Talking about the 20th British Silent Film Festival

Spring Awakening (1929)

After five days of wonderful films, music, research, conversation, coffee and Jan Kiepura the British Silent Film Festival is over for another year. We had a fantastic time and were happy to welcome some new faces (and old ones) to the festival this time. We’d especially like to thank the amazing musicians and the staff of the Phoenix Arts Centre in Leicester for their warm welcome and their awesome technical skills – also the New Walk Gallery who hosted three of our most popular events.

If you have been following the festival on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you’ll have seen that many of screenings prompted a certain amount of discussion online. If you haven’t, or you’d like a recap, here’s just a flavour of what people were saying about the festival. Check the #BSFF19 hashtag for more …

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A big thank you to the organisers, players, and speakers at the @BritishSilentFF making #bsff19 one of the best.

— Hazel (@moley75) September 15, 2019

Great piece on BBC East Mids TV last night about @BritishSilentFF happening at Phoenix and @leicestermuseum this week – screening some of the first films ever made. Watch it from 15 mins at https://t.co/f3YivwILn7 #BSFF19

— Phoenix Leicester (@PhoenixLeic) September 12, 2019

Thank you all for all the work that went into #BSFF19. Every part of it felt so well thought about, put together & executed. I had a great time.

— MattPage (he/him) (@MattPage) September 15, 2019

Thank you so much! I’m having the best possible birthday at @BritishSilentFF doing one of the things I love the most – harping to silent film. https://t.co/kcfm2FayMb

— Elizabeth-Jane (@silentmovieharp) September 15, 2019

Great time at @BritishSilentFF today! pic.twitter.com/p8StIJvcji

— Emily Steele-Dias (@Ems_Steele) September 14, 2019

My head is spinning from @BritishSilentFF #BSFF19 I had a blast! My highlights were Ossi Oswalda boxing, René Clair double-exposing, Jan Kiepura singing, @best2vilmabanky also singing, Brigitte Helm strolling through a ballroom with sexily imposing purpose

— 🎞 Silent London 🎞 (@silentlondon) September 15, 2019

Many thanks to everyone involved in #BSFF19. Some great films, superb accompaniment insightful introductions and lots of laughs along the way. We had a great time and already looking forward to the next one. https://t.co/PWGEJEHSBp

— silentfilmcalendar (@silentfilmcal) September 15, 2019

https://twitter.com/Mick_Aitch/status/1172869250840768512

.@NeilKBrand's LAUREL AND HARDY show was hugely enjoyable as expected. The raw material is obviously great, but Neil music adds a whole other level, and he has the knack of providing just the right words of context to enhance the films further. #BSFF19 pic.twitter.com/yhszpxJoMD

— MattPage (he/him) (@MattPage) September 14, 2019

Here @Mirantwitt puts mind over matter to introduce Mario Bonnard’s “bergfilme” DER KAMPF UMS MATTERHORN (1928) @BritishSilentFF where the protagonists put matter(horn) over mind… Tip-top photography by Sepp Allgeier & peak accompaniment by @NeilKBrand + Jeff Davenport #BSFF19 pic.twitter.com/d0TJtLiP4d

— Michelle Facey (@best2vilmabanky) September 16, 2019

Such brilliant live accompaniment at #BSFF19, enhancing our appreciation and sheer enjoyment of these fascinating films! It's only to be expected from @NeilKBrand @Lillian_Henley and @puffinsteve. Still, their improvisatory gifts seem like a sixth sense, and I can but marvel … pic.twitter.com/zJ5hjlakqa

— Margaret Deriaz (@MargaretDeriaz) September 13, 2019

That brilliantly subversive silent to sound element of @BritishSilentFF aka Geoff Brown is one of the best intro’ers in the biz! Here he introduces the uninitiated to the potent powers of Polish warbler Jan Kiepura (he of the “17,000 proposals of marriage”) in CITY OF SONG (1931) pic.twitter.com/OgZzFHgwoO

— Michelle Facey (@best2vilmabanky) September 13, 2019

A few #BSFF19 tweets I didn't have for yesterday. 1stly @best2vilmabanky sung the intro THE MIDNIGHT GIRL (1919) – the opening image is a basic score for the song, presumably provided for that purpose. Really added an extra note of authenticity. +So much great detail in the talk.

