1 June
Piccadilly (Dir E A Dupont, UK, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 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 at screenonline.org.uk . With recorded soundtrack. BFI Southbank, London 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 . With live organ accompaniment by Donald MacKenzie. City Hall, Hull Link
Brighton: Symphony Of A City (Dir. Lizzie Thynne, UK, 2015) + Le Voyage Dans la Lune (Trip to the Moon) (Dir. Georges Melies, Fr, 1902), (Screening format – not known, 48/13 mins). The daily activities and extraordinary events in the seaside town of Brighton are evocatively captured in modern silent Brighton: Symphony Of A City, wittily echoing the silent classic, Berlin Symphony of a City (1927). All-weather bathers plunge into winter seas at sunrise. Residents work, commute, flirt and play and do surprising things in their offices. Homelessness and gentrification collide; we glimpse forgotten attractions in
sparkling amateur movies from Screen Archive South East. ‘Father Neptune’ is dunked in a raucous ritual from 1951; 1930s marchers celebrate the anniversary of the Soviet Union and modern protestors commemorate Gaza. The elegant ferris wheel, a contemporary icon destined for destruction, marks the passage of time. The day culminates in night-time revelry, astounding puppetry and the winter solstice festival, ‘The Burning of the Clocks’. A kaleidoscopic view of this unique seaside town, which evokes the past in the present and the extraordinary in the everyday. Brighton Symphony of a City was a Brighton Festival Commission for its 50th anniversary in 2016 where it premiered with a live performance of the score by the Orchestra of Sound and Light. Find out more at
brightonsymphony.com. A Trip to the Moon is a 1902 French adventure film inspired by a wide range of sources, including the works of novelist Jules Verne The film
follows a group of astronomers who travel to the moon in a cannon-propelled capsule, explore its surface, escape from an underground city of lunar inhabitants and return to Earth. Filmed in the overtly theatrical style which marked out Méliès’ work, the film remains the best-known of the hundreds of films made by Méliès, and is widely regarded as the earliest example of the science fiction film genre and, more generally, as one of the most influential films in cinema history. Find out more at filmsite.org. Presented as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival. Brighton: Symphony Of A City features a recorded score by composer Ed Hughes performed by the Orchestra of Sound and Light. Unitarian Church, Brighton Link
1-6 June (16 Screenings)
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 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 at silentlondon.co.uk . With recorded soundtrack. Filmhouse, Edinburgh Link
1 – 7 June
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With recorded soundtrack Queen’s Film Theatre, Belfast Link
1 – 14 June (33 screenings)
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. June 4, 8 and 14 screenings with live musical accompaniment. Other screenings with recorded soundtrack. BFI Southbank. London Link
2 June
Siren of the Tropics (Dir. Mario Nalpas/Henri Etievant, Fr, 1927) (Screening format – Video, 86mins) A Parisian count sends engineer André Berval (Batcheff) to the fictional colony of Monte Puebla in order to pursue his beloved. Once there, Berval becomes the object of affection for Papitou (Baker), who follows him from Monte Puebla to Paris, where she discovers her true calling as a performer. Originally released on the back of her European tour, the film further underlined Baker’s talents as an electrifying, world-class entertainer. Find out more at epubs.surrey.ac.uk. With recorded Donald Sosin soundtrack. BFI Southbank, London Link
A selection of four silent experimental shorts featuring Emak Bakia (Dir. Man Ray, Fr, 1926), Ghosts Before Breakfast (Dir. Hans Richter, Ger, 1927), Un Chien Andalou (Luis Buñuel, Fr, 1929) Meshes of the Afternoon (Dir. Maya Deren and Alexander Hamid, USA, 1943). (Screening format – not known, 19/9/21/14 mins) Emak-Bakia, subtitled as a cinépoéme, features many techniques Man Ray used in his still photography, including Rayographs, double exposure, soft focus and ambiguous features. Find out more at wikipedia.org. Ghosts Before Breakfast also known as Vormittagspuk, was a
silent experimental avant-garde film considered to be one of the first surrealistic films ever made. Richter’s interest in Dadaism is shown directly in this work as he challenges current art standards of the time by presenting a theme of obscurity and fantasy. Clocks, legs, ladders, hats, and people undergo total irrational happenings in unusual settings. Men have beards magically appear and disappear before the viewer’s eyes, hats fly around in the air, a man’s head comes off and floats in the air, tea cups fill up by themselves, objects and characters move in reverse, men disappear behind a street sign, etc… . Find out more at silentology.wordpress.com. In Un Chien
Andalou fledging director Luis Bunuel and painter Salvador Dali created the ultimate surrealist film, which is essentially a barrage of striking and irrational images designed to shock and provoke. During the course of the film, we witness a close-up of a woman’s eye being slashed open with a razor; a man dragging a piano, two bishops, and a pair of rotting asses across a room; ants swarming
