London & South East

3 September

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 . Presented with the live premiere of James McWilliam‘s accompanying composition, performed by the Covent Garden Sinfonia, conducted by Ben Palmer, and followed by a discussion featuring the filmmakers and London history specialist Mark Rowland, chair of Footprints of London. Barbican, London Link

3-4 September (2 Performances)

South (Dir. Frank Hurley, UK/Aus, 1919) (Screening format – not known, 88mins). Australian filmmaker Frank Hurley’s record of Shackleton’s 1914-17 Antarctic expedition is also a document of life – human and otherwise – striving to survive in the most adverse climatic conditions imaginable. More than a mere chronicle of an epic undertaking, the film is visually magnificent, its images of the vast frozen wilderness composed with a meticulous attention to framing and light. Find out more at moviessilently.com . With live piano accompaniment. BFI Southbank, London Link

5 September

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 . Accompanied by a recorded original musical composition by James McWilliam. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s director/editor Alex Barrett. David Lean Picture House, Croydon Link

6 September

The Goose Woman (Dir. Clarence Brown, US, 1925) (Screening format – not known, 80mins) Louise Dresser plays Marie du Nard, a celebrated opera diva who loses her voice and her reputation after giving birth to an illegitimate son. Reverting to her given name of Mary Holmes, she returns to her hometown, living in a squalid shack and raising geese. Years later, a headline-making murder case is played out in her town. Hoping to capture her past celebrity, Mary claims to be a witness to the murder…Find out more at silentfilm.org . A Kennington Bioscope presentation with live piano accompaniment. The Cinema Museum, Lambeth, London Link

8 September

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 . Accompanied by a recorded original musical composition by James McWilliam. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s director/editor Alex Barrett. Chelsea Theatre, London Link

9 September

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Dir. Lotte Reiniger , Ger, 1926) (Screening format – not known, 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 live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne. Introduced by Jamila Gavin. Barbican, London Link

Silent Film Evening A selection of silent films (titles TBC) with live organ accompaniment by Donald MacKenzie. St Mary & St Giles Church, Stony Stratford. Link

10 September

Setan Jawa (Dir. Garin Nugroho, Indo, 2017) (Screening format – not known) Indonesian film director Garin Nugroho’s latest masterpiece is a silent dance film in black and white. The film is set at the beginning of the 20th century, and is a Javanese take on the classic Faustian legend of a pact made with the devil (setan) in order to gain riches and love. Setan Jawa was premiered at Asia TOPA, Arts Centre Melbourne, in February 2017. Find out more at setanjawamovie.com . Presented as part of the Gamelan Festival. Accompanied live by the gamelan compositions of Rahayu Supanggah. Cadogan Hall, London, SW1 Link

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 . Accompanied by a recorded original musical composition by James McWilliam. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s director/editor Alex Barrett. Rio Cinema, Dalston 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 piano accompaniment by Wendy Hiscocks. Barbican, London. Link

13 September

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 . Accompanied by a recorded original musical composition by James McWilliam. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s director/editor Alex Barrett. Fabrica, Brighton Link

14 September

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 . Accompanied by a recorded original musical composition by James McWilliam. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s director/editor Alex Barrett. Regent Street Cinema, London Link

14-15 September

When You Fall Down – The Buster Keaton Story by James Dangerfield. When You Fall Down is a theatrical production that tells Buster’s story from his first movie-making experience in 1917, to his signing by MGM 11 years later. In 1928 Buster Keaton, star of the silent screen, arrives in Culver City, at the movie studio which is to be his new home. He takes this moment to reflect on his life and career.We join Buster on seven separate days, or one week, from this period, following his personal and professional triumphs and trials. With scripted scenes, slapstick, songs and a soft shoe shuffle, the show is a whole new theatrical tribute to “The Great Stone Face”; a man who always got back on his feet, no matter how many times he fell down. Find out more at jamesdangerfield.com With book, music & lyrics by James Dangerfield and orchestral arrangements and original instrumentals by Martyn Stringer. The Hen & Chickens Theatre, Islington, London N1 Link

17 September

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. Presented with the live accompaniment of James McWilliam‘s soundtrack, performed by the Covent Garden Sinfonia, conducted by Ben Palmer, and followed by a discussion featuring director Alex Barrett, composer James McWilliam and speakers from the Alexandra & Ainsworth estate. Alexandra & Ainsworth Estate, London NW8 Link

20 September

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 . Featuring an original musical composition by James McWilliam. Chapel Cinema, Bethnal Green Link

Filibus (Dir. Mario Roncoroni, It, 1915) + shorts. (Screening format – not known, 76mins) 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 . Presented by the Kennington Bioscope, with live piano accompaniment. Cinema Museum, Lambeth, London. Link

