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1-2 October

Metropolis (Dir. Fritz Lang, 1927) (Screening format –DCP, 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 recorded soundtrack. Vue, Cheshire Oaks, South Wirral  Link

Metropolis (Dir. Fritz Lang, 1927) (Screening format –DCP, 149 mins ) For details, see above.  With recorded soundtrack. Vue, Newcastle Under Lyme Link

Metropolis (Dir. Fritz Lang, 1927) (Screening format –DCP, 149 mins ) For details, see above.  With recorded soundtrack. Vue, Oxford  Link

7 October

Nosferatu (Dir. F W Murnau, 1922) (Screening format – not known, 81mins) 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. Forsaking the highly stylised sets typical of German expressionist films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Murnau imparted a sense of dread to a real world of forests, mountains and open sea. In the film, the vampire Count Orlok travels across Europe leaving a trail of death in his wake as he seeks out the  Ellen, the beautiful wife of his associate  .  Brilliantly eerie, with imaginative touches which later adaptions never achieved.  Find out more at wikipedia.org  .  With live musical accompaniment by the internationally acclaimed organist, Alex Mason.  St Alphege Church, Solihull, Birmingham Link

14 October

Sherlock Jnr (Dir. Buster Keaton, 1924) + One Week (Dir. Buster Keaton/Eddie Cline, 1920) (Screening format – not known, 45/19 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 at silentfilm.org.  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 musical accompaniment by Harmonieband.  Quad, Derby  Link

25 October

Silent Clowns: A Slapstick Workshop.  Want to get the kids interested in silent film at an early age? Bring them along to this  workshop where they’ll be part of a group of budding silent comedians introduced to some of the funniest scenes from the silent film era, and taught some of the tricks of the silent comedy trade through clowning, games, and performing little skits. At the end of the workshop parents will be invited to see a short performance. Recommended for 5-11 year olds.  Presented as part of the Wolverhampton Comedy Festival. Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton  Link

Custard Pie CeremonyIn 1909, veteran comic Ben Turpin became the first film actor to get hit in the face with a custard pie. After that, everyone was at it, and it became a staple for silent comedies. We’ll be celebrating the art of throwing the custard pie with a selection of silent and sound shorts and extracts from films from the 10s, 20s, and 30s. Featuring, amongst others, Mabel Normand and Roscoe Arbuckle in A Noise from the Deep (1913), Charlie Chaplin in His Trysting Places (1914) and Behind the Screen (1916), and everyone’s favourite comedy duo Laurel & Hardy in The Battle of the Century (1927). Presented as part of the Wolverhampton Comedy Festival.  Introduced by Katie O’Malley, with live musical accompaniment.  Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton.Link

28 October

A Century of Chaplin.  Three classic Chaplin shorts including The Immigrant (Dir, Charles Chaplin, US, 1917) (Screening format – not known, 22 mins) The Immigrant sees the little tramp travelling as an immigrant  to America, being accused of theft on the voyage, finding the girl of his dreams (Edna Purviance) but then having trouble paying for a meal. Find out more at moviessilently.com .  Presented as part of the Wolverhampton Comedy Festival.  With live musical accompaniment.  Light House Media Centre, The Chubb Buildings, Wolverhampton Link

Safety Last (Dir Fred C Newmeyer/Sam Taylor, US, 1923) (Screening format – not known, 73mins)  A boy (Harold Lloyd) moves to New York City to make enough money to support his loving girlfriend (Mildred Davis), but soon discovers that making it in the big city is harder than it looks. When he hears that a store manager will pay $1,000 to anyone who can draw people to his store, he convinces his friend, the “human fly,” (Bill Strother) to climb the building and split the profit with him. But when his pal gets in trouble with the law, he must complete the crazy stunt on his own.  It is by general agreement one of the most famous shots in silent comedy: a man in a straw hat and round horn-rim glasses, hanging from the minute hand of a clock 12 stories above the city street and it served to underline Lloyd’s comic genius.  Find out more at rogerebert.com .  With live organ accompaniment by Donald MacKenzie.  Chester Cathedral, Chester Link

30 October

London Symphony (Dir.  Alex Barrett, UK, 2017) (Screening format – not known)  London Symphony  is a brand new silent film – a city symphony – which offers a poetic journey through London, a cosmopolitan city facing a challenge to its identity in the current political climate.  It is an artistic portrait of the city as it stands today, and a celebration of its culture and diversity. Find out more at londonsymphfilm.com . With recorded James McWilliam soundtrack. Northern Light Cinema, Wirksworth, Derbyshire Link