy (played with gusto by Fritz Rasp, the degenerate villain of such Fritz Lang classics as Metropolis, Spione, and Frau im Mond). After Thymian gives birth to his child and rejects her family’s expectations of marriage, the baby is torn from her care, and Thymian enters a purgatorial reform school that seems less an institute of learning than a conduit for fulfilling the headmistress’s sadistic sexual fantasies. Find out more at rogerebert.com With live musical accompaniment by Wurlitza.  Acorn Theatre, Penzance Link

 

11 August

Nosferatu (Dir. F W Murnau, 1922) (Screening format – not known, 96mins) A German Expressionist horror masterpiece starring Max Shreck as the vampire Count Orlok.  The film was an unauthorised adaption of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ with names and other details changed because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel.  Stoker’s heirs sued over the adaption and a court ruling ordered that all copies of the film be destroyed.  However, a few prints survived and the film came to be regarded as an inspirational masterwork of the cinema. In the film, Count Orlok travels across Europe leaving a trail of death in his wake.  Brilliantly eerie, with imaginative touches which later adaptions never achieved.  Find out more at wikipedia.org Presented by the Lucky Dog Picturehouse.  With live piano accompaniment by Sam Watts.  Wilton’s Music Hall, London Link

10 August

Nosferatu (Dir. F W Murnau, 1922) (Screening format – not known, 96mins) A German Expressionist horror masterpiece starring Max Shreck as the vampire Count Orlok.  The film was an unauthorised adaption of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ with names and other details changed because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel.  Stoker’s heirs sued over the adaption and a court ruling ordered that all copies of the film be destroyed.  However, a few prints survived and the film came to be regarded as an inspirational masterwork of the cinema. In the film, Count Orlok travels across Europe leaving a trail of death in his wake.  Brilliantly eerie, with imaginative touches which later adaptions never achieved.  Find out more at wikipedia.org Presented by the Lucky Dog Picturehouse.  With live piano accompaniment by Sam Watts.  Wilton’s Music Hall, London Link

1 August

Who Was William Friese-Greene.  As we mark the centenary of his death, it’s time to reassess the place of William Friese-Greene – Bristol-born photographer, inventor and pioneer of cinematography – in cinema history. For much of the twentieth-century, the contribution of William Friese-Greene to cinema was disputed. Having famously died at a meeting of cinema exhibitors with only the price of a cinema ticket in his pocket, cinemas around the country shut down their projectors to mark his funeral. The film The Magic Box – made for the Festival of Britain and released just before it closed in 1951 – told the story of Friese-Greene and his pioneering work and claimed him to be one of the inventors of moving images. But by the time a plaque was unveiled at his birthplace in Bristol to mark the centenary of his birth in 1955, Friese-Greene’s reputation had begun to decline and some film historians said he was overrated, his inventions failed to move the technology forward, and he took ideas from others to claim as his own. Find out more at theguardian.com  A discussion between film director, historian and Friese-Greene expert Peter Domankiewicz and writer and commentator Sir Christopher Frayling, one of Britain’s leading writers on cinema, chaired by Bryony Dixon the BFI’s curator of silent film.  Arnolfini, Bristol Link

The Open Road (Dir. Claude Friese-Greene, UK, 1924) (Digital, 65 mins)  In the summer of 1924 pioneer cinematographer Claude Friese-Greene (son of Bristol-born William Friese-Greene) set out from Cornwall with the aim of recording life on the road between Land’s End and John O’Groats with a unique colour film technique. Originally Friese-Greene’s The Open Road was intended to be shown weekly in cinemas. The 26 short episodes combine to form a unique social document of life in Britain between the wars.  Friese-Greene takes us on a journey that encompasses Plymouth, a hunt on Exmoor, the docks of Cardiff, the pleasure beach at Blackpool and more. In Scotland, he records shipbuilding on the Clyde, the banks of Loch Lomond and the castles of Stirling and Edinburgh before concluding on the busy streets of London.  The film has undergone a revolutionary restoration by the British Film Institute that was generously supported by the Eric Anker-Petersen Charity. Find out more at wikipedia.org  With live piano accompaniment by Neil Brand.  Arnolfini, Bristol Link

