In honor of Silent Movie Day on Sunday, September 29th, several area theatres and museums are offering special silent film presentations. SilentMovieDay.org refers to these old-time films as “a vastly misunderstood and neglected cinematic art form.” Historically significant, influential and a good yardstick of early 20th century innovation, silent films offer a unique and memorable experience. Techniques of physical comedy translate through to today’s audiences, and either the lack of sound or the live musical accompaniment can amplify the moods created in silent dramas. Film students often begin their studies with this art form, not simply because it came first chronologically, but also because there is so much more to notice in a pure, authentic silent motion picture than in today’s complex movies. Here are some places you can catch a silent film over the next week or so, some of them for free! | ||
 | ||
Friday, September 28 at 2:00pm Hell Bent (1918) John Ford & Harry Carey Autry Museum of the American West 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA 90027 https://theautry.org/events/film/silent-treatment-film-series-hell-bent-1918 ($8-$18, free for museum members) | ||
Saturday, September 29 at 11:00am Clash of the Wolves (1925) Rin Tin Tin, Nanette & Charles Farrell Alamo Drafthouse Cinema 700 W. 7th Street, Suite U240, Los Angeles California, 90017 https://drafthouse.com/los-angeles/show/silent-movie-day-clash-of-the-wolves (advance tickets required, $16.99, ages 6+) | ||
Saturday, September 29 at 11:45am Metropolis with live score (1927) Fritz Lang, Brigitte Helm & Gustov Frohlich Vidiots (co-presented by The Alex Film Society and Retroformat) 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041 (limited Walk-up tickets only, call first) | ||
Saturday, September 29 at 1:00pm FREE Double Feature: Body And Soul (1925) Oscar Micheaux & Paul Robeson AND Siren of the Tropics (1927) Josephine Baker Array Creative Campus 180 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026 (Free) | ||
Saturday, September 29 at 2:00pm The Gold Rush (1919) Charlie Chaplin Ted Mann Theater, Academy Museum 6067 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036 https://www.academymuseum.org/en/programs/detail/the-gold-rush-0190dc46-8549-204d-3e0b-595e03497f7d (Free, advanced registration required) | ||
Sunday, September 29 at 2:00pm 2nd Annual Silent Short Films Festival, including The Great Train Robbery (1903) Edwin Porter, The Cameraman's Revenge (1912) Wladyslaw Starewicz, Daisy Doodad's Dial (1914) Florence Turner, Sweedie's Skate (1914) Wallace Beery The Art Theatre of Long Beach 2025 E. 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90814 ($9-$12, purchase online) | ||
Sunday, September 29 at 2:30pm Go West (1925) Buster Keaton with live Wurlitzer Organ by Russ Peck Mission Playhouse 320 South Mission Drive, San Gabriel, California 91776 https://missionplayhouse.org/event/silent-sundays-series-the-iron-mask ($12, purchase online) | ||
Sunday, October 6 at 7:00pm The Love Light (1921) Frances Marion & Mary Pickford UCLA Film & Television Archive at the Billy Wilder Theatre inside the Hammer Museum 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024 https://cinema.ucla.edu/events/2024/10/06/silent-movie-day-the-love-light (Free, no advance reservations) | ||
Sunday, October 13th at 2:30pm Hot Water (1924) Harold Lloyd Mission Playhouse 320 South Mission Drive, San Gabriel, California 91776 https://missionplayhouse.org/event/silent-sundays-series-the-iron-mask ($12, purchase online) | ||
 | ||
