An autumn tradition at the Dryden, silent films with live accompaniment return on Tuesdays to explore the first thirty-five years of cinema. Comedies, epics, westerns, horror films, and the avant-garde were all part of that early cinema, and are all represented in our series this Fall. Whether it’s Laurel and Hardy, Tom Mix, Ramon Novarro, or Pola Negri, the faces that made the movies will make their appearance on our big screen. Accompanied by Philip Carli on our 1925 Knabe piano, this is as close as you’ll get to re-creating the original cinematic experience, short of inventing a time machine. In addition, Anvil Orchestra makes their return to The Dryden to accompany Fritz Lang’s Metropolis on September 13 (special pricing applies).
Dates and Titles:
September 1: Laurel and Hardy Shorts Program (various directors, US 1928-1929, app. 80 min., 35mm and 16mm)
September 8: Teeth (John G. Blystone, US 1924, 70 min., DCP)
September 12: Metropolis (Fritz Lang, Germany 1927, 148 min., DCP)
September 15: James Card Program #6 (Vincenzo Denizot, Scott Sidney, Italy/US 1912-1913, app. 80 min., 35mm)
September 22: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (Fred Niblo, US 1925, 140 min., 35mm)
September 29: The Soul of Youth (William Desmond Taylor, US 1920, 60 min., DCP)
October 6: A Page of Madness (Kurutta Ippeiji, Teinosuke Kinugasa, Japan 1926, 59 min., 35mm)
October 20: The Wildcat (Die Bergkatze, Ernst Lubitsch, Germany 1921, 79 min., DCP) -
October 27: Faust (F. W. Murnau, Germany 1926, 107 min., DCP)
Events in this Series
Metropolis (DCP)
Schweigen! | The Sight and Sound Club Director Fritz Lang’s prescient vision of an urban world in disarray has been digitally restored to its original premiere length. With this science fiction epic, Lang brought to the screen one of the most ambitious and iconic movies ever made.
James Card Program #6
Silent Tuesdays | James Card's First Programs Films depicting robbery, murder, and kidnapping were wildly popular in early cinema, to the point where social reformers decried the cinema as a breeding ground for moral depravity. At the same time, the urgency of crime stories and their often semi-documentary quality pushed cinema towards greater rhythmic pacing, scenic realism, and dramatic flair.
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (35mm) - Free to All!
Silent Tuesdays | Latin Cinematic Heritage The most expensive spectacle of its time, this film tells the familiar story of Judah Ben-Hur (matinee idol Ramon Novarro) in the early days of Christianity. His wealthy family is persecuted for their faith by the Romans, including Judah’s childhood friend Messala.
The Soul of Youth (16mm, DCP)
Silent Tuesdays The same year they collaborated on the definitive silent version of Huckleberry Finn, director William Desmond Taylor, writer Julia Crawford Ivers, and star Lewis Sargent re-team for this social drama about welfare, politics, and familial love.
Teeth (35mm)
Silent Tuesdays Duke the Dog takes on the title role in this Tom Mix western adventure. When malicious baggage handler Dan Angus (George Bancroft) throws two dogs off a train, Dave Deering (Mix) finds the larger one, takes him in, and re-names him Teeth.
Laurel and Hardy Shorts Program (35mm, 16mm)
Silent Tuesdays Stan and Ollie are back in this program of late silent shorts before they moved to sound films in 1929.