31 July

The Kid (Dir. Charles Chaplin, US, 1921) (Screening format – not known, 53 min 1972 re-edited version) Chaplin’s first full-length feature is a silent masterpiece about a little tramp who discovers a little orphan and brings him up but is left desolate when the orphanage reclaims him. Beneath the comedy, there are definitely some more serious thematic elements at work and and the film is noted for its pathos. In that regard, the opening inter-title proves to be true: “A picture with a smile — and perhaps, a tear.”Chaplin directed, produced and starred in the film, as well as composed the score.  Find out more at wikipedia.org .  With recorded score. Prince Charles Cinema, London Link

24 July

Battleship Potemkin (Dir. Sergei Eisenstein, 1925) (Screening format – digital, 74mins) Considered one of the most important films in the history of silent pictures, as well as possibly Eisenstein’s greatest work, Battleship Potemkin brought Eisenstein’s theories of cinema art to the world in a powerful showcase; his emphasis on montage, his stress of intellectual contact, and his treatment of the mass instead of the individual as the protagonist. The film tells the story of the mutiny on the Russian ship Prince Potemkin during the 1905 uprising.Their mutiny was short-lived, however, as during their attempts to get the population of Odessa to join the uprising, soldiers arrived and laid waste to the insurgents.  Battleship Potemkin is a work of extraordinary pictorial beauty and great elegance of form. It is symmetrically broken into five movements or acts. In the first of these, “Men and Maggots,” the flagrant mistreatment of the sailors at the hands of their officers is demonstrated, while the second, “Drama on the Quarterdeck,” presents the actual mutiny and the ship’s arrival in Odessa. “Appeal from the Dead” establishes the solidarity of the citizens of Odessa with the mutineers. It is the fourth sequence, “The Odessa Steps,” which depicts the massacre of the citizens, that thrust Eisenstein and his film into the historical eminence that both occupy today. It is unquestionably the most famous sequence of its kind in film history, and Eisenstein displays his legendary ability to convey large-scale action scenes. The shot of the baby carriage tumbling down the long staircase has been re-created in many films. The sequence’s power is such that the film’s conclusion, “Meeting the Squadron,” in which the Potemkin in a show of brotherhood is allowed to pass through the squadron unharmed, is anticlimactic.  Find out more at classicartfilms.com  With recorded Edmund Meisel score.  BFI Southbank, London Link

23 July

The Kid (Dir. Charles Chaplin, US, 1921) (Screening format – not known, 53 min Chaplin re-edited version) Chaplin’s first full-length feature is a silent masterpiece about a little tramp who discovers a little orphan and brings him up but is left desolate when the orphanage reclaims him. Beneath the comedy, there are definitely some more serious thematic elements at work and and the film is noted for its pathos. In that regard, the opening inter-title proves to be true: “A picture with a smile — and perhaps, a tear.”Chaplin directed, produced and starred in the film, as well as composed the score.  Find out more at wikipedia.org .  With recorded Chaplin composed score.  Arnolfini, Bristol Link

18 July

Filibus (Dir. Mario Roncoroni, It, 1915) + The High Sign (Dir. Edward F Cline/Buster Keaton, US, 1921) (Screening format – not known, 76/21 mins) Filibus (the first of thirty films directed by Roncoroni) featured as a protagonist a roguish female lead character, the Baroness Troixmonde, who is a respectable member of society by day, but by night in the guise of “Filibus” she terrorizes Sicily from her zeppelin, which is full of technologically-advanced equipment and weaponry. The zeppelin is manned by a staff of mask-wearing, black-skin-suit-clad male assistants who obey the Baroness’ commands instantly. The airship is her headquarters and her home, and she descends to land only to rob or to hobnob with the socialites and dance with women as the tuxedo-wearing dandy Count de la Brieve ( a full 15 years before Dietrich’s famous cross-dressing scene in Morocco).  But has Filibus met her match with the renowned Detective Hardy on her trail…..  Find out more at  silentsplease.wordpress.com.  In The High Sign, Buster Keaton plays a drifter who gets a job in a amusement park shooting gallery. Believing Buster is an expert marksman, both the murderous gang the Blinking Buzzards and the man they want to kill end up hiring him. The film ends with a wild chase through a house filled with secret passages. Find out more atsensesofcinema.com   Presented by the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live piano accompaniment by Jonny Best.  Abbeydale Picturehouse, Sheffield. Link