23 September

An Evening of Silent Film With Live Piano The evening will showcase a collection of classic short films with live piano accompaniment: “The Playhouse” (Keaton), “You’re Darn Tootin” (Laurel & Hardy), “There it is” (Bowers), “Easy Street” (Chaplin) and “La Fee Carabosse” (Melies). With live piano accompaniment by Stephen Horne. Gulbenkian, University of Kent, Canterbury Link

24 September

Mother (Dir. Vsevolod Pudovkin, USSR, 1926) (Screening format – 35mm, 85mins) Based on Maxim Gorky’s 1906 novel, Pudovkin’s drama is set against the backdrop of the 1905 Russian Revolution. The film portrays the political awakening of a mother whose son is imprisoned for leading a strike at a local factory. After unwittingly betraying her son to the police, she takes up his cause and joins the workers demonstrating against the Tsarist authorities. Pudovkin, who began his career as an actor, and his wife Anna Zemtsova, make cameo appearances. Find out more at sensesofcinema.com . With recorded soundtrack. Phoenix Cinema, Finchley, London Link

Not For Sale (Dir. W P Kellino, UK, 1924) (Screening format – not known, 86mins) Ace screenwriter Lydia Hayward’s adorable romance concerns a spoiled young aristocrat cut off by his exasperated father and reduced to living in a Bloomsbury boarding house, run by the impoverished Annie who’s hindered by her dysfunctional family of tenants. Particularly enjoyable is Mickey Brantford, a sprightly 12-year-old, whose take on Lon Chaney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame has to be seen to be believed. Miss this film at your peril! An incredibly rare chance to catch one of the best British silent comedies ever made. Lydia Hayward was also crucial in adapting several of the W W Jacobs stories for the screen, with H Manning Haynes as director, such as The Skipper’s Wooing (1922), Head of the Family (1922) and The Boatswain’s Mate (1924) which are (marginally) better known but equally funny and charming to watch. Find out more at wikipedia.org . With live piano accompaniment. BFI Southbank, London Link

A Page of Madness (aka Kurutta Ippēji) (Dir.Teinosuke Kinugasa, Jap, 1926) (Screening format – 35mm, 60mins) A man (Masao Inoue) takes a job as a janitor 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. 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 tcm.com . The film will be introduced on video by Professor Aaron Gerow, the author of the definitive book on A Page of Madness and will be followed by a panel discussion with Silent London’s Pamela Hutchinson along with Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp and Tomoko Komura. With live musical accompaniment by musicians Clive Bell, Sylvia Hallett and Keiko Kitamura on piano and traditional Japanese instruments and with a live benshi narration (in English) by Tomoko Komura. Arthur & Paula Lucas Lecture Theatre, King’s College London WC2 Link

26 September

27 September

Silent Cinema – Before the Pictures Got Small A book launch event to mark the publication of Silent Cinema : Before the Pictures Got Small by Lawrence Napper, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at King’s College, London. The book offers an introduction to the cinema of the 1920s, outlining the development of the form between the end of the First World War and the introduction of synchronized sound at the end of the decade. It covers such themes as the relationship between film aesthetics and the industrial and political contexts of film production; film-going as the most popular leisure activity of the age; the star system; cinema buildings; musical accompaniments; film fashions; and fan cultures. The author will be present to discuss the book and copies will be on sale. Marylebone Library, London W1 Link

29 September

A Cottage on Dartmoor (Dir. Anthony Asquith, 1929) (Screening format – not known, 84mins) Joe (Uno Henning) works as a barber in a shop in a Devon town, alongside a manicurist called Sally (Norah Baring). He becomes infatuated with her and asks her out but it is clear that Sally does not reciprocate Joe’s feelings. Joe’s infatuation with her develops into obsession. Meanwhile a young farmer Harry (Hans Schlettow), begins to woo Sally and the couple begin seeing each other which leaves Joe in despair. After a fight with Harry, Joe is jailed but swears revenge on Harry and Sally. A Cottage on Dartmoor is a tale of love and revenge set in the bleak landscape of Dartmoor and a thoughtful distillation of the best of European silent film techniques from a director steeped in the work of the Soviet avant-garde and German expressionism. One of the last films of the silent era and a virtuoso piece of film-making, A Cottage on Dartmoor was a final passionate cry in defence of an art form soon to be obsolete. Find out more at silentfilm.org. With live musical accompaniment composed and performed by pianist Joss Peach. Seaford Little Theatre, Seaford, East Sussex Link

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 . Featuring an original musical composition by James McWilliam. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s director/editor Alex Barrett. Cinema Museum, Lambeth, London. Link

30 September

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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