Here are my Top 5 choices from the newly announced programme of the 9th Hippodrome Silent Film Festival which takes place from 20-24 March 2019. Tickets go on sale today.
Laurel & Hardy
Following the recent release of the wonderful biographical film ‘Stan and Ollie’ with Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as the title characters comes this triple bill of comedy shorts by the original masters of disaster themselves. Enjoy their 1920s classics ‘With Love and Kisses’, ‘Wrong Again’ and ‘You’re Darn Tootin’ with a piano accompaniment by Jane Gardner.
Moulin Rouge
Forget Baz Luhrman’s 2001 jukebox musical Moulin Rouge! (with exclamation mark), let me introduce you to Ewald Andre Dupont’s 1928 black and white extravaganza. This presentation of the British and German co-production will include piano, violin and percussion performed live by Günter Buchwald, Johnny Best and Frank Bockius, respectively, by HippFest Commission.
Hound of the Baskervilles
Made, lost, found and now restored, this Sherlock Holmes feature has had a remarkable nine decades journey from its production to presentation at the Hippodrome Cinema. A German director and Danish cinematographer bring this famous story by a Scottish author to life. Beware the full moon!
Rob Roy
No, not the Liam Neeson one. David Hawthorne takes the reins of the 18th century Scottish clan chief in this version filmed entirely on location in handsome style. Featuring large scale battle scenes overflowing with extras, multi-instrumentalist David Allison will also premiere his accompaniment especially commissioned by HippFest.
The Railroad Stowaways & The Railway of Death
As a proud enthusiast, I always enjoy any events that relate to the railway. In this double bill of rare railway-inspired short films that take place in Scotland and France, what is special about this screening is its location.
For this presentation, the Hippodrome Cinema will be replaced by the atmospheric setting of the nearby Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway. The screening will take place outdoors under Bo’ness station platform canopy. Blankets will be provided – but you are advised to dress appropriately.
All aboard!
In Scotland I attended Dunfermline High School from 2010 to 2016 and Edinburgh Napier University from 2016 to 2020, emerging with two Advanced Higher and five Higher qualifications from the former and graduating with an undergraduate bachelor of arts honours degree in journalism from the latter. After two years away from further education due to the coronavirus pandemic, I'm going to be studying the MFA Photography course at York St John University in England from 2022 to 2024. I've achieved The Duke of Edinburgh’s (Bronze) Award and received grade five level certification for electronic keyboard from Trinity College London. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, writing, watching television series, listening to music and going to the cinema as well as catching up with friends, travelling by railway and hostelling overnight and overindulging in food and drinks in a pub or restaurant then having to go to the gym to burn it all off again.
By studying journalism and photography, my aim of practicing photojournalism professionally will hopefully be once step closer. Both are partial artforms requiring the rest of the work to be undertaken by the audience, the specialism of photojournalism, however, providing each of its two parts with greater context. Exploring photographic techniques (aerial, timelapse, editing) through a variety of journalistic styles (features, poetry, songwriting) will allow me to develop my portfolio, hone my camera skillset and narrow my focus further in anticipation of working life. Without a global pandemic to deal with this time. Fingers crossed.