Man With a Movie Camera (Dir. Dziga Vertov, USSR, 1929) (Screening format – not known, 68mins) Part documentary and part cinematic art, this film follows a city in the 1920s Soviet Union throughout the day, from morning to night. Directed by Vertov, with a variety of complex and innovative camera shots (filmed by Vertov’s equally talented and innovative brother Mikhail Kaufman), the film depicts scenes of ordinary daily life in Russia. Vertov celebrates the modernity of the city, with its vast buildings, dense population and bustling industries. While there are no titles or narration, director and cameraman excell in conveying the marvels of the modern city.  Find out more at rogerebert.com.  With live musical accompaniment by renowned Sheffield-based musicians In The Nursery.  Abbeydale Picturehouse, Sheffield   Link

Strike (Dir. Sergei Eisenstein, USSR, 1925) (Screening format – not known, 82mins) Eisenstein’s landmark first film tells the story of a workers’ revolt in a factory in Czarist Russia. Featuring historic experiments in the art of montage, Eisenstein used editing to juxtapose complementary images to create rapid and dynamic shifts in rhythm. Exploring themes of collectivism versus individualism, with an explicit  revolutionary agenda and laden with visual metaphors; indeed, the emotive sequence towards the end in which the violent suppression of the strike is cross-cut with footage of cattle being slaughtered, has been compulsory viewing for film students ever since. An exemplary film of Russian revolutionary cinema. Find out more at classicartfilms.com. With live musical accompaniment by Frame Ensemble comprising Irine Rosnes (violin), Liz Hanks (cello), Trevor Bartlett (percussion) and Jonny Best (piano). Abbeydale Picturehouse, Sheffield Link

Nell Gwyn (Dir. Herbert Wilcox, 1926) (Screening format – 35mm, 93mins)  Herbert Wilcox’s first effort at bringing the story of Nell Gwyn to the screen starred Dorothy Gish as Nell Gwyn and Randle Ayrton as Charles II.  Based on the 1926 novel Mistress Nell Gwyn by Marjorie Bowen it follows the life of Nell Gwyn, the mistress of Charles II.  Contemporary reviews were pretty positive, even in the US.  For example, the New York Times reviewer said, “Whatever may be the shortcomings of English motion picture producers, if they can put together other pictures as simply and with as much dramatic effect as this story of Nell Gwyn, they should have no difficulty obtaining a showing for them anywhere. The story moves quickly and surely. With nothing to strain one’s credulity, and the acting of Miss Gish and Randle Ayrton, who takes the part of Charles, is excellent. So is that of Juliette Compton as Lady Castlemaine. The immorality of the period is suggested without being offensive, and for the second time this summer a good picture has not been spoiled by prudery. The titles are unusually good and frequently amusing, that deal of gossip Pepys being restored to for purposes of verisimilitude.”  Wilcox later had a second go at making Nell Gwyn in 1934, starring Anna Neagle and Sir Cedric Hardwicke.  Find out more atsilentsaregolden.com   Introduced by Bryony Dixon, the BFI’s curator of silent film.  With live musical accompaniment.  BFI Southbank, London Link

16 July

Neil Brand Presents Laurel And Hardy From their earliest days on opposite sides of the Atlantic in Music Hall and on the stage, to their individual comedy films, acclaimed silent film composer/pianist and TV presenter Neil Brand will tell the touching story of the world’s greatest comedy team, who could not have been two more different men! Fully illustrated with stills, clips (both silent and sound) and Neil’s superlative piano accompaniment and culminating in two of the Boys’ best silent short films, Big Business and Liberty, this is a show that promises gales of laughter throughout, as well as getting under the skin of two warm, funny men who continue to make the world laugh when it needs it most. Presented as part of the Budleigh Music Festival.  Narration and live piano accompaniment by Neil Brand.  St Peter’s Church, Budleigh Salterton. Link

