Before noir found its shadows, before the gangster movie defined its codes and detectives and criminals became familiar figures in the cinematic imagination, silent cinema had already begun to explore mystery, crime, investigation and the darkest areas of the psyche.

These are the origins of the tenth edition of "Stories of Faces and Silences. The Magic of Silent Cinema," a festival organized by the cultural association La macchina cinema with the support of the Region and the artistic direction of Patrizia Masala.

From September 22nd to November 24th , this year's program, titled "At the Origins of Mystery: Detective, Crime, and the Psyche," will explore over a decade of European and American cinema, bringing works from the 1910s to the 1920s to the screen. The heart of the event will be the Hermaea Cultural Center, on Via Santa Maria Chiara in Pirri , where screenings will be accompanied by seminars led by scholars and experts. Three special events will be added to the main program in Cagliari and Siliqua.

The exhibition will open on Tuesday 22 September at 8 pm at the Hermaea Cultural Centre with “Der Gang in die Nacht – The Journey of the Night” by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, from 1921, introduced by a seminar by Alessandro Faccioli.

September 29th and October 6th will feature "I topi grigi" by Emilio Ghione , a 1918 serial that brings the festival to the Italian film feuilleton and the world of Za La Mort, a character poised between banditry and anti-heroism. The eight episodes will be split across two evenings: on September 29th, "La busta nera," "La tortura," "Il covo," and "La rete di corda," with a seminar by Denis Lotti; on October 6th, "La corsa al milione," "Aristocrazia canaglia," "6000 volts," and "A mezza lent."

On Tuesday, October 13th, the focus will broaden to include American urban crime and the origins of European crime drama. The program features "Underworld: The Punishment" by Josef von Sternberg (1927) and "Zigomar vs. Nick Carter" by Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset, with a seminar by Denis Brotto.

On October 20th , with Lorella Costa's seminar, two different works will arrive: “The Mystery of the Leaping Fish” by John Emerson, from 1916, and “Outside the Law” by Tod Browning, from 1920.

A direction further developed on October 27 with “Bandits en automobile” by Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset and “The Penalty” by Wallace Worsley, both introduced by Bepi Vigna’s seminar.

November will be largely dedicated to Louis Feuillade and “Judex,” one of the great serials of early French cinema. Screenings will begin on November 3rd with “The Mysterious Shadow,” “The Atonement,” and “The Fantastic Mute,” accompanied by a seminar by Elisabetta Randaccio.

The journey will continue on November 17th with “The Secret of a Tomb,” “The Tragic Mill,” “The Licorice Child,” and “The Lady in Black,” and conclude on November 24th with “The Dungeons of the Red Castle,” “The Child Thief,” “Jacomina’s Heart,” “The Waterlily,” and “Love’s Forgiveness.”

In addition to screenings at the Hermaea Cultural Center, the tenth edition features three special events . The first will be on Saturday, October 24th at 7:00 PM in the Sala dei Ritratti of the Giuseppe Siotto Foundