London & South East

2 May

Queen Kelly (Dir. Erich von Stroheim, US, 1929) (Screening format – not known, 101mins) A young convent girl is seduced by a European nobleman, arousing the ire of his bride-to-be Queen Kelly and eventually finding herself exiled to a brothel in East Africa. This film solidified Stroheim’s reputation for extravagance and insistence on complete artistic freedom regardless of economic considerations. It would cost him his Hollywood career. Visually striking and perverse, this film was Erich von Stroheim’s last silent film and final directorial project. The production of the costly film was shut down after complaints by the star, Gloria Swanson, about the direction the film was taking. In later interviews, Swanson had claimed that she had been misled by the script which referred to her character arriving in, and taking over, a dance hall; looking at the rushes, it was obvious the ‘dance hall’ was actually a brothel. Stroheim was fired from the film and much of the story-line scrapped. Swanson and producer Joseph P Kennedy (with whom Swanson was having an affair) still wanted to salvage what was left, as it had been so costly and time-consuming, and had potential market value. An alternate ending was shot and the film was released in Europe and South America (but never in the US). Find out more at sensesofcinema.com. With recorded soundtrack. Austrian Cultural Forum, London SW7 Link

Seven Chances (Dir. Buster keaton, US, 1925) + Hard Luck (Dir. Buster Keaton/Edward F Cline, US, 1921) (Screening format – DCP, 57/22mins) In Seven Chances, Keaton plays a young man who suddenly finds he must marry within hours in order to inherit a fortune; after a woeful explanation to the woman he loves, he advertises his need for a wife – with consequences that range from alarming to life-threatening. This elegant, meticulously detailed comedy of pre-marital manners concludes with one of the greatest chase sequences of all time. Find out more at tcm.com. Believed lost for decades, Hard Luck is a black comedy which sees Buster’s protagonist broke, unloved and haplessly bent on suicide. Find out more at quietbubble.wordpress.com. With live musical accompaniment. BFI Southbank, London Link

Tokyo Chorus (Dir. Yasujiro Ozu, Jap, 1931) (Screening format – not known, 90 mins) Talking pictures came late to Japan, where silent film production continued far into the 1930s. Tokyo Chorus was produced by the Shochiku Company, which was founded as far back as 1895 and still continues today. It was directed by one of Japan’s most famous film-makers, Yasujirō Ozu and stars Tokihiko Okada and Emiko Yagumo. The story, about a man who faces financial problems after losing his job when defending a colleague, was based on various elements in the Shoshimin-gai (`Middle Class Avenue’) novels by Kitamura Komatsu. Tokyo Chorus has sometimes been compared to King Vidor’s 1928 masterpiece The Crowd. Find out more at silentfilm.org. A Kennington Bioscope presentation. With live musical accompaniment. The Cinema Museum, Lambeth Link

3 May

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. Brighton: Symphony Of A City features a recorded score by composer Ed Hughes performed by the Orchestra of Sound and Light. Cinema Museum, London. Link

5 May

6 May

The Racket (Dir. Lewis Milestone, US, 1928) (Screening format – DCP, 84mins) Nominated for best picture in the first ever Oscars, The Racket is a cracking gangster picture featuring the charismatic Louis Wolheim as a bootlegger pursued by Thomas Meighan’s Chicago copper, with Marie Prevost’s vengeful ‘chantoose’ in tow. In 1928, Moving Picture News noted that ‘The Racket is much better than usual underworld picture.’ The Racket was one of the movies that started the cycle of gangster pictures that would lead to Little Caesar (1931), The Public Enemy (1931) and Scarface (1932). It’s also one of producer Howard Hughes’ most sought after titles and has been out of distribution for decades. The film’s success led to Milestone’s triumph two years later with All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) with Louis Wolheim playing the gruff Sergeant Katczinsky. Despite its popularity however, The Racket was banned in Chicago just as the play it was based on had been, as being a little too uncomfortable for the city of Al Capone. Hughes remade the movie in 1951 with Robert Ryan in the gangster role and the original remained locked up in his personal vault. Find out more at nitratediva.wordpress.com. With live musical accompaniment. BFI Southbank, London Link

11 May

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 recorded score. Presented by the Swale Film Society. Avenue Theatre, Sittingbourne, Kent Link

13 May

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 still naturally convey the marvels of the modern city. Find out more at rogerebert.com . With live musical accompaniment by electro-improvisational group Grok. Genesis Cinema, London Link

Underground (Dir. Anthony Asquith, GB, 1928) (Screening format – not known, 84 mins) In 1920s London, during a normal hectic day on the Underground, mild mannered Northern Line porter Bill (Brian Aherne) falls for shop worker Nell (Elissa Landi). But their relationship is threatened by power station worker Burt (Cyril McLaglan) who also has eyes for Nell. Consumed by jealousy, Burt plots to discredit Bill with a plan that results in a daring chase through London’s underground and across rooftops of the city. Although Underground was only Asquith‘s second film he handles the melodramatic story with confidence and great sophistication. Underground is a rare study of 1920s working-class London, and offers a fascinating and historically interesting glimpse of its public transport system. Find out more at screenonline.org.uk. With live piano accompaniment from Neil Brand. Barbican, London Link