15 July

Women Pioneers Of Silent Film  Discover the films of Alice Guy-Blaché, the first person to have directed a fiction film, together with other works that show how the torch was picked up and carried by other women directors working in the early decades of cinema. Films comprise; Alice Guy tourne une phonoscène
(Dir. Alice Guy-Blaché, Fr 1907).  One of the earliest films composed of behind-the-scenes footage of the making of a film in a studio;  Les Résultats du féminisme (Dir. Alice Guy-Blaché, Fr, 1906) This comedy depicts a society where the roles of men and women have been inverted;  The Strike (Dir. Alice Guy-Blaché, US, 1912)  The laborers employed in a large factory are disgruntled with the treatment accorded them. They decide to go on strike; Suspense (Dir. Lois Weber & Phillips Smalley, US, 1913) Directed by one of the most important filmmakers of silent cinema and the first woman to direct a feature-length film in the US, Suspense features early examples of a split screen shot and a car chase.  La Souriante Madame Beudet (Smiling Madame Beudet) (Dir. Germaine Dulac, Fr, 1923) Directed by pioneering avant-garde filmmaker Germaine Dulac, Smiling Madame Beudet is often considered one of the first truly feminist film telling of Madame Beudet’s ways to remedy her unhappiness with her husband.  Find out more at theatlantic.com  Introduced by Bryony Dixon, Curator of Silent Film at the British Film Institute and accompanied on the piano by John Sweeney.  Institut Francais, London Link

Battleship Potemkin (Dir. Sergei Eisenstein, 1925) (Screening format – digital, 74mins) Considered one of the most important films in the history of silent pictures, as well as possibly Eisenstein’s greatest work, Battleship Potemkin brought Eisenstein’s theories of cinema art to the world in a powerful showcase; his emphasis on montage, his stress of intellectual contact, and his treatment of the mass instead of the individual as the protagonist. The film tells the story of the mutiny on the Russian ship Prince Potemkin during the 1905 uprising.Their mutiny was short-lived, however, as during their attempts to get the population of Odessa to join the uprising, soldiers arrived and laid waste to the insurgents.  Battleship Potemkin is a work of extraordinary pictorial beauty and great elegance of form. It is symmetrically broken into five movements or acts. In the first of these, “Men and Maggots,” the flagrant mistreatment of the sailors at the hands of their officers is demonstrated, while the second, “Drama on the Quarterdeck,” presents the actual mutiny and the ship’s arrival in Odessa. “Appeal from the Dead” establishes the solidarity of the citizens of Odessa with the mutineers. It is the fourth sequence, “The Odessa Steps,” which depicts the massacre of the citizens, that thrust Eisenstein and his film into the historical eminence that both occupy today. It is unquestionably the most famous sequence of its kind in film history, and Eisenstein displays his legendary ability to convey large-scale action scenes. The shot of the baby carriage tumbling down the long staircase has been re-created in many films. The sequence’s power is such that the film’s conclusion, “Meeting the Squadron,” in which the Potemkin in a show of brotherhood is allowed to pass through the squadron unharmed, is anticlimactic.  Find out more at classicartfilms.com  With recorded Edmund Meisel score.  BFI Southbank, London Link

11 July

Maciste Alpino (Dir. Luigi Romano Borgnetto, Luigi Maggi, Giovanni Pastrone, It, 1916) (Screening format – digital, 85mins) After the international success of Cabiria (1914), Italian superstar Bartolomeo Pagano and his screen persona Maciste the Strongman returned in a series of highly popular Maciste films.  Maciste Alpino (1916) sees Maciste and his troupe busy making a film in a small town on the border with Austria. Maciste and his men are imprisoned by the Austrian guards, irritated by the enthusiasm with which they greet the news of Italy’s entry into the war. For Maciste it is an invitation to place his legendary strength at the service of the weak. Maciste frees his companions, defeats the Austrians and enrols in the Alpine troops to fight in the mountains. Maciste Alpino is a fantastic, action-packed wartime adventure.  A rare chance to see a wonderful restoration by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, Turin .  Find out more at wikipedia.org.  Presented by South West Silents.  Introduced by Dr Carol O’Sullivan Associate Professor in Translation Studies, Bristol University and James Harrison, co-director of South West Silents.  With live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney.  Watershed, Bristol Link

