The Third Wiveliscombe Festival of Silent Cinema (known to its friends as Silents in the Hills) takes place over the weekend of 14th–16th November. The first Festival in 2006 was a real leap in the dark, but it was a greater success than we had dared hope, and in 2007 audiences increased by around 40%. As well as providing great entertainment we boosted the local economy, with people coming from such far-flung places as Weston, Minehead and Seaton, staying in local B&Bs, taking advantage of special early supper deals and spending in the town’s varied range of shops.
The first film we ever showed was Pandora’s Box starring the legendary Louise Brooks, and feedback from the audience praised the subtlety, modernity and emotional power of her acting, not to mention her luminous beauty. This year we open on the evening of Friday 14th with Diary of a Lost Girl, made by the same director, G.W.Pabst, as a follow-up to Pandora’s Box, and again starring Brooks. She plays Thymia, a “lost girl” who retains her essential goodness through several drastic changes in circumstance. As well as another stunning performance from Brooks the film is notable for the progressive directorial style, with its agile camerawork and deft editing.
On the evening of Saturday 15th we are screening a classic that even people not normally interested in silent films know about: it’s Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, a mixture of sci-fi chiller and social satire, with amazing sets representing the city of the future. The humanoid robot played by Brigitte Helm is one of the most famous and potent images in cinema history.
Sunday afternoon sees Buster Keaton’s classic, Sherlock Junior. Keaton plays a film-projectionist who wants to be a detective, and who dreams himself into the films he is showing, giving the opportunity to show off some bravura camera-tricks. All very Post-Modern, and also very funny. Keaton has been extremely popular at our previous festivals, with audiences even applauding individual gags, so you’d be advised to book early for this. The show will also include a Keaton short.
The festival ends on Sunday evening with what many people consider to be the definitive version of The Phantom of the Opera, made in 1925 and starring Lon Chaney (Senior) as the horribly disfigured anti-hero. The sequence in which the heroine creeps up behind the Phantom whilst he is playing the organ and tears away his mask is as chilling as ever, and the sight of his face is still shocking. We are showing a newly-remastered version, colour-tinted in accordance with the director’s original intention and featuring a splendid two-strip Technicolor sequence during the masked ball.
All films are shown at the New Hall at Wiveliscombe Primary School, North Street, Wiveliscombe (where, incidentally, we provide a special free show of comedy shorts for the children before the main Festival begins.) Diary of a Lost Girl will be enhanced by live accompaniment from Elizabeth-Jane Baldry, who was a huge success when she played for Sunrise on the opening night of last year’s festival. Metropolis will be accompanied by Reflektor (Jan Kopinski and Steve Iliffe) whose contribution to the 2006 festival was much-acclaimed. The Phantom will be accompanied by Alan Eason and Andy McFarlane, the guitarist and violinist from D.A.T.A. , recently praised by Time Out. We are very fortunate to have so many excellent musicians eager to perform at this Festival.
Tickets are £7.50, except for Sherlock Junior, when they will be £5. Season tickets will be £20, a saving of £7.50. Refreshments, including wine, ice-cream, tea, coffee and cakes, will be available. The Sunday afternoon screening will be at 3.30, all others at 7.30 pm.
Two Wiveliscombe restaurants will be providing early suppers at 6.00 so that you can enjoy a good meal and be sure of getting out in time for the start of the films: these are The White Hart in Wiveliscombe town square (corner of West Street and North Street: tel. 01984 623344) and 10 The Square (entrance opposite the community centre off West Street: tel. 01984 629128.) Reservations are strongly recommended as both venues are popular and will be better able to serve you promptly if you have booked ahead. Remember to tell them you are coming to the festival when you book.
Look out for posters and leaflets giving full-details of the festival in various libraries, post-offices, restaurants, pubs and shops, or you can get more information, and reserve tickets, by ringing Barry Witherden on 01984 629114 or Wiveliscombe Community Office (mornings only) on 01984 624777.