15 May

Brighton: Symphony Of A City (Dir. Lizzie Thynne, UK, 2015) (Screening format – not known, 48 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. Brighton: Symphony Of A City features a recorded score by composer Ed Hughes performed by the Orchestra of Sound and Light. Deptford Cinema, London E8 Link

16 May

Salome (Dir. Charles Bryant, US, 1923) (Screening format – not known, 74mins) This is a film adaptation of the Oscar Wilde play of the same name and is a loose retelling of the biblical story of King Herod and his execution of John the Baptist at the request of Herod’s stepdaughter, Salome, whom he lusts after. The film stars Alla Nazimova who, though largely forgotten today, was an international sensation in the early 20th century. Born in Yalta in 1879, she studied acting at Constantin Stanislavski’s Moscow Arts Theatre in the 1890s. In 1907, she found acclaim on Broadway, where her groundbreaking performances in European Modernist plays by Anton Chekov, August Strindberg and Henrik Ibsen generated millions of dollars. Six years later, Metro put Nazimova under contract at $13,000 per week, making her the highest-salaried actress in the industry. The highly stylized costumes, exaggerated acting, minimal sets, and absence of all but the most necessary props in Salome make for a screen image much more focused on atmosphere and on conveying a sense of the characters’ individual heightened desires than on conventional plot development and as such it has been labelled by some as one of the first ‘art films’ to be made in the US. But for all its style, the film was a popular failure and a financial disaster for Nazimova who had bankrolled its production and from which she never really recovered. But in the years since, its weirdly beautiful atmosphere and aesthetic – combining Art Nouveau, modernism and the glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age – have led to its growing recognition as an exotic gem, and a cornerstone of camp. To find out more see www.loc.gov. With live musical accompaniment by Haley Fohr of experimental folk project Circuit des Yeux. Barbican, London Link

17 May

Der Rosenkavalier (Dir. Robert Wiene, Aust, 1926) (Screening format – not known, 105mins) A silent film version of the opera of the same name composed in 1911 by Richard Strauss. The film premiered in 1926 at the Dresden opera house with Strauss himself conducting a modified version of his original score. Long thought lost, the film was rediscovered in the 1970s and painstakingly restored. Find out more at wikipedia.org. The screening will be accompanied live by a recreation of Strauss’ original film score performed by the Orchestra of the Enlightenment, conducted by Geoffrey Paterson. Southbank Centre, London Link

19 May

The Passion of Jon of Arc (Dir. Carl Theodore Dreyer, 1928) (Screening format – not known, 82 mins) In 1926 Danish film director Dreyer was invited to make a film in France by the Societe Generale des Films and chose to direct a film about Joan of Arc, due to her renewed popularity in France (having been canonised as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church in 1920 and subsequently adopted as one of the patron saints of France). Apparently discarding a script provided by the Societe, Dreyer spent over a year researching Joan of Arc including study of the actual transcripts of her trial before producing a script of his own. In the title role Dreyer cast the little-known stage actress Renee Jeanne Falconnetti who had previously acted in just two previous, inconsequential films, both back in 1917. The film focuses upon the trial and eventual execution of Joan of Arc after she is captured by the English. Although not a popular success at the time, the film attracted immediate critical praise. The New York Times critic wrote “…as a film work of art, this takes precedence over anything so far produced. It makes worthy pictures of the past look like tinsel shams. It fills one with such intense admiration that other pictures appear but trivial in comparison.” Falconnetti’s performance has been widely lauded with critic Pauline Kael writing in 1982 that her portrayal “…may be the finest performance ever recorded on film.” The film was subsequently re-edited against Dreyer’s wishes and his original version was long thought lost. But in 1981 a near perfect copy was found in the attic of a psychiatric hospital in Oslo. The Passion of Joan of Arc now regularly appears in ‘Top Ten’ lists not just of silent films but best films of all time. Find out more at rogerebert.com . With recorded score. Close-Up Cinema, London E1 Link

Kevin Brownlow Film Night As a patron of the Cinema Museum and leading light in the Kennington Bioscope, Kevin needs little introduction. His career has a host of achievements in many fields: film collector; film director – It Happened Here (1964), Winstanley (1975); editor – The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968); film historian in print – The Parade’s Gone By (1968), David Lean (1996) – and on television – Hollywood (1979); and as a film restorer, most notably of Abel Gance’s epic Napoléon (1927). In nominating him for an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement in 2010, Martin Scorsese described him as “a giant among film historians and preservationists, known and justifiably respected throughout the world for his multiple achievements”. Interviewed by silent film pianist and composer, Kevin will be selecting some of his favourite film clips and some of his choices may come as a surprise! Cinema Museum, Lambeth, London Link