10 July

Cabiria (Dir. Giovanni Pastrone, It, 1914) (Screening format – digital, 170mins) Set during the conflicts between Rome and Carthage in the third century BC, this classic of early Italian cinema tells the story of Cabiria (Lidia Quaranta), a Roman girl who is separated from her parents during the Second Punic War. Helped along the way by two heroes of the war, Fulvio (Umberto Mozzato) and Maciste (Bartolomeo Pagano), Cabiria’s odyssey includes eye-opening set pieces including the eruption of Mount Etna, sea battles with Mediterranean pirates, human sacrifices and Hannibal crossing the Alps. Cabiria’s tremendous international success not only established a template for epic films, but also shot actor Bartolomeo Pagano and his screen persona, Maciste,  to international stardom and launched one of cinema’s first major franchises, the highly successful Maciste series.  A truly monumental film for its time, Cabiria can now be seen on the big screen thanks to this new restoration by the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, Turin.  Find out more at rogerebert.com   Presented by South West Silents.  Introduced by Dr Carol O’Sullivan Associate Professor in Translation Studies, Bristol University and James Harrison, co-director of South West Silents.  With live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney.  Watershed, Bristol Link

7 July

The Kid (Dir. Charles Chaplin, US, 1921) (Screening format – not known, 53 min Chaplin re-edited version) Chaplin’s first full-length feature is a silent masterpiece about a little tramp who discovers a little orphan and brings him up but is left desolate when the orphanage reclaims him. Beneath the comedy, there are definitely some more serious thematic elements at work and and the film is noted for its pathos. In that regard, the opening inter-title proves to be true: “A picture with a smile — and perhaps, a tear.”Chaplin directed, produced and starred in the film, as well as composed the score.  Find out more at wikipedia.org .  With live musical accompaniment from Dutch composer and pianist Maud Nelissen performing the music composed by Chaplin himself for the film.  Wilton’s Music Hall, London Link

6 July

The Kid (Dir. Charles Chaplin, US, 1921) (Screening format – not known, 53 min Chaplin re-edited version) Chaplin’s first full-length feature is a silent masterpiece about a little tramp who discovers a little orphan and brings him up but is left desolate when the orphanage reclaims him. Beneath the comedy, there are definitely some more serious thematic elements at work and and the film is noted for its pathos. In that regard, the opening inter-title proves to be true: “A picture with a smile — and perhaps, a tear.”Chaplin directed, produced and starred in the film, as well as composed the score.  Find out more at wikipedia.org .  With recorded score.  Sands Film Club, Rotherhithe Link

1 July

Battleship Potemkin (Dir. Sergei Eisenstein, 1925) (Screening format – digital, 74mins) Considered one of the most important films in the history of silent pictures, as well as possibly Eisenstein’s greatest work, Battleship Potemkin brought Eisenstein’s theories of cinema art to the world in a powerful showcase; his emphasis on montage, his stress of intellectual contact, and his treatment of the mass instead of the individual as the protagonist. The film tells the story of the mutiny on the Russian ship Prince Potemkin during the 1905 uprising.Their mutiny was short-lived, however, as during their attempts to get the population of Odessa to join the uprising, soldiers arrived and laid waste to the insurgents.  Battleship Potemkin is a work of extraordinary pictorial beauty and great elegance of form. It is symmetrically broken into five movements or acts. In the first of these, “Men and Maggots,” the flagrant mistreatment of the sailors at the hands of their officers is demonstrated, while the second, “Drama on the Quarterdeck,” presents the actual mutiny and the ship’s arrival in Odessa. “Appeal from the Dead” establishes the solidarity of the citizens of Odessa with the mutineers. It is the fourth sequence, “The Odessa Steps,” which depicts the massacre of the citizens, that thrust Eisenstein and his film into the historical eminence that both occupy today. It is unquestionably the most famous sequence of its kind in film history, and Eisenstein displays his legendary ability to convey large-scale action scenes. The shot of the baby carriage tumbling down the long staircase has been re-created in many films. The sequence’s power is such that the film’s conclusion, “Meeting the Squadron,” in which the Potemkin in a show of brotherhood is allowed to pass through the squadron unharmed, is anticlimactic.  Find out more at classicartfilms.com  With recorded Edmund Meisel score.  BFI Southbank, London Link

