4 July

The Red Lantern (Dir. Albert Capellani, US, 1919 ) ( Screening format – BluRay,  70 mins) The Red Lantern tells the story of Mahlee, a Eurasian, Joan of Arc-like heroine, set against the background of China’s 1900 Boxer Rebellion. The film was an instant success, thanks to an unprecedented advertising campaign and the star qualities of diva Alla Nazimova. The Russian Nazimova, who had a highly successful stage career, joining Constantin Stanislavski’s Moscow Arts Theatre and appearing in theatres across Europe and also on Broadway, plays a dual role in the film as two half-sisters, Mahlee and Blanche Sackville. Noah Beery is one of her co-stars and both Reginald Denny and Anna May Wong make uncredited appearances. The 14-year-old Chinese-American actress made her film debut here as a lantern-bearer. A spectacular and lavish production from Metro Pictures, directed by Albert Capellani who co-authored the scenario with June Mathis, one of the top film writers for the silent period. This fully tinted and toned restoration will be screened courtesy of the Royal Belgian Film Archive. Find out more at wikipedia.org   A Kennington Bioscope presentation.  With live piano accompaniment.  The Cinema Museum, Lambeth, 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 film was a critical and commercial success upon release, and still stands as an important film in cinematic history to this day, with press quotes from the time labelling the film an ‘ultra-fantastic melodrama’ (New York Times), ‘produced on a stupendous scale’ (Moving Picture World) and ‘probably the greatest inducement to nightmare that has yet been screened’ (Variety).  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 acclaimed musicians Minima. Deal Festival Of Music And Arts, Deal, Kent  Link

5 July

Easy Street (Dir, Charles Chaplin, US, 1917) + The Immigrant (Dir, Charles Chaplin, US, 1917)  (Screening format – not known, 19/22 mins) In Easy Street the reformed little tramp becomes a police constable who must fight a huge thug who dominates an inner city street while The Immigrant sees newly arrived immigrant Chaplin struggling to pay for a meal with his new found lady friend.With recorded score.  Elephant Park, Walworth, London Link

7 July

Kennington Bioscope Silent Railway Special   All aboard for another Kennington Bioscope special! An all-day excursion into the greatest railroadin’ moments of silent cinema.  Thrill to the train of events that put movie heroines Ruth Roland, Helen Holmes and Gloria Swanson in peril! Express hilarity with Monty Banks aboard a runaway train, and sneak A Kiss in the Tunnel from 1899! Signal your approval of Jean Arthur in The Block Signal (1926). Climb aboard The Flying Scotsman (1929), in the rare silent version that differs radically from the talkie. Take a round trip with Kevin Brownlow as he pilots The Runaway Express (1926) before conducting us through the making of Abel Gance’s La Roue (1923). Ride along with the Railroad Raiders of ’62 (1911) – a precursor to Buster Keaton’s The General – which will be rolling in from the sidings alongside other shorts, from the Lumière brothers’ famous L’arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotat (1896) to a hair-raising journey When the Devil Drives (1907). After that, don’t be afraid of The Ghost Train (1927), the first film adaptation of the famous stage play by a (very) pre-Dad’s Army Arnold Ridley. A Kennington Bioscope presentation.  With live musical accompaniment.  Cinema Museum, Lambeth, London Link

8 July

Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – not 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 the 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 atsilentlondon.co.uk .  With live piano accompaniment by Stephen Horne  and introduced by Silent London’s Pamela Hutchinson.  RichMix Cinema, London Link

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   With live musical accompaniment by electro-improvisational group Grok.  Genesis Cinema, LondonLink

13 July

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 film was a critical and commercial success upon release, and still stands as an important film in cinematic history to this day, with press quotes from the time labelling the film an ‘ultra-fantastic melodrama’ (New York Times), ‘produced on a stupendous scale’ (Moving Picture World) and ‘probably the greatest inducement to nightmare that has yet been screened’ (Variety).  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 atwikipedia.org. With live musical accompaniment by acclaimed musicians Minima.  Queen Mother Theatre Studio, Hitchin  Link

Nosferatu(Dir. F W Murnau, 1922) (Screening format – Not known, 96mins) A German Expressionis 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 Dmytro Morykit. Wilton’s Music Hall, LondonLink

15 July

Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 8 July above. With recorded soundtrack. Institute Francais, London  Link

Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 8 July above. With recorded soundtrack.   Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford Link

