Silent Film Screenings

It can be very difficult to find screenings of silent films. This page is intended to help people locate silent film screenings in their local area. Please let me know at pringle@csse.monash.edu.au if you are aware of any other screenings not mentioned on this page.

The Silents Are Golden web site has a very good web site listing Silent Movie Screenings. I strongly recommend that you check it out.

Australia Silent Film Schedule
Canada Silent Film Schedule
Denmark Silent Film Schedule
Slovenia Silent Film Schedule
USA Silent Film Schedule
Festivals
Miscellaneous
Television

Australia

Adelaide: Capri Theatre

The Capri Theatre is owned and operated by the Theatre Organ Society of Australia [South Australian Division] Inc. The theatre houses a 4 manual 29 rank Theatre Pipe Organ which is used to accompany the short silent films which are sometimes shown as part of the society's Club Nights, which are held on the second Monday of each month. They also hold Theatre Organ Concerts on Sunday afternoons about every six to eight weeks during the year. Full-length silent movies are screened about once a year at these concerts.

More information about this event as well as the Theatre Organ Society of Australia [SA Div] Inc, the Capri Theatre and Theatre Organ CD's, may be found at their Web site at http://www.ozemail.com.au/~roscol/ or, contact:-

Buster Keaton (accompanied by Blue Grassy Knoll)

The Melbourne jazz group Blue Grassy Knoll provide live accompaniment to mainly Buster Keaton films. I saw them a number of years ago in Melbourne and they were wonderful (as was the Buster Keaton film they had)... I have no hesitation in recommending these shows.

There is more information available from their MySpace page, http://www.myspace.com/bluegrassyknoll

Hobart Film Society

The Hobart Film Society regularly has silent films in their schedule. More details are available at their web page at http://www.tased.edu.au/tasonline/hfilmsoc/

Majestic Theatre, Pomona, Queensland

The Majestic Theatre is a 1921 silent movie house with regular screenings of silent films. Accompaniment is provided live on the theatre's Wurlitzer Pipe Organ by organists Ron West and Andrew Zieren. Visit their website at http://www.themajestictheatre.com.au/

admin@themajestictheatre.com.au

National Film and Sound Archive

ScreenSound (formerly The National Film and Sound Archive) has the occasional silent film in their calendar.

The Redcliffe Picture Palace

The Redcliffe Picture Palace regularly screens early Australian feature films, documentaries and actuality/home movie film in both 35mm and 16mm formats. Screenings are held on Sundays at 1pm, bus groups of 20 to 50 by arrangement. Cost is $7 per session including morning/afternoon tea & biscuits.

Canada

Montreal, Quebec: Cinematheque Quebecoise

Cinematheque Quebecoise in Montreal shows about 5 to 10 silent movies each month, some of them accompanied by piano. More information can be found at their web site at http://www.cinematheque.qc.ca/

Toronto, Ontario: Toronto Film Society

The Toronto Film Society has their annual Raiding the Vaults at Eastman House in Rochester NY the first weekend in August with at least five feature and several shorts of silent film accompanied with live piano with Phillip Carli. They also have available to devotees or film history students their extensive archive of film notes on silent film.

Denmark

Danish Film Institute

The Danish Film Institute shows at least two silents a month. Their program can be found at http://www.dfi.dk/ (non-English site).

Slovenia

Slovenska Kinoteka

Slovenska Kinoteka (Slovenian Cinematheque, the international film museum and archive in Ljubljana, Slovenia) has had tens of thousands of screenings including numerous silent films. Silent films are always screened at their proper speed. There is more information provided.

http://www.kinoteka.si/

http://www.kinoteka.si/english/

USA

Boonton NJ - The Darress Theatre

Every couple of months the Darress Theatre holds silent film screenings with live organ accompaniment.

Boston, Massachusetts: Hub of the Universe

The Knight Auditorium, Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts (approximately 20 miles west of downtown Boston) has several silent films each year, accompanied by their 1925 theater organ.

The programs are produced by Pipe Organ Pops, 8 Skyline Dr., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821-1117. Telephone: 978-670-1269.

Guttenberg, New Jersey

The Galaxy Theatre, located at 7000 Boulevard East in Guttenberg, NJ, USA has acquired and restored a Kimball 3 Manual 12 rank theatre pipe organ. This organ was originally built and installed in the Bagdad Theatre in Portland Oregon back in 1927. The organ has had many homes since then, but is now back in a theatre where it is played every Friday and Saturday night prior to the start of the feature. In addition, the Galaxy Theatre is offering an afternoon series of silent movies with live organ accompaniment. The Galaxy Theatre's phone number is (201) 854-6540 for the recording, and (201) 854-6554 for the box office during theatre hours. They are online at http://www.galaxy-movie-theatre.com/

Be sure to call the theatre for any last minute changes. All films are presented in 35mm when available. See http://www.galaxy-movie-theatre.com/silent/silent.html

Lincoln Theatre, Belleville Il

The Lincoln Theatre in Belleville Il shows silent films from time to time. They have a 3 manual 15 rank hybred organ especially designed for the theatre to provide live accompaniment.

Live Cinema Calendar

Live Cinema Calendar is a must see with detailed listings of silent motion picture screenings with piano, organ, orchestral or other live musical accompaniment.

Los Angeles Silent Movie Theatre

The Silent Movie Theatre has screenings of silent movies the entire year round. Full information is available at their website at http://www.silentmovietheatre.com/

Potomac Valley Theatre Organ Society

The Potomac Valley Theatre Organ Society, a chapter of ATOS, routinely features silent movies accompanied by their Wurlitzer Pipe Organ at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Their web page is http://www.pvtos.org

San Jose, Towne Theatre

The Towne Theatre has silent films all year round with live accompaniment on their 1,100 pipe Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. Most programs are on Sundays with a pre-show organ concert.

cameranet@aol.com

Stanford Theater, Palo Alto

The Stanford Theater is a beautiful 1925 theatre which often has silent films screened.

The After Quartet

The After Quartet is an ensemble dedicated to the live interpretation of silent films. They do their own music and performance.

Full details are at their web site www.afterquartet.com

The Harvard Film Archive

The Harvard Film Archive includes silent films in their program. Most include live accompaniment on the piano. To obtain their calendar, write to:

Weinberg Center for the Arts

The 1926 Weinberg Center for the Arts (originally the Tivoli) has silent movies with live accompaniment. To be placed on their mailing list call (301) 228-2828. It can be found at:

Balboa Theatre, San Francisco

3630 Balboa Street (@37th Avenue), Richmond District, San Francisco

The Balboa Theatre will celebrate its 86th Birthday on Sunday, March 4. Presented in association with the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, a night at the movies circa 1926 will be the order of the day.

The evening's feature film will be Harold Lloyd's silent classic SAFETY LAST (1923) with a 35mm print directly from the Lloyd family. In addition there will be a live vaudeville show featuring George Méliès.

7pm, Sunday, March 4, 2012 Doors open at 6:45pm: Safety Last

Festivals

Film festivals can often have viewings of silent films. Below are a few festivals known to include silent films. For a comprehensive list of film festivals, take a look at Yahoo's list of Film Festivals.

Cinevent

Cinevent, the classic film convention held annually in Columbus, Ohio.

Giornate del Cinema Muto - Pordenone Silent Film Festival

In October annually the Pordenone Silent Film Festival focuses on silent films. You can contact them at:

codelli@interware.it

Il Cinema Ritrovato

Annual: "Il Cinema Ritrovato" - silent film festival held each year in Bologna. More information can be obtained through Cineteca Communale de Bologna, via Galliera 8, Bologna, Italy.

Iola, Kansas: Buster Keaton Celebrations

Every year in late September, the annual Buster Keaton Celebration is held at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center in Iola, Kansas.

The 10th Annual Buster Keaton Celebration will be held on Sept 27-28, 2002. More details can be found at http://www.iolaks.com/keaton/

Three Oaks, MI: Sound of Silents Film Festival

Three days of silent films with live music accompaniment, featuring: The Contrete Orchestra (which has performed their scores for silent films at Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival for the past two years), Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Blue Dahlia and composer Dan Schaaf, as well as special guests.

The schedule is now available.

More details are available at the web site www.vickerstheatre.com

Miscellaneous

Harold Lloyd

If you're wanting to view Harold Lloyd films, the Hello, Harold Lloyd site has a list of screenings of his films.

Television

America Movie Classics, USA

America Movie Classics has occasional silents in their schedule.

Turner Classic Movies, USA

Turner Classic Movies regularly has silents in their schedule.

Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database.