around a hole in a man’s palm; and sundry severed limbs and gratuitous slayings. Find out more at rogerebert.com. Meshes of the Afternoon is one of the most influential films in American experimental cinema. A non-narrative work, it has been identified as a key example of the “trance film,” in which a protagonist appears in a dreamlike state, and where the camera conveys his or her subjective focus. A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires play out on-screen. Find out more at moma.org. Presented as part of the Southside Film Festival. With live musical accompaniment by celebrated musician Richard Youngs. The Glad Cafe, Glasgow Link
3 June
Mothers of Men (aka Every Women’s Problem) (Dir. Willis Robards, US, 1917) + The Last Appeal (Dir. Fred Paul, UK, 1921) (Screening format – DCP, 65/13mins) Willis Robards’ Mothers of Men was re-released in 1921 after the passage of the 19th Amendment, as Every Woman’s Problem. It questions whether women were capable
of taking the tough decisions required of high office – in this case a judge elected as state Governor faced with the dilemma of refusing a pardon to her husband who is facing a death sentence. Find out more at wfpp.cdrs.columbia.edu. The Last Appeal, is an episode from the Grand Guignol series in which a judge, adamant he was right to pass the death sentence for a crime of passion, makes a terrible discovery. With live piano accompaniment from John Sweeney. BFI Southbank, London Link
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Dir. Lotte Reiniger , Ger, 1926) (Screening format – DCP, 65mins) The first feature-length animation in film history, masterminded by Lotte Reiniger and hand-tinted frame by frame. Based on ‘The Arabian Nights’, the film tells the epic tale of Prince Achmed, who is tricked into mounting a magical flying horse by a wicked sorcerer. The horse carries Achmed off on a series of adventures, over the course of which he joins forces with young Aladdin, battles ogres and monsters and romances the beautiful Princess Peri Banu.Find out more at wikipedia.org . With recorded score. BFI Southbank, London Link
The Ancient Law (aka Das Alte Gesetz) (Dir. E A Dupont, Ger, 1923) (Screening format – DCP, 135 mins) In the mid 1800s in Galicia, Baruch Mayer (Ernst Deutsch), yearns to become an actor. Despite
the expectation to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an orthodox rabbi, he breaks from tradition and leaves the shtetl in pursuit of his dream. Whilst performing in a traveling theatre troupe he meets the Austrian archduchess, Elisabeth Theresia (Henny Porten), who falls in love with the young man. With her support he joins the renowned Vienna’s Burg Theatre company where he soon rises to fame. “With its complex portrayal
of orthodoxy and emancipation, E. A. Dupont’s period film marks a highpoint of Jewish filmmaking in Germany. This new restoration marks the first time that a version corresponding to the lost 1920s German theatrical release will be shown, both in its original length, and with the colourisation digitally restored.” – Berlinale 68. Find out more at silentfilm.org. With live musical accompaniment by Meg Morley. Phoenix Cinema, East Finchley Link NB Screening time of this film has been slightly amended so as to avoid clashing with Mothers of Men (1917) at BFI Southbank
4 June
Piccadilly (Dir E A Dupont, UK, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 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 at screenonline.org.uk . With recorded soundtrack. BFI Southbank, London Link
5 – 7 June (3 screenings)
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With recorded soundtrack. Picturehouse Central, London Link
6 June
Siren of the Tropics (Dir. Mario Nalpas/Henri Etievant, Fr, 1927) (Screening format – Video, 86mins) A Parisian count sends engineer André Berval (Batcheff) to the fictional colony of Monte Puebla in order to pursue his beloved. Once there, Berval becomes the object of affection for Papitou (Baker), who follows him from Monte Puebla to Paris, where she discovers her true calling as a performer. Originally released on the back of her European tour, the film further underlined Baker’s talents as an electrifying, world-class entertainer. Find out more at epubs.surrey.ac.uk. With recorded Donald Sosin soundtrack. Introduced by film programmer Tega Okiti BFI Southbank, London Link
7 June
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With recorded soundtrack. Barbican, London Link
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With recorded soundtrack. Film Theater, Stoke on Trent Link
8 – 10 June
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With recorded soundtrack. Phoenix Cinema, Leicester Link
8 – 12 June (10 Screenings)
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With recorded soundtrack. Belmont Filmhouse, Aberdeen Link
8 – 14 June (7 Screenings)
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With recorded soundtrack. Irish Film Institute, Dublin Link
9 June