16 July

18 July

Kipps (Dir. Howard M Shore, UK, 1921) (Screening format – 35mm, ? mins) Kipps is an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ bittersweet comedy of English social class and manners, the story of a draper’s assistant who has an opportunity to move up in the world. Things don’t always go according to plan…Starring the wonderful George K. Arthur, whose performance was highly praised by Chaplin, and Edna Flugrath, and directed by Harold Shaw for Stoll pictures, it was much praised on it’s release, not least by H.G. Wells himself (who apparently features as an extra in the film). Featuring beautiful location shooting in Folkestone, Canterbury and at the Savoy Hotel, this is a lovely and little known film. A 35mm presentation courtesy of the BFI. Find out more at wikipedia.org  A Kennington Bioscope presentation.  With live piano accompaniment from Neil Brand.  The Cinema Museum, Lambeth, London Link

19 July

The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, UK, 1927)  (Screening format – not known, 91 mins ) In The Lodger, a serial killer known as “The Avenger” is on the loose in London, murdering blonde women. A mysterious man (Ivor Novello)  arrives at the house of Mr. and Mrs. Bunting looking for a room to rent. The Bunting’s daughter (June Tripp)  is a blonde model and is seeing one of the detectives (Malcolm Keen) assigned to the case. The detective becomes jealous of the lodger and begins to suspect he may be the #avenger.  Based on a best-selling novel by Marie Belloc Lowndes, first published in 1913, loosely based on the Jack the Ripper murders,  The Lodger was Hitchcock’s first thriller, and his first critical and commercial success. Made shortly after his return from Germany, the film betrays the influence of the German expressionist tradition established in such films as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) and Nosferatu (1922). Find out more at silentfilm.org .   With live musical accompaniment by acclaimed musicians Minima.  The Point, Eastleigh, Hampshire  Link

22 July

Brownlow on Hollywood (Screening format – TBC, 90 mins) Kevin Brownlow and David Gill’s Hollywood series, narrated by James Mason, created a generational shift in the public’s consciousness of the history of Hollywood and their appreciation of silent film – helping spawn the vibrant silent cinema scene we know today. The BFI is thrilled to invite Kevin Brownlow himself to present an episode, plus some bonus extra footage. Find out more at cinephiliabeyond.org  BFI Southbank, London Link

26 July

Sunrise; A Song of Two Humans (Dir. F W Murnau, US, 1927) + TheGoat (Dir. Buster Keaton/Mal St Clair, US, 1921) (Screening format – not known, 94/27mins) Sunrise, F W Murnau’s debut American film, made at the technical zenith of the silent era  but already heralding the arrival of the talkies being one of the first silents made with synchronized musical score and sound effects soundtrack.  The simple story of a husband’s betrayal of his wife with a treacherous city girl, Sunrise moves from a fairytale-like depiction of rural life to a dynamic portrait of the bustling modern American city. Explored in elaborate tracking shots by Charles Rocher and Karl Struss’s pioneering camerawork, the city set was one of the most costly yet produced.  The result was a commercial flop, though the achievement did not go unheralded: Sunrise was awarded a special Oscar for unique and artistic production at the first ever Academy Awards and Janet Gaynor won the first Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.  The film’s legacy has endured, and it is now widely considered a masterpiece with many calling it the greatest film of the silent era. Find out more attheguardian.com In The Goat, Buster Keaton is already on the run from the cops when he’s mistaken for murderer Dead Shot Dan (portrayed, incidentally, by Keaton’s co-director Mal St. Clair). Keaton has eluded the previous group of policeman, but he’s no match for the ill-tempered, heavyweight detective Joe Roberts who’s hot on his trail…or is he? The battle of wits and punishing physical stunts is a pleasure to behold — Keaton wrings every bit of mirth from props such as an old-fashioned dump truck, an elevator, windows and, of course, the passing train. A delightful, fast-moving film.Find out more at wikipedia.org. With live jazz accompaniment by the Meg Morley Trio (Meg Morley on piano, Richard Sadler on double bass and Emiliano Caroselli on drums).  1901 Arts Club, London Link

Pandora’s Box(Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 8 July above. With recorded soundtrack. Institute Francais, London  Link

29 July

Sherlock Jnr (Dir. Buster Keaton, 1924) (Screening format – not known, 45 mins) In Sherlock Jr, a kindly movie projectionist (Buster Keaton) longs to be a detective. When his fiancée (Kathryn McGuire) is robbed by a local thief (Ward Crane), the poor projectionist is framed for the crime. Using his amateur detective skills, the projectionist follows the thief to the train station – only to find himself locked in a train car.  Disheartened, he returns to his movie theatre, where he falls asleep and dreams that he is the great Sherlock Holmes.   Although not a popular success on its initial release, the film has come to be recognised as a Keaton classic with its special effects and elaborate stunts making it a landmark in motion picture history.  Find out more atsilentfilm.org. With live piano accompaniment by Lillian Henley.  Palace Cinema, Broadstairs, Kent. Link

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