Silent movie night – April 2020

We may be cooped up inside our homes in RL, which only means we get to spend more time inworld! And if you’re free this coming Friday, April 24, join us at 1920s Berlin’s Kino Babylon. Starting from 12 noon SLT, we’ll be gathering for this month’s silent movie night, featuring a classic silent Western, The Covered Wagon.

Released in 1923, it was directed by James Cruze, starring George Kerrigan and Lois Wilson. At the time of production, it was one of the most expensive films ever made. Filmed on scenic locations in California, Nevada and Utah, it includes an impressive cast and numerous extras. Interestingly, the wagons shown in the film were not replicas, but authentic items preserved by the pioneer families.

To join us, please follow this SLurl, and make sure you follow the standard sim rules relating to avatar size, period clothing etc.

Silent movie night – October 2019

With Halloween just around the corner, our movie night at Kino Babylon will be dedicated to one of the most celebrated horror silents – F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (orig. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens). Released in 1922, it remains a cult classic to this day, and a prime example of expressionist cinema.

If you’d like to learn more about this film, have a look at the following Wikipedia entry.

The screening will take place on Friday, 25 October, starting at 12 noon SLT / 2100 CET, at the cinema in the 1920s Berlin sim. Standard sim rules apply. In case you can’t join us for the opening night, the movie will be available on demand until our next gathering, which will be on 29 November.

Finally, just to share two pics from our last month’s movie night, with a big thank-you to all who joined us for Berlin – Symphony of a Metropolis!

Silent movie night – June 2019

After a series of dramas featured at Kino Bablyon over the previous few months, I thought we could all do with a bit more humour. And so the next movie scheduled to be shown at 1920s Berlin movie theatre is “The Oyster Princess” (orig. Die Austernprinzessin), directed by Ernst Lubitsch.

The film was released in 1919, starring Victor Janson, Ossi Oswalda, and Harry Liedtke. The plot revolves around an American heiress – a spoiled daughter of an oyster tycoon –  trying to get married to a German prince. A grotesque comedy ensues, filmed in a special kind of style that’s become known in the history of cinema as “the Lubitsch touch”.

Our movie night will take place in the 1920s Berlin sim on Friday, 28 June, starting at 1 pm SLT. After that, it will be available on demand at Kino Babylon until Friday, July 26.

Do join us if you possibly can!

Murnau’s “Tartüff” coming to Berlin

As the last Friday in January approaches, it’s time to announce this month’s selection of the silent movie at the Babylon cinema. It will be a film adaptation of Molière’s famous play “Le Tartuffe” – or, Tartüff, in this case – directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. This UFA-distributed film was produced by Erich Pommer, another major name of the German and European cinema of the 1920s and 1930s. Released in 1925, the film is starring Emil Jannings, Lil Dagover, and Werner Krauss.

Our movie night will take place on Friday, 25 January, starting at 12 noon SLT. In case you can’t make it, the film will be available for on demand viewing at the Babylon Cinema until 22 February. Intertitles are the original ones in German, but there are English subtitles available. The film last little over an hour.

For any new visitors, I’ll just repeat last month’s note here:

If you’re not familiar with the 1920s Berlin sim or the exact location of Kino Babylon within the city, please IM me and I’ll assist you. Also, make sure you wear period clothes and have a realistically sized avatar, as the regular 1920s Berlin sim rules apply.

Silent movie nights recap: December 2017 – April 2018

I’ve been a bit lazy about the blog lately, and I realized I haven’t posted anything about our silent movie nights in Second Life since last November!

Here’s just a brief recapitulation, so there’s a record of the movies we’d seen during those five months – with a solemn promise that I would get back on track with regular updates here on the blog.

DECEMBER 2017: WINTER-THEME SILENTS

1 December 2017
Frau im Mond (Woman in the Moon), dir. Fritz Lang

8 December 2017
The Gold Rush, starring Charlie Chaplin

15 December 2017
The Birth, the Life, and the Death of Christ, dir. Alice Guy

22 December 2017
Good Cheer, dir. Rober McGowen

29 December 2017
The Bells, dir. James Young

JANUARY 2018: SILENT CINEMA OF JAPAN

5 January 2018
Japan: Kamakura, Nagasaki, Nikko (held as part of the opening of the Goh Mishima exhibition)

12 January 2018
What Made Her Do It, dir. Shigeyoshi Suzuki

19 January 2018
The Water Magician, dir. Kenzi Mizoguchi

26 January 2018
Jiraya the Brave, dir. Shozo Makino

FEBRUARY 2018: SILENTS FEATURING RUDOLPH VALENTINO

2 February 2018
The Sheik, dir. George Melford

9 February 2018
The Eagle, dir. Clarence Brown

16 February 2018
The Conquering Power, dir. Rex Ingram

23 February 2018
The Son of the Sheik

MARCH 2018: EARLIEST ANIMATED SILENTS

2 March 2018
– Gertie the Dinosaur
– Felix in Hollywood

9 March 2018
Aschenputtel (Cinderella), dir. Lotte Reiniger

16 March 2018
– Charlie on the Farm
– Mouse’s Bride

23 March 2018
– Diagonal-Symphonie, dir. Viking Eggeling
– Vormittagsspuk (Ghosts Before Breakfast), dir. Hans Richter

30 March 2018
Buried Treasure

APRIL 2018: ANIMATED SILENTS – FROM OSWALD TO MICKEY MOUSE

6 April 2018
– All Wet
– Trolley Troubles
– Tall Timber
– Rival Romeos

13 April 2018
– Steamboat Willie
– The Gallopin’ Gaucho

20 April 2018
– The Barn Dance
– Plane Crazy
– The Opry House

27 April 2018 (yet to be held)
– When the Cat’s Away
– The Barnyard Battle
– The Karnival Kid

Snapshots from last night’s inworld screening of “The Water Magician”, a 1933 Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi.

Cuddle in the cinema…

We had a great time watching “Frau im Mond” this evening! 

The full December schedule of silent movie nights will be posted soon…

Odie Cinema renovation

Ahead of today’s beginning of the December selection of silent movies, here are a few pics from the recently renovated Odie Cinema where we have the regular Friday silent movie nights.

The ground floor is now a gallery space, where you can see posters of the upcoming movies.

The movie theatre itself is on the upper floor, as before, with new seats which have saved me a lot of prims.

Although I had to remove most of the cafe items, there are still drinks and food available just outside the building, immediately next to the landing point.

Many thanks to my friend Duncan who helped a lot, as always!

As a reminder, we gather every Friday at 1pm SLT and the schedule for December is available here. To reach the cinema, please follow this SLurl.

First pics from my new inworld cinema dedicated to silent movies. For the full story and landmark, have a look at this blog post.