— MattPage (he/him) (@MattPage) September 15, 2019

Over the moon with response to THE MIDNIGHT GIRL (1919) @BritishSilentFF for the film, my research presentation & the live title song sang by moi! All hail to the mighty @NeilKBrand for rehearsing the song with me, putting me at ease so I could breathe & making it so lovely!❤️ pic.twitter.com/UapnIHrHY2

— Michelle Facey (@best2vilmabanky) September 14, 2019

The Phantom Of The Moulin Rouge (1925) at @PhoenixLeic with live music was delightful with a very cheeky Georges Vaultier as the Parisian fantôme – this was the UK Premiere of the new restoration at #BSFF19 pic.twitter.com/JQd2EvrZ5z

— 🅢 🅤 🅟 🅐 Ⓚ Ⓘ Ⓝ Ⓞ (@supakino_) September 14, 2019

Within thirty seconds of PHANTOM OF THE MOULIN finishing both the people in front and those behind described it as "bonkers"! Quite. #BSFF19

— MattPage (he/him) (@MattPage) September 14, 2019

Just seen phantom of the moulin rouge. With @silentmovieharp & @puffinsteve at #BSFF19 . pic.twitter.com/vdKMK0CkEc

— Charlie Nelson 3.5% 🇺🇦🇬🇧🇪🇺 #FBPE #FBPPR (@onsilentscreen) September 14, 2019

I greatly enjoyed The Puppet Man. Especially the death of Joey 😪

— Lawrence Napper 🕷 (@norloll) September 16, 2019

Day one of #bsff19 highlights:
– the terrific The Alley Cat with Mabel Poulton and Stephen Horne both on top form!
– the "foxtrot epidemic" and bathing sequences in The Oyster Princess!
– the "oh bollocks" intertitle translation in the same!#britishsilentfilmfestival

— Andy Aldridge (@grange85) September 12, 2019

So excited to see @amyharris7721's notes for #BSFF19 on the counter at the @PhoenixLeic! The @BritishSilentFF begins tomorrow and we cannot wait! 🎥 pic.twitter.com/LIKfS1OQbk

— Jade Evans (@enchantedbyfilm) September 10, 2019

Is there any finer #silentfilm pleasure than watching a Lubitsch comedy with a crowd? THE OYSTER PRINCESS was sublimely funny at #BSFF19 Thanks too to @MargaretDeriaz for an eloquent introduction and @NeilKBrand for a frenetic foxtrot

— 🎞 Silent London 🎞 (@silentlondon) September 12, 2019

Another fantastic day at @BritishSilentFF. Such a diverse range of films and presentations with fantastic introductions and live musical accompaniment. Wonderful meeting up with the usual British cinema crowd as well as newcomers! #BSFF19

— Jade Evans (@enchantedbyfilm) September 13, 2019

The @I_W_M’s Toby Haggith narrates the incredibly poignant PEACE ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930) which details the wreckage left by battle on Belgian & French fields, villages & towns, the abandonment of them or rebuilding efforts & the recovery of War dead & their memorials #BSFF19 pic.twitter.com/do9FC0qyg6

— Michelle Facey (@best2vilmabanky) September 13, 2019

I loved THE ALLEY CAT and it was so great to circle back to the East End music hall after this morning’s Alf Collins presentation. A fabulous day at #BSFF19

— 🎞 Silent London 🎞 (@silentlondon) September 12, 2019

Blown away by SPRING AWAKENINGS (1929) @BritishSilentFF last night, perhaps my favourite of the @puffinsteve performances I've caught over the years, but the film's emotional range & the subtexts pointed out in the intro & the imagery, all deeply affecting.#BSFF19

— MattPage (he/him) (@MattPage) September 14, 2019

The Oyster Princes is pretty much perfect & just a joy today with Mr Brand’s playing! #BSFF19 #FoxtrotEpidemic https://t.co/KeIKWFAbiq

— Paul Joyce (@bergersmicer) September 13, 2019

https://twitter.com/dmuleicester/status/1171830489516322816

Here’s the film choice of Jade Evans another PG researcher working on the festival 👇👇@DMUresearch #BSFF19 #ProudToBeMore pic.twitter.com/A54lMRePEC

— dmuleicester (@dmuleicester) September 11, 2019

🎞️@porterlaraine tells us what to expect as @BritishSilentFF takes over the city @leicestermuseum and @PhoenixLeic

Watch all about it tonight @bbcemt with @johealey_ from 630pm on @BBCOne 📺#ProudToBeMore pic.twitter.com/XMijQm5aZZ

— dmuleicester (@dmuleicester) September 11, 2019

And special thanks to Paul Joyce for two superb blogpost reports from the festival, which really captured the excitement of the event.

Part one: Who Knows Where the Time Goes?
Part two: Secrets and Lies

Oh, and in case you were wondering …

Did you guess? Our Sunday morning surprise film is THE BLUE DANUBE (1932), a musical Gypsy romance directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Chili Bouchier, Brigitte Helm, Joseph Schildkraut, Desmond Jeans and even Léonide Massine #BSFF19 pic.twitter.com/8uTBuEZs8F

— British Silent Film Festival (@BritishSilentFF) September 15, 2019

British Silent Film Festival

Celebrating the art of silent film, 11-15 September 2019

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