Hippodrome Silent Film Festival presents a Taste of Silents this Autumn

The annual silent film festival, which runs its main event each spring, introduced its Taste of Silents season in 2017 to introduce new audiences to the world of silent film with live music, screened at the Festival’s home - the Hippodrome Cinema in Bo’ness.

This year’s Taste of Silents season begins on September 11 with a double bill of short comedy films accompanied by musician, broadcaster and HippFest favourite - Neil Brand on piano. The double-bill includes all-time family-favourite Easy Street (1917), starring Charlie Chaplin as a reformed tramp who becomes a police constable and is assigned to rough and tumble Easy Street.

This is followed by Laurel and Hardy classic Wrong Again (1929), where the comedy duo are given jobs as stable-hands.

Other highlights in the Autumn programme include The Epic of Everest, Chicago and early Swedish horror film Haxan from 1922.

Alison Strauss, festival director, Falkirk Community Trust said: “Our annual Taste of Silents season at the Hippodrome is an opportunity to tell more people about the joys of silent cinema - the epic stories, chilling suspense, mad-cap comedy, and more.

"Silent films offer everything we love about the cinema - along with the added pleasure of live music from the best accompanists and composers performing today.

"We hope to welcome some new faces along with our HippFest regulars to the Hippodrome this autumn to experience a flavour of what the world of silent film has to offer.”

Tickets for each show are £10, £8 concession, £4.50 for 16-25 year-olds. See www.hippodromecinema.co.uk/silent-film-festival/taste-of-silents/ for more details and tickets.

The Hippodrome Silent Film Festival was launched at the Hippodrome in Bo’ness in 2011 and has since become a key annual event in the cultural calendar, drawing audiences from across the UK.

The event is organised by Falkirk Community Trust with key funding from Creative Scotland and Falkirk Council.