Download programme HERE
Friday 13 March
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Down Wicklow Way
Programme from the IFI Irish Film Archive / 6.15pm / €15
Sunniva O’Flynn (Curator of the Irish Film Institute) will present a selection of silent films made in and around Wicklow in the 1920s, 30s and 40s which are now preserved in the Irish Film Archive. The programme includes rarely-seen amateur and proffesional footage of Bray, Powerscourt and the greater Wicklow area.
Live piano accompaniment by Josh Johnston.
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OPENING EVENT
The Cat and the Canary
Paul Leni / USA / 1927 / 72mins / 8.00pm / €25
A fine parody of Gothic horror from Universal, a market they later cornered through the 1930’s. Set in an old stately home (not unlike Killruddery House) this masterpiece expertly combines comic and horror elements with an expressionism and visual imagination that would rival any of the more commonly seen films from this period.
Live piano accompaniment by Stephen Horne.
Followed by launch party and wine reception.
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Saturday 14 March
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The Adventures of Prince Achmed
Lotte Reiniger / Germany / 1926 / 60mins / 11.00am / € 15
Lotte Reiniger’s elegant masterpiece is acknowledged as the first ever animated feature and uses shadow animation to tell a captivating story of kind ogres, magical flying horses and wicked magicians.
Live piano accompaniment by Stephen Horne.
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Visages d’Enfants
Jacques Feyder / France / 1925 / 109mins / 1.00pm / €10
A huge success at our earlier season of silent films, this enormously moving film features some extraordinary performances by young actors and its significance, as well as its sensitivity, has been compared to that of Truffaut’s 400 Blows (1959).
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TALK
‘From Silent cinema to a cinema of Silence’,
A talk by Katherine Waugh / 1.00pm /Entrance free
Katherine’s talk will look at the resurgence of interest in ‘silence’ in the new ‘genre’ of contemplative cinema and will focus on early and silent cinema and the continuing relevance they hold for contemporary artists and filmmakers. Katherine Waugh is a freelance writer on contemporary art and film.
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Grass
Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack / U.S.A / Iran / 1925 / 77mins / 3.00pm / €10
Magnificent early documentary tracing the incredible journey of a 50,000 member nomadic Persian tribe. This film traces that epic journey and although pre-dated by Nanook of the North (1922) it remains among the most significant early documentary films, reminding us of a time when incredible footage like this represented a vivid glimpse into other ways of living.
Live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Modern Musketeer
Alan Dwan / U.S.A. / 1917 / 60mins / 4.00pm / €10
A hugely entertaining and often hilarious swashbuckling adventure starring Douglas Fairbanks. Brilliantly executed and witty throughout.
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Flesh and the Devil
Clarence Brown / U.S.A. / 1926 / 112mins / 5.30pm / €25
One of the few films to capture completely the magic of Greta Garbo, this film depicts a passionate romance between Garbo and John Gilbert (a romance that was also playing out in real terms). A chance to remind ourselves what all the fuss was about and one of the highlights of the festival.
Live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne.
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Sunrise
F. W. Murnau / U.S.A / 1927 / 96mins / 8.15pm / €25
Murnau’s magnificent film is not only one of the masterpieces of the silent period but is one of the most remarkable films ever produced.
This screening will be preceded by French onion soup served in the courtyard.
Sunrise will also be screening in Mermaid Arts Centre on Saturday, 21st February, with a special score composed and played by the 3epkano ensemble. It screens here with its original score.
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Sunday 15 March
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The Unknown
Tod Browning / U.S.A. / 1927 / 75mins / 12.15pm / €15
An unmissable film by the director of Dracula and the cult favourite Freaks (1932), featuring an unusual romance between Lon Chaney’s armless knife-thrower and his beautiful assistant who has a phobia about being touched, played by a young Joan Crawford. Thought missing for many years, this is a macabre treat best seen as part of a double bill with The Unholy Three.
This screening will be preceded by coffee and muffins served in the cafe.
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The Unholy Three
Tod Browning / U.S.A / 1925 / 72mins / 2.20pm / €25
Another unusual and magnificent collaboration between Lon Chaney and Tod Browning (Freaks, Dracula), this time about three escaped sideshow performers who launch a spectacular crime wave. Expertly combining dramatic and comedic elements, this is an unforgettable film memorably performed.Live piano accompaniment by Josh Johnston.
Live piano accompaniment by Josh Johnston
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The Adventures of Prince Achmed
Lotte Reiniger / Germany / 1926 / 60mins / 3.00pm / € 10
A repeat screening of Saturday’s children’s programme, with original score.
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TALK
‘An Introduction to the Silent Era’
60mins / 4.00pm / €20
An illustrated introduction to the silent film period with Special Guest to the festival Mr. Kevin Brownlow.
Incorporating 16mm screenings with live piano accompaniment by Josh Johnston
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The Student Prince
Ernst Lubitsch / U.S.A. / 1927 / 103mins / 6.00pm / €25
A chance to see an important film by the influential filmmaker Ernst Lubitsch (Trouble in Paradise), this stands among the filmmaker’s best, with Roman Novarro and Norma Shearer playing the romantic leads. The film builds to a wonderful climax, expressively portrayed by Novarro, and although he would make many wonderful films, the famous ‘Lubitsch touch’, that many filmmakers sought to reproduce, is fully evident here.
With live piano accompaniment by Josh Johnston.
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CLOSING FILM
Redskin
Victor Schertzinger / U.S.A. / 1929 / 85mins / 8.15 pm / €25
A western which courageously depicts the corruption and racial prejudice which face the Navajo hero, played by Richard Dix, and based on Jim Thorpe. The scenes on the reservation are in two-colour Technicolor. A stunning film from the end of the silent era to close the festival.
With live musical accompaniment, piano by Justin Carroll and cello by Kim Porcelli.
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Press
RTE Radio 1 /The Arts Show Ella Mc Sweeney reports. To listen click here
RTE Television/ Six One News Philip Bromwell reports. To view click here