24 June

The Mark Of Zorro (Dir. Fred Niblo, US, 1920) (Screening format – digital,  85mins)  Classed as the world’s first action-adventure film, Fred Niblo’s The Mark of Zorro (1920) not only gave birth to a genre but established a new persona for star Douglas Fairbanks. Just like Fairbank’s masked hero the film catapulted him from standard film actor to one of Hollywood’s first super stars. Elements of the film and Fairbanks’ portrayal would later inspire Bob Kane’s most famous of heroes, Batman.  Set in Spanish California Fairbanks portrays Don Diego Vega, a comically effete young nobleman with a taste for tasselled sombreros and juvenile silk-hanky magic tricks. But when danger calls, Diego swathes himself in black, straps on a well-honed sword and storms the countryside as the mysterious Zorro. Slicing his initial into the faces of the “sentinels of oppression” and pausing only to boldly romance the woman (Marguerite De La Motte) to whom his shy alter-ego can hardly summon the courage to speak.  The Mark of Zorro is an uplifting escape adventure with the thrills which would be copied the world over throughout the rest of the history of cinema.  Find out more at  silentfilm.org   Co-produced with South West Silents and with live musical accompaniment from musician and broadcaster Neil Brand.  Curzon, Clevedon. Link

22 June

20 June

Funny Business  An hour of classic silent film comedy featuring Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin. Film titles to be confirmed.  An event to commemorate the centenary of Sheffield’s Abbeydale Picture House.  Presented by the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live piano accompaniment by Jonny Best.  Abbeydale Picture House, Sheffield. Link

The Brilliant Biograph – Earliest Moving Images of Europe 1897-1902  Immerse yourself in the sights and sensations of Europe a hundred and twenty years ago. These fifty one-minute films each record a minute of real life from over a century ago. Filmed across Europe from Vatican City, Venice, Amsterdam, and Berlin, to Newcastle, Windsor, and Southampton, each film is a time-capsule from the vanished world of Victorian Europe. Shot on extra-large  68mm film in the unique Mutoscope camera, the images have an eye-popping sharpness and dazzling detail. These fifty films are from the unique collections of 68mm Mutoscope and Biograph films in the collections at Eye Filmmuseum (Netherlands) and the British Film Institute.  An event to commemorate the centenary of Sheffield’s Abbeydale Picture House.  Presented by the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live musical accompaniment by Frame Ensemble  bringing this extraordinary series of films alive with an improvised score performed by Irine Røsnes (violin), Liz Hanks (cello), Trevor Bartlett (percussion) and Jonny Best (piano).   Abbeydale Picture House, Sheffield. Link

The General  (Dir. Buster Keaton/Clyde Bruckman, 1926)  (Screening format – not known, 75mins)  Widely considered one of the greatest films ever made and one of the most revered comedies of the silent era, Buster Keaton’s effortless masterpiece sees hapless Southern railroad engineer Johnny Gray (Keaton) facing off against Union soldiers during the American Civil War. When Johnny’s fiancée, Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack), is accidentally taken away while on a train stolen by Northern forces, Gray pursues the soldiers, using various modes of transportation in comic action scenes that highlight Keaton’s boundless, innovative wit and joyful, lighthearted dexterity, to reclaim the train and thereby save the South. Find out more at  busterkeaton.com .  An event to commemorate the centenary of Sheffield’s Abbeydale Picture House.  Presented by the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live musical accompaniment by Trevor Bartlett (percussion) and Jonny Best (piano).   Abbeydale Picture House, Sheffield. Link