22 May – 9 June

The Biograph Girl – by Warner Brown and David Heneker. Commissioned by the Finborough Theatre as part of their acclaimed ‘Celebrating British Music Theatre’ series, this will be the first professional UK production of this musical since its 1980 premiere. From the composer of Half A Sixpence, it is a joyous musical celebration of Hollywood’s glorious era of silent film – beginning in 1912 when disreputable “flickers” are shown in fleapits and no self-respecting actor will appear in them, and ending in 1927 with movies now a glamorous, multi-million dollar industry and the first talking pictures signal the doom of silent films. In a breath taking sweep of just fifteen years, the great innovative directors created filmmaking as we know it today, ground breaking movie moguls laid the foundations of the entertainment industry, and trail blazing actors launched the Hollywood star system. Weaving together the heartbreaks and triumphs of the flawed genius director D. W. Griffith and the first movie stars Lilian Gish and Mary Pickford, The Biograph Girl is a love letter to the stardust and scandals of the silent movie era. Finborough Theatre, London SW10 Link

23 May

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 Curzon, Oxford Link

The Spanish Dancer (Dir. Herbert Brennon, US, 1923) (Screening format – not known, ??mins) Directed for Famous Players-Lasky by Herbert Brenon, The Spanish Dancer was one of those films which, through circumstance, finds itself competing directly with another production telling essentially the same story, in this instance the Mary Pickford vehicle Rosita, directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Contemporary opinion favoured The Spanish Dancer, starring Antonio Moreno and Pola Negri as, respectively, a 17th century nobleman and the seductive dancer, Maritana, who wins his heart. Wallace Beery plays the amorous King whose advances Maritana must repel. The screenplay was adapted by June Mathis and Beulah Mary Dix from the stage play Don César de Bazan by Philippe François Pinel and Adolphe Philippe d’Ennery. Photography was by James Wong Howe. The Spanish Dancer was restored by the Eye Institute in the Netherlands, through whose courtesy this screening has been made possible. Find out more at silentfilm.org. A Kennington Bioscope presentation. With live musical accompaniment. The Cinema Museum, Lambeth. Link

24 May

The Artist (Dir. Michel Hazanavicius, Fr, 2011) (Screening format – not known, 100 mins) A ‘modern’ black and white silent, the story takes place in Hollywood, between 1927 and 1932. Outside a movie premiere, enthusiastic fan Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) literally bumps into the swashbuckling hero of the silent film, George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). The star reacts graciously and Peppy plants a kiss on his cheek as they are surrounded by photographers. The headlines demand: “Who’s that girl?” and Peppy is inspired to audition for a dancing bit-part at the studio. However as Peppy slowly rises through the industry, the introduction of talking-pictures turns Valentin’s world upside-down. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won five, including Best Picture. Oh, and Uggie the dog makes a great co-star. Find out more at rogerebert.com . A Kennington Classics presentation. The Cinema Museum, Lambeth. Link

27 May

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 piano accompaniment by Lillian Henley. Palace Cinema, Broadstairs, Kent Link

The Silent Pianist Speaks Musician, writer and broadcaster Neil Brand, (BBC’s The Film Programme, Sound of Cinema, Music that made the Movies) celebrates the great filmmakers of the Silent Era and the magic of the accompanists who breathed life and sound into their work. From the earliest, earthiest comedies and thrillers, through a silent cine-verité classic shot by a young Billy Wilder, to the glories of Hollywood glamour and the sublime Laurel and Hardy. Neil provides improvised accompaniment and laconic commentary on everything from deep focus to his own live cinema disasters. Presented as part of the Ashmolean’s American Cool festival. Oxford Playhouse, Oxford Link

May 28

The Cameraman (Dir. Edward Sedgwick/Buster Keaton, US, 1928) + One Week (Dir. Buster Keaton/Eddie Cline, US, 1920) (Screening format – not known, 67/19mins) Buster (Buster Keaton) meets Sally (Marceline Day), who works as a secretary for the newsreel department at MGM, and falls hard. Trying to win her attention, Buster abandons photography in order to become a news cameraman. In spite of his early failures with a motion camera, Sally takes to him as well. However, veteran cameraman Stagg (Harold Goodwin) also fancies Sally, meaning Buster will need to learn how to film quickly before he loses his job. Find out more at slantmagazine.com. One Week sees Buster and his new bride struggling with a pre-fabricated home unaware that his bride’s former suitor has renumbered all of the boxes. Find out more at wikipedia.org . With live organ accompaniment from Donald MacKenzie. Regent Street Cinema, London Link

29 May

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.

Silentfilmcalendar.org

The silent film listing site

London & South East

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