BSL-English supported event

Hollywood Babylon… UK style!

In the opening moments of this behind-the-scenes film-biz satire, the glitz and glamour of a 1920s British movie studio is quickly punctured when the cameras stop rolling and we witness the banality of work on set. The drama unfolds on a love triangle between three of the studio’s star players, and juxtaposes their unhappy private lives with the artifice of public celebrity – serving up a searing comment on the tawdriness of the star system and the fickleness of fame.

Despite the director credit going to veteran filmmaker A.V. Bramble, this is the original work of rising talent Anthony Asquith (Underground, 1928) – whose dynamic cinematography combine with the cast’s subtle performances to make for a virtuoso masterpiece of British silent cinema  

Tonight’s screening will be introduced by Bryony Dixon, Curator of Silent Film, BFI Archive.

Dir. AV Bramble and Anthony Asquith (uncredited) | UK | 1928 | PG | 1h 43m + short

With: Annette Benson, Brian Aherne, Donald Calthrop

Performing live: Stephen Horne (piano, flute, accordion)

Screening material courtesy of the BFI National Archive