The Woman That Men Yearn For (aka Die Frau, nach der man sich sehnt,  ) (Dir, Curtis Bernhard, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – not known, 78mins) The dreamy Charles Leblanc (Oskar Sima), about to marry into a wealthy steel-making family, glimpses Stascha (Marlene Dietrich) and her companion Karoff (Fritz Kortner) as they pause for a drink at a bar in his small southern France town. They meet again on the train taking him and his wife on their honeymoon. Overwhelmed by Stascha’s sexuality, and ignoring his distraught new wife, Leblanc agrees to help her escape from the domineering Karoff, setting in motion a chain of obsessive, destructive events.  Long before von Sternberg brought us Dietrich as Lola Lola in The Blue Angel, the actress had already created her femme fatale persona with this, her first starring role.  Although made on something of a shoestring budget and wholly studio shot, the film benefits from excellent direction from Bernhardt, Dietrich smoulders superbly and the rest of the cast are excellent.  Unfortunately the film was released just as audiences were clamouring for sound films and as a result it was not particularly successful. But this is a welcome opportunity to see this rarely screened classic which marked an important milestone in Dietrich’s career development Find out more at silentfilm.org .  An event to commemorate the centenary of Sheffield’s Abbeydale Picture House.  Presented by the Yorkshire Silent Film Festival.  With live musical accompaniment by Frame Ensemble featuring an improvised score performed by Irine Røsnes (violin), Liz Hanks (cello), Trevor Bartlett (percussion) and Jonny Best (piano).   Abbeydale Picture House, Sheffield. Link

17 June

Metropolis (Dir. Fritz Lang, 1927) (Screening format –not known , 149 mins ) Made in Germany during the Weimar period, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and follows the attempts of Freder (Gustav Frohlich), the wealthy son of the city’s ruler, and Maria (Brigitte Helm), a poor worker, to overcome the vast gulf separating the classes of their city. Filming took place in 1925 at a cost of approximately five million Reichmarks, making it the most expensive film ever released up to that point. It is regarded as a pioneering work of science fiction and is among the most influential films of all time. Following its world premiere in 1927, half an hour was cut from Fritz Lang’s masterpiece and lost to the world. Eighty years later a spectacular discovery was made when the footage was found in a small, dusty museum in Buenos Aires. The film was then painstakingly reconstructed and digitally restored so that at last audiences could see the iconic futuristic fairy tale as Lang had envisioned it. Find out more at silentfilm.org  Presented by Yorkshire Silent Film Festival, Harrogate Theatre and Harrogate Film Society.  With live musical accompaniment by Frame Ensemble featuring Irine Røsnes (violin), Liz Hanks (cello), Trevor Bartlett (percussion) and Jonny Best (piano).  Odeon Harrogate  Link

5 June

Siren of the Tropics (Les Siren des Tropiques) (Dir. Mario Nalpas and Henri Étiévant, Fr, 1927)  (Screening format – video, 86mins) Josephine Baker was an American-born dancer and entertainer who later became a French citizen, World War II resistance agent and a civil rights activist. In 1926 she caused a sensation at the Folies Bergère in Paris with her improvised fusion of ballet, Broadway kicks, tap and African dance styles. She was also the first black woman to star in a major motion picture, making her debut in the 1927 silent film Siren Of The Tropics (1927). In the film, Baker plays a native girl named Papitou, who falls in love with a young engineer. When he returns to Paris and his fiancée,  Papitou follows. The film is now best remembered for Baker’s exceptional dance performances, but it has much more to offer. Find out more at silentlondon.co.uk  With recorded score.  BFI Southbank, London Link

