The Rex Cinema and South West Silents presents another weekend of classic silent film comedy this September: Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd September 2024.
Expect more thrills, spills and plenty of laughter as The Wareham Silent Film Weekender 2024 celebrates the incredible silent film world of action, adventure and comedy.
Major silent film titles for this year will include Harold Lloyd starring in Safety Last (1923) in the opening night. We mark a 100 years of Buster Keaton’s stunt filled thrill ride Sherlock Jnr. (1924). The Weekender also has the UK Premiere of action packed Clash of the Wolves (1925) starring wonder dog star Rin Tin Tin! And much much more.
The Wareham Silent Film Weekender 2024 will not only bring the best restorations from around the world, with a couple of UK Premieres planned, but also showcase all of these great films on the big screen, all with live musical accompaniment! The full festival line-up can be found below.
Passes are on sale and individual tickets nearer the time of the festival. The Wareham Silent Film Weekender is supported by BFI Film Audience Network.
Friday 20th September:
7pm: Safety Last! (1923)
Director: Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor
Music: Live Music by Meg Morley
Running Time: 73mins
To open the second edition of the Wareham Silent Film Festival we start with one of the classics of the silent era. Starring the comic genius of Harold Lloyd. And with its torrent of perfectly executed gags and astonishing stunts, Safety Last! (1922) is the perfect introduction to him and a grand opening for the festival…
Lloyd plays a small-town bumpkin trying to make it in the big city, who finds employment as a lowly department-store clerk. He comes up with a wild publicity stunt to draw attention to the store, resulting in an incredible feat of derring-do on his part that gets him started on the climb to success. Laugh-out-loud funny and jaw-dropping in equal measure, Safety Last! is a movie experience par excellence, anchored by a genuine legend.
With thanks to Park Circus and the Harold Lloyd Estate.
Saturday 21st September:
10:00am: Steve Massa Presents: Wild and Woozy Part 1
Music: Live Music by Meg Morley
Running Time: 60mins
Film Historian and Author Steve Massa take us through a crazy trip of pratfalls and mind blowing stunts from some of the most forgotten silent comedians of the 1910s and 1920s. The selection of short films, specially selected by Steve, includes some real rarities from film archives from around the world and stars the likes of Fred Mace, Norman Taurog and Al St John.
11:15am: UK Premiere: Fearless the Dog Double Bill
Music: Live Music by Dominic Irving
Running Time: 60mins
Two short features showcasing Fearless the Dog from 1926.
The Love Fighter (1926): In the trenches of the First World War, Jack and Danny befriend fierce fighter Fearless the Dog. A stint in a rural idyll in the French countryside brings love in the shape of Fifi and Yvonne, but when the war ends the boys must make tracks back to the USA.
A Dumb Romeo (1926): There’s a pearl thief on the loose, but Fearless the Dog is sure to sniff them out. He still makes time for his one true love Tricksy though!
With thanks to Kino International and The Library of Congress.
1:30pm: Neil Brand Presents: Silent Comedy Triple Treat
Music: Live Music by Neil Brand
Running Time: 120mins
The three greatest silent comedians come together for one awesome show presented by piano dynamo and much-loved broadcaster Neil Brand. The selection of three films stars, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd and celebrates the many stunt works of all three. Aspect plenty of thrills for young and old!
4:00pm: Champagne (1928)
Music: Live Music by Meg Morley
Running Time: 105mins
Alfred Hitchcock directs this light hearted romantic comedy. The daughter of a millionaire disagrees with her father over a love affair, whereupon he pretends to have lost all his money, making it necessary for her to earn her own living. She gets work in cabaret, where her job is to sell the champagne, out of which, her father made his fortune.
With thanks to StudioCanal.
8:00pm: Clash of the Wolves (1925) + Sherlock Jr. (1924)
Music: Live Music by Dominic Irving + Meg Morley
Running Time: 120mins
A special night which we celebrate two great silent film stars at the top of their game. We start the night with a UK Premiere of the brand new restoration of the action packed thrill ride that is Clash of Wolves (1925) starring the great super star dog, Rin Tin Tin!
Then, comic star Buster Keaton showcases the best of his stuntman prouesse with his action packed masterpiece Sherlock Jr. (1924) which will keep you on the edge of your seats! Not bad for a film celebrating 100 years in 2024!
Sunday 22nd September:
10:00am: Steve Massa Presents: Wild and Woozy Part 2
Music: Live Music by Meg Morley
Running Time: 60mins
Film Historian and Author Steve Massa gives us a second helping of crazy pratfalls and mind blowing stunts from some of the most forgotten silent comedy titles. This edition includes stars such as Larry Semon, Lupino Lane and Billy Bevan.
11:15am: Action Dog Stars Double Bill
Music: Live Music by Dominic Irving
Running Time: 120mins
The Skyrider (1928): A forgotten gem starring Welsh born Gareth Hughes and Champion the Dog. The Skyrider tells the story of an ill tempered boy who tries to seek revenge for losing much of his inheritance. Expect plenty of high drama and high end stunt work involving a plane.
Teeth (1924): Marking the 100th Anniversary and also the UK Premiere of the brand new restoration of another forgotten gem. Teeth (1924) is a classic Tom Mix western starring Duke the Dog (as Teeth) and includes an early performance from future silent film star George Bancroft as ‘the bad guy’.
2:00pm: Hollywood: Hazard of the Game
Running Time: 60mins
A very rare chance to see an episode of Kevin Brownlow and David Gill’s highly celebrated Thames Television series Hollywood. This episode (Hazard of the Game) dedicates itself to celebrate the many aspects of stunt work during the silent era in Hollywood. Including highlighting a key stunt in tonight’s closing film, The Beloved Rogue.
3:30pm: The Ring
Music: Live Music by Dominic Irving
Running Time: 125mins
Alfred Hitchcock directs one of the classics of early British cinema. "One Round" Jack Sanders is a young boxer traveling the country with a boxing booth in a fair. He is in love with the beautiful cashier, his only ambition being to beat all comers and to make enough money to marry her. But would he be able achieve all of this?
With thanks to StudioCanal.
7:00pm: The Beloved Rogue (1927)
Music: Live Music by Meg Morley
Running Time: 90mins
Hollywood star John Barrymore sought to out-swashbuckle Douglas Fairbanks in his breathless depiction of France's rapscallion poet, thief and vagabond: François Villon (1431-1463). To prove his mettle, he bounds over the snowy rooftops of Paris, scales a castle tower, and is hurled skyward by the royal catapult but this is no mere stunt picture. Barrymore wielded a simmering sexuality that Fairbanks lacked, endowing the film with an element of eroticism that perfectly suits Villon, who loved "France earnestly, Frenchwomen excessively, French wine exclusively."
Beyond Barrymore, the cast is sprinkled with celebrated character actors. Fresh from a series of diabolical roles in the German silent cinema, Conrad Veidt (The Man Who Laughs, Casablanca) made his American film debut as the sinister King Louis XI. Appearing here as the scheming Thibault d'Aussigny and François's sidekick Beppo the Dwarf, Henry Victor and Angelo Rossitto would reunite five years later in Tod Browning's Freaks.
The Beloved Rogue is a star studded action packed roller coaster which symbolises the true greatness of Hollywood in the silent era. Perfect for a closing night!
Comments