A hilarious French silent film from 1926, directed by René Clair, featuring Dolly Davis and Jean Boerlin. In a whimsical daydream, a timid clerk is guided by a fairy into an underground realm where individuals turn into animals and waxworks spring to life. Lucie, his office love interest, follows him, but a wicked fairy is determined to keep them apart.

René Clair gained recognition due to the avant-garde nature of his early films, particularly the well-known Entr'acte, which he collaborated on with artists like dadaist Francis Picabia and composer Eric Satie. By the conclusion of the silent film era, Clair was revered as one of the cinema's greats, alongside Griffith, Chaplin, Pabst, and Eisenstein.

Live piano accompaniment

by Mila Maia.

*****

IMDb RATING: 6.6/10

ROTTEN TOMATOES: 82%

On November 15^th, we invite you to an evening of avant-garde cinema. We will be screening two experimental short films that were ahead of their time and had a great influence on subsequent generations of filmmakers and film lovers.

First, Lot in Sodom (USA, 1933), directed by James Sibley Watson and Melville Webber. It`s a sensual depiction of the Sodom and Gomorrah story filled with sinewy and semi-clad bodies, delirious bacchanales devoted to physical pleasure, and a searing, cataclysmic finale depicting the fall of a city devoted to sins of the flesh.

Second, The Seashell and the Clergyman (France, 1928), directed by a famous Germaine Dulac, from an original scenario by Antonin Artaud. It is one of most celebrated avant-garde movie of all time, by taking a surreal swipe at just about every element of the masculine-driven, religiously flawed environment of the world in the 1920s.

Live piano accompaniment

by Mia Fitzgerald.

*****

IMDb RATING: 6.5 & 7/10

ROTTEN TOMATOES: 86 & 90%

A 1928 American silent drama film directed by King Vidor, and starring James Murray, Eleanor Boardman and Bert Roach. It tells the story of a man and woman together in a large, impersonal metropolis through their hopes, struggles, and downfalls. In 1929 The Crowd received two Academy Awards nominations.

Director King Vidor (1894–1982) had a long and distinguished career in both silent and sound films, but his masterpiece is unquestionably The Crowd.

The Crowd is Vidor's unflinching study of the American Dream. Almost a century after its premiere, it still feels relevant. Perhaps even more so now than ever.

Live piano accompaniment

by our resident pianist.

*****

IMDb RATING: 8.6/10

ROTTEN TOMATOES: 96%

A 1927 German silent film directed by Walter Ruttmann, one of the best examples of the city symphony film genre (beside such classic as Dziga Vertov`s Man with a Movie Camera). It portrays the life of a city, mainly through visual impressions in a semi-documentary style, without the narrative content of more mainstream films, though the sequencing of events can imply a kind of loose theme or impression of the city's daily life. It shows one day in Berlin, the rhytm of that time, starting the earliest morning and ends in the deepest night. What is critically interesting about this particular film shot in Berlin, Germany is the time when it was made: several years before any clear National Socialist influence, and well before Joseph Goebbels' Propaganda Ministry took over all German film production, which stalled creativity and forced many filmmakers to leave the country. Today it is often watched as a filmed time capsule, providing a historical filmed record of the city of Berlin in the mid 1920s.

Live piano accompaniment

by Mila Maia.

*****

IMDb RATING: 7.6/10

ROTTEN TOMATOES: 80%

Halloween is our favorite holiday. On Saturday, November 1st, we have a special surprise for all horror movie enthusiasts! We`ll be screening the earliest horror films ever made, dating back to late 19th century! You will watch scary moving pictures from USA, France, and even Japan. We can`t wait for you to experience the original film adaptations of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein. For the faint of heart, we have a soothing dose of vino at our Wine Bar.

Live piano accompaniment

by Desiree Oduah.

*****

IMDb RATING: 7.1-8/10

ROTTEN TOMATOES: 69-80%

The Ireland`s first Silent Film Festival in Galway City, has come to a close. We can proudly declare that we did it! The audience was fantastic – a heartfelt thank you to all of you, wonderful people! The amazing films were enhanced by live musical performances from our talented local musicians. Mila, Michael, Agustina, Mia, Desiree, Thomas, Antonis, and Brandon – we appreciate you! A big thank you also goes to Massimo's, The Blue Note, Charlie Byrne's Bookshop, and St. Nicholas Church for your collaboration and for allowing us to use your spaces. Ashley – your work on the video animation was incredible, you are truly amazing! Harry and Greg – we are grateful for the audio and video recording. Malachy at Massimo's, Galway's Westend, This is Galway, and everyone who participated in the Silent Cinema and Cinephile Paradiso from the start – thank you! We also extend our gratitude to our sponsors and friends. Lastly, a huge shout out to the Galway City Council's Arts Office for your trust!

*****

^{OUR RATING: 10/10}

Silent Cinema won the Irish Hospitality Awards 2024 in the Best Independent Cinema Experience category!
Our heartfelt thanks go out to all our fans, friends, and artists who have collaborated with us. Your contributions have been invaluable in achieving this victory!
If you have not yet been to Silent Cinema, we would like to invite you to enjoy a silent film with live piano accompaniment.

Keep informed by checking our website, signing up for our newsletter, and connecting with us on social media.

*****

^{OUR RATING: 10/10}