Usually, when it comes to silent film screenings in the Bristol area, we would just list them on our event calendar. But when it comes to April 2014, we thought we would dedicate a post to it, seeing that we have a wide range of celebrated silent film screenings.
So understandably, April has become a very busy time for silent film fans in the Bristol area with a wonderful line up planned. Oddly, the two main features to be screened (both at Watershed, Bristol) this month bookcases the line up and both were released in the same year, 1928 (we had to connect them in some way).
But these are not the only two screenings planned for this April. We can also offer you our regular ‘Bristol Silents Club Screening’ which (as always) celebrates the more unique film titles from the silent era.
So whether you are a diehard silent film fan or a starting out novice, April has something for everyone!
Sunday 6th April: Underground (Anthony Asquith / 1928)
Intro by Neil Brand
Location: Watershed, Bristol 5:00pm / £5.50 full / £4.00 concessions
Don’t ask why we do, but we love banging the Anthony Asquith drum. Over the years we have celebrated his work in posts and screenings. Now, this special screening as part of the Filmic Film Festival gives you another chance to see Asquith’s grand London underground epic in the cinema with the best score you would probably ever see it with!
A revelatory silent tale of love, jealousy, treachery and murder set on the London Underground, brilliantly restored by the BFI National Archive and with a perfect rescore by our old friend Neil Brand.
Asquith’s Underground tells the story of four young working people making their way in 1920s London. The parallels with life in the metropolis today are poignant and it is fascinating to see location footage of the Underground network, old London pubs, department stores and the climactic chase through the Lots Road Power Station in Chelsea.
Earlier in the day Neil will be introducing and hosting a Q&A about his popular three-part series made for the BBC The Sound of Cinema, which celebrates the art of the cinema soundtrack. You can watch all three episodes followed by the Q&A and then hear Neil introduce Underground.
Tuesday 8th April: Seventyseven Film Club: By the Law (1926)
Location: The Arts House, 108A Stokes Croft, Bristol >: 8:00pm / £2
Lev Kuleshov’s legendary “constructivist Western” (adapted from a story by Jack London) was a highlight of the Soviet Cinema of the 1920s and one of the most popular films of its time.
Upon finding gold in the Yukon a member of a group of prospectors descends into murder. The remaining members of the group are torn between enacting revenge and seeing that their former friend receives a fair trial. But as the ice begins to melt the group are left stranded and tension rises . A real treat!
Worth noting that the SeventySeven Film Club have now moved to a new location in Stokes Croft!
Wednesday 9th April: Bristol Silents Club Screening: Alternative German Silent Film Night
Intro by Milan Stürmer (University of West of England)
Location: Lansdown Pub, Clifton: 7:30pm: Free Entry
After a highly successful Alternative German Silent Film Night late last year, Milan Stürmer (University of West of England) returns to show us another unique German silent film.
You won’t be seeing the likes of Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920), Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (1922) or Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) here. The Bristol Silents Alternative German Silent Film Night 2 gives you the opportunity to see a German silent film rarely screened in this country.
Oh, and did we forget to mention; like all our past (and future Bristol Silents Club Screenings) it’s totally free to come along! You don’t need to register or even pay a special fee to see the film with us. You just need to turn up on the night.
Wednesday 30th April: The Wind (Victor Sjöström / 1928) Live score by Lola Perrin
Location: Watershed, Bristol : 6:00pm / £8.00 full / £6.50 concessions
A wild wind haunts a virginal girl in this seminal gothic drama of suppressed sexuality, accompanied by jazz-influenced pianist Lola Perrin’s elemental new score, winner of Silent London’s 2011 Best Live Score Award.
‘First lady of the silent screen’ Lillian Gish is transcendent as the sweet, virginal Hetty, who moves out West to her cousin’s ranch in the ‘land o the winds’. Forced to marry Lige and inhabit his isolated shack, she is driven insane by the wild wind in this visually stunning classic.
Pianist and composer Lola Perrin has been widely published and recorded to critical acclaim for her imaginative jazz textures and minimalist themes, touring internationally and regularly featuring on BBC Radio 3.
More about this particular screening later in the month! Enjoy April and hope to see you at some of the great screenings we have in April. Always worth keeping an eye out on our Bristol Silents Events Page for anymore events coming up in the rest of Spring 2014!