3 June

Steamboat Bill Jr  (Dir. Buster Keaton/Charles Reisner, US, 1928)   (Screening format – digital 4k,  71  mins)  In Steamboat Bill Jr a crusty river boat captain hopes that his long departed son’s return will help him compete with a business rival.  Unfortunately, William Canfield Jnr (Buster Keaton) is an effete college boy.  Worse still, he has fallen for the business rival’s daughter (Marion Byron).     Featuring some of Buster’s finest and most dangerous stunts, it’s a health and safety nightmare maybe but it’s entertainment that will live forever.  The final storm sequence is still as breathtaking today as it was on first release. Not a commercial success at the time, this is now rightly regarded as a Keaton classic. Find out more at Wikipedia.  With live piano accompaniment by Stephen Horne.  BFI Southbank, London Link

May

29 May

The General (Dir. Buster Keaton/Clyde Bruckman, 1926)  (Screening format – DCP, 75mins)  Widely considered one of the greatest films ever made and one of the most revered comedies of the silent era, Buster Keaton’s effortless masterpiece sees hapless Southern railroad engineer Johnny Gray (Keaton) facing off against Union soldiers during the American Civil War. When Johnny’s fiancée, Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack), is accidentally taken away while on a train stolen by Northern forces, Gray pursues the soldiers, using various modes of transportation in comic action scenes that highlight Keaton’s boundless, innovative wit and joyful, lighthearted dexterity, to reclaim the train and thereby save the South. Find out more at  busterkeaton.com . With live piano accompaniment by Neil Brand.  BFI Southbank, London Link 

22 May

Laurel & Hardy In Concert  Stane Street Sinfonietta are joined by Neil Brand (celebrated film composer and presenter of the BBC series Sound of Cinema and Sound of Television) for an exploration of the lives and career of the world’s greatest comedy duo, culminating in a screening of 1928 short You’re Darn Tootin’ with Neil Brand’s wonderful original score played live by Stane Street Sinfonietta conducted by Steve Dummer. St Mary’s Church Horsham Link

Steamboat Bill Jr  (Dir. Buster Keaton/Charles Reisner, US, 1928)   (Screening format – digital 4k,  71  mins)  In Steamboat Bill Jr a crusty river boat captain hopes that his long departed son’s return will help him compete with a business rival.  Unfortunately, William Canfield Jnr (Buster Keaton) is an effete college boy.  Worse still, he has fallen for the business rival’s daughter (Marion Byron).     Featuring some of Buster’s finest and most dangerous stunts, it’s a health and safety nightmare maybe but it’s entertainment that will live forever.  The final storm sequence is still as breathtaking today as it was on first release. Not a commercial success at the time, this is now rightly regarded as a Keaton classic. Find out more at Wikipedia.  With live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney.  BFI Southbank, London Link

19 May

Siren of the Tropics (Les Siren des Tropiques) (Dir. Mario Nalpas and Henri Étiévant, Fr, 1927)  (Screening format – video, 86mins) Josephine Baker was an American-born dancer and entertainer who later became a French citizen, World War II resistance agent and a civil rights activist. In 1926 she caused a sensation at the Folies Bergère in Paris with her improvised fusion of ballet, Broadway kicks, tap and African dance styles. She was also the first black woman to star in a major motion picture, making her debut in the 1927 silent film Siren Of The Tropics (1927). In the film, Baker plays a native girl named Papitou, who falls in love with a young engineer. When he returns to Paris and his fiancée,  Papitou follows. The film is now best remembered for Baker’s exceptional dance performances, but it has much more to offer. Find out more at silentlondon.co.uk  With recorded score.  BFI Southbank, London Link

18 May

The General (Dir. Buster Keaton/Clyde Bruckman, 1926)  (Screening format – DCP, 75mins)  Widely considered one of the greatest films ever made and one of the most revered comedies of the silent era, Buster Keaton’s effortless masterpiece sees hapless Southern railroad engineer Johnny Gray (Keaton) facing off against Union soldiers during the American Civil War. When Johnny’s fiancée, Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack), is accidentally taken away while on a train stolen by Northern forces, Gray pursues the soldiers, using various modes of transportation in comic action scenes that highlight Keaton’s boundless, innovative wit and joyful, lighthearted dexterity, to reclaim the train and thereby save the South. Find out more at  busterkeaton.com . With live piano accompaniment by Neil Brand.  BFI Southbank, London Link