In recent times our beloved Trafalgar Square has seen the controversial eviction of its iconic pigeons and the introduction of that even more controversial statue of the pregnant woman with no arms – so it’s nice to see some nice, and hey non-controversial, action taking place in the shadow of Nelson’s Column.
As part of the 51st London Film Festival, Film London, Mayor of London, London Development Agency and London Screen Archives are sponsoring free screenings of archive films under the title of London Thrills Me. Taking place on October 18 and 19, starting at 6.30pm both nights, all titles showing have a Big Smoke theme.
Starting it all off on the 18th are a series of short silent films with renowned silent film accompanist Neil Brand providing live piano, erm, accompaniment. That’s followed by an uber-rare screening of Hitchcock’s 1929 shocker Blackmail, a tale of manslaughter and blackmail on the streets of London in one of the director’s rarely seen early thrillers. That’s followed up by Blue Bottles, a 1928 short in which Elsa Lanchester plays the scatterbrained maid who inadvertently helps London bobbies defeat a gang of robbers.
The second night sees a series of shorts and extracts all clubbed together to make Capital Tales: A Portrait Of London On Film. From London street scenes circa 1910 to a vintage 1924 vision of the future in The Fugitive Futurist, via scenes of the Blitz and swinging Soho, it’s a little-seen vision of London shown in a very unique fashion – oh, and to seal the deal, it’s absolutely free to see.