Silent movies to make a big noise at University College Cork 

The golden age of the silent silver screen will be revisited with an evening of classic movies and music at the Aula Maxima in University College Cork (UCC) next month.

“A Jazz Age Evening”, on Friday, March 13 will take a step back to the Roaring Twenties with a programme of silent films, accompanied by live musical performances from Stephen Horne, one of the world’s prominent silent film musicians.

Mr Horne returns to UCC following his sold-out 2023 performance in the Aula Maxima, where his multi-instrumental score for The Signal Tower (1924) drew a standing ovation.

The evening will feature a screening of Dancing Mothers (1926), starring Clara Bow, the It girl of the 1920s, and Alice Joyce, known as the “Madonna of the Screen”. Also featuring will be a slapstick comedy co-written by Stan Laurel.

The host will be Gwenda Young, from the department of film and screen media, a scholar of American film and silent cinema and the author of the critically acclaimed Clarence Brown: Hollywood’s Forgotten Master.

Ms Young said this gala screening is about more than revisiting great films. “It is about experiencing them as they were meant to be seen and heard: Projected on a big screen and accompanied by live music. One hundred years after they were made, these films remain fresh, provocative, and entertaining.

“We are delighted to welcome Stephen Horne and Robert Byrne back to UCC to share these remarkable films that not only give us glimpses of the extraordinarily vibrant Jazz Age, but that continue to have resonance for contemporary audiences. Everyone is very welcome to join us for what promises to be a memorable evening.”

The programme will be introduced by Robert Byrne, president of the San Francisco Film Preserve, a leading nonprofit with a mission to restore, preserve, and provide access to the world’s cinematic heritage and ensure that works of cinema remain accessible for future generations.

Tickets are free and can be booked at https://www.eventbrite.ie.