The Kennington Bioscope’s Silent Laughter festival is returning to The Cinema Museum, following two very successful previous events – 2015’s Silent Laughter Saturday and 2016’s Silent Laughter Weekend. This year’s event will be on Saturday November 11th, and is being programmed by comedy historian Glenn Mitchell. While this year it’s back to a single day event, don’t despair – the programme is crammed full, and the event will be returning as a weekend in 2018, with a new annual date in March.
Silent Laughter events celebrate all things silent comedy, with a special emphasis on unfairly forgotten films and performers rarely seen on the big screen. Each festival’s programme is an eclectic mix of classics by the great names – Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy – with forgotten gems worthy of rediscovery. Harry Langdon, Lupino Lane, Mabel Normand, Dorothy Devore, Raymond Griffith, Clara Bow, Eddie Cantor and Monty Banks are just some of the performers spotlighted so far.
If that wasn’t enough, the cream of the UK’s silent film accompanists turn these films into a true live cinema event, and all films are introduced by authors and silent comedy experts, such as Kevin Brownlow, David Robinson, David Wyatt and Glenn Mitchell.
Events take place at London’s Cinema Museum, a wonderfully eccentric venue steeped in history: It was once part of the workhouse where Charlie Chaplin stayed as a child, and Lambeth Walk, made famous by Lupino Lane, is less than a mile away.
2017’s Silent Laughter event will be a day packed full of funny films, fine musical accompaniment and other festivities presented by The Kennington Bioscope. Escape the gloom of November’s weather and join for a selection of classic silent comedies as well as many rarities.
The full programme will be announced soon, but will definitely include Kevin Brownlow introducing Harold Lloyd’s wonderful ‘THE KID BROTHER’ and Anthony Slide presenting the career of forgotten funny lady Alice Howell. Subject to confirmation, there will hopefully also be Max Linder’s rare feature ‘LE PETIT CAFE’, as well as forgotten classics by Monty Banks and others.
Full day tickets only £18, or half day tickets £12. Don’t miss it!
Click here for more information and tickets.
The Silent Laughter website will also feature more details, and includes more on previous years’ events.