Dawson City – Frozen Time (Dir. Bill Morrison, US, 2016) This documentary pieces together the bizarre true story of a collection of some 500 films dating from 1910s – 1920s, which were lost for over 50 years until discovered buried in a sub-arctic swimming pool deep in the Yukon Territory, in Dawson City, located about 350 miles south of the Arctic Circle. Using these permafrost protected, rare silent films and newsreels, archival footage, interviews and historical photographs to tell the story, and accompanied by an enigmatic score by Sigur Rós collaborator and composer Alex Somers (Captain Fantastic), Dawson City: Frozen Time depicts a unique history of a Canadian gold rush town by chronicling the life cycle of a singular film collection through its exile, burial, rediscovery, and salvation – and through that collection, how a First Nation hunting camp was transformed and displaced. Find out more at picturepalacepictures.com Irish Film Institute, Dublin Link
Lotte Reiniger Afternoon at Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image (BIMI) with a special focus on the German filmmaker Lotte Reiniger. Reiniger was one of the 20th century’s major animation artists, pioneering a unique and distinctive style of black and white silhouette animation in her interpretations of classic myths and fairy tales. In this edition of the Children’s FIlm Club we will be showing a small selection of her films. With recorded soundtrack. BIMI, London WC1 Link
13 June
It (Dir. Clarance Badger, US, 1927 (Screening format – 35mm, 72mins) Betty Lou (Bow) is a working-class shopgirl with a crush on the owner (Moreno) of the department store where she works. Through a series of hilarious hijinks, Betty Lou attracts her crush’s attention, until a case of mistaken identity creates a rift between them. Believed lost for many years, this charming silent rom-com solidified Clara Bow as cinema’s first ‘it girl.’ Find out more at moviessilently.com. With recorded Carl Davis score. Introduced by Aga Baranowska, Events Programmer. BFI Southbank, London Link
The Road To Happiness (Dir. Michael Curtiz, Aust, 1926) (Screening format – 35mm, 78mins) The Road to Happiness (aka Fiaker Nr.13) was directed in Austria by Michael Curtiz (to give the later anglicised version of his name) and produced by Arnold Pressburger. It was adapted from Xavier de Montépin’s novel by Alfred Schirokauer. The Road to Happiness stars Lili Damita and Jack Trevor in the story of a newborn baby girl whose mother leaves her in a carriage. The coachman raises the girl, who grows up to become a dancer and finds both romance and her real father. Find out more at filmaffinity.com. A Kennington Bioscope presentation. With live musical accompaniment. The Cinema Museum, Lambeth Link
15 – 17 June (5 Screenings)
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With recorded soundtrack. Film Theatre, Glasgow Link
16 June
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With recorded soundtrack. Mareel Arts Centre, Lerwick, Shetland Link
17 June
Nettlefold Studio’s Event 2018 – A summer celebration of Nettlefold Studios and The Work of British Film Industry Pioneer Cecil Hepworth. Guest Star: William Russell (TV’s The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, 1956, Dr Who, 1963-5) plus a variety of other guest speakers with connections to the studios and other guest stars, short films and features from the studios. Presented by Renown Pictures/Talking Pictures TV. The Cecil Hepworth Playhouse, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey Link
October: Ten Days That Shook The World (Dir. Sergei Eisenstein, USSR, 1928) (Screening format – 35mm, 104mins) Eisenstein’s classic epic commissioned in 1927 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, uses montage and a documentary style to present the events of the Bolshevik uprising in 1917. The resulting footage has often been mistaken for genuine newsreel, although some 1917 footage (shot by Esther Shub) was incorporated. In documentary style, events in Petrograd are re-enacted from the end of the monarchy in February of 1917 to the end of the provisional government and the decrees of peace and of land in November of that year. Lenin returns in April. In July, counter-revolutionaries put down a spontaneous revolt, and Lenin’s arrest is ordered. By late October, the Bolsheviks are ready to strike: ten days will shake the world. Fnd out more at wikipedia.org With live musical accompaniment by electro-improvisational group Grok. Genesis Cinema, 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 labeling 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 from musicians of the Guildhall School’s Electronic Music Studio. Barbican, London Link
18 June
It (Dir. Clarance Badger, US, 1927 (Screening format – 35mm, 72mins) Betty Lou (Bow) is a working-class shopgirl with a crush on the owner (Moreno) of the department store where she works. Through a series of hilarious hijinks, Betty Lou attracts her crush’s attention, until a case of mistaken identity creates a rift between them. Believed lost for many years, this charming silent rom-com solidified Clara Bow as cinema’s first ‘it girl.’ Find out more at moviessilently.com. With live piano accompaniment. BFI Southbank, London Link
19 June
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Dir. Lotte Reiniger , Ger, 1926) (Screening format – DCP, 65mins) The first feature-length animation in film history, masterminded by Lotte Reiniger and hand-tinted frame by frame. Based on ‘The Arabian Nights’, the film tells the epic tale of Prince Achmed, who is tricked into mounting a magical flying horse by a wicked sorcerer. The horse carries Achmed off on a series of adventures, over the course of which he joins forces with young Aladdin, battles ogres and monsters and romances the beautiful Princess Peri Banu.Find out more at wikipedia.org . With recorded score. Introduced by Jez Stewart, Curator (Animation) BFI National Archive. BFI Southbank, London Link
21 June
Imperial War Museum Films of the Home Front An evening at the cinema 1918: a screening of contemporary First World War factual films from the archives of the Imperial War Museum. Presented as part of the Home Front 1914-1918 conference. With live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne. University of St Andrews, St Andrews Link
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With recorded soundtrack. Mareel Arts Centre, Lerwick, Shetland Link
21 – 30 June (19 Screenings)
Arcadia (Dir. Paul Wright, UK, 2017) (Screening format – DCP, 78mins) From over 100 years’ worth of astonishing film footage from the BFI National Archive, BAFTA®-winner Paul Wright (For Those in Peril) has crafted a dense poetic essay on Britain’s shifting relationship to the land, drawing on inspiration from The Wicker Man to
Winstanley. An unnamed female figure from the future travels through the ‘seasons’: from a fleeting pastoral idyll through dark and earthy Pagan folk rituals to industrialisation, political turmoil, extremism and division, and cataclysmic storms and as such, it’s impossible not to read premonitions of Brexit into Wright’s captivating vision. Find out more at imdb.com With recorded soundtrack composed by Adrian Utley (Portishead) and Will Gregory (Goldfrapp). BFI Southbank, London Link
22 June
Steamboat Bill Jr (Dir. Buster Keaton/Charles Reisner, US, 1928) (Screening format – not known, 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 musical accompaniment from members of Ellesmere Sinfonia. Ellesmere Arts Centre, Ellesmere College, Ellesmere Link
23 June
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With recorded soundtrack. Soho House, Dean Street, London Link
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With recorded soundtrack. Hippodrome Cinema, Bo’Ness, Scotland Link
24 June
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With live musical accompaniment by Lillian Henley. Palace Cinema, Broadstairs, Kent Link
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With live musical accompaniment by Jane Gardner (piano) and Roddy Long (violin). Hippodrome Cinema, Bo’Ness, Scotland Link
26 – 28 June (5 Screenings)
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With recorded soundtrack. Quad Cinema, Derby Link
28 June
Piccadilly (Dir E A Dupont, UK, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 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 at screenonline.org.uk . With recorded soundtrack. BFI Southbank, London Link
29 June
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. Presented as part of the Rugby Festival of Culture. With live musical accompaniment by the Meg Morley Trio. Macready Theatre, Rugby School, Rugby Link
Stan and Ollie and Friends Four classic shorts from those masters of comedy Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, including Big Business (Dir. James W Horne/Leo McCarey, US, 1928) + Habeas Corpus (Dir. Leo McCarey/James Parrott, Us, 1928) + Wrong Again (Dir. Leo McCarey, US, 1929) + Angora Love (Dir. Lewis R Foster, US, 1929) (Screening format – not known, 19/20/20/21 mins) Big Business sees Ollie and Stan as two Christmas tree salesmen (in February!) who get into one of their usual mutual destruction fights with a homeowner. Habeas Corpus sees the boys hired by the mad Professor Padilla to steal a body from a
local graveyard on which he can carry out his experiments. But the ‘body’ isn’t quite as dead as they think! Find out more at laurel-and-hardy.com Wrong Again sees Stan and Ollie working as stable-hands for a racehorse named “Blue Boy.” When they overhear two men talking about the stolen “Blue Boy,” and a $5000 reward for its return, they don’t realise that the men are talking about a famous painting. In Angora Love Laurel and Hardy are adopted by a runaway goat, whose noise and aroma in turn get the goat of their suspicious landlord. Attempts to bathe the smelly animal result in a waterlogged free-for-all. Find out more at laurelandhardycentral.com. With live piano accompaniment by Forrester Pyke. Plus, live music and comedy from Andy Cannon and Wendy Weatherby, and a rare newsreel of Stan & Ollie in Edinburgh! Festival Theatre, Edinburgh Link
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 Presented as part of a Hitchcock double bill with the sound version of Blackmail (1929). With recorded soundtrack. The Plaza, Stockport, Cheshire Link
30 June
Pandora’s Box (Dir. G W Pabst, Ger, 1929) (Screening format – DCP, 135mins) For film details see 1-6 June above. With recorded soundtrack. Pier Pavilion, Penarth, Wales Link
NB. Whilst every effort has been taken to ensure that the information contained in these listings is accurate, silentfilmcalendar.org can take no responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies. You are strongly advised to confirm with the venue that the event remains as detailed, particularly if traveling any distance to attend.