We mark 100 years since silent cinema reached its extraordinary peak as an international art form – distinct and different from the sound cinema that dominated screens from the 1930s, and, in some respects, superior.
This season, entitled MASTERWORKS OF SILENT CINEMA, 1924–1926: Classics & Rediscoveries celebrates both acknowledged masterpieces and bold rediscoveries from across the world, offering a rich cross-section of styles, from realism and psychological drama to avant-garde experimentation.
At its Berlin premiere in 1924, one critic called Der letzte Mann “beyond criticism” – and nearly a century later, it is easy to see why. Director F.W. Murnau and cinematographer Karl Freund revolutionised cinema with their entfesselte Kamera or “unchained camera”, which glides through revolving doors, races across hotel lobbies and rides elevators. Yet this technical innovation serves a simple story: a little man and the uniform that gives his life meaning. With only one intertitle and a powerful yet nuanced performance from Emil Jannings, the film achieves the almost impossible – what critic-historian Siegfried Kracauer called “poetry in pictures”. For the young Alfred Hitchcock, who observed Murnau at work in the Babelsberg studios, this film was a key formative influence. Introduction by Dr. Natasha.
📽️ Doors open 5.30, for drinks, nibbles & film-themed classic cocktails. Films start 6.30 with a brief introduction from the curators.
📽️ Entry is free with a yearly ticket, although we suggest a small donation of £5 per head to help us keep the lights on! Yearly tickets giving full access to the museum can be purchased on the door (£7.50 adult / £6.00 concessions).
📽️ If you buy tickets and are subsequently unable to attend, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can give your seat(s) to someone else.