This film closes on Thursday August, 7th.

IFI CLASSIC

EXCLUSIVELY AT THE IFI

This glorious miscellany of comedies, adventure films, travelogues and newsreels recreates a typical night out at the British cinema in 1914. Cinema a century ago was a new, exciting and highly democratic form of entertainment. Picture houses across Britain offered a sociable, lively environment in which to relax and escape from the daily grind. With feature films still rare, the programme was an entertaining, ever-changing roster of short items with live musical accompaniment.

Among the highlights of this programme of 14 short films are a comic short about a face-pulling competition, a sensational episode of the American film serial The Perils of Pauline, Allied troops celebrating Christmas at the Front and an early sighting of one of cinema’s greatest icons. The BFI has commissioned composer and pianist Stephen Horne, one of Britain’s leading accompanists of silent film, to create a new improvised score which reflects the spirit in which the films were made.

★★★★ The Irish Times, ★★★★ The Guardian

There were various directors for these films, some uncredited at the time. 

Don’t forget we now schedule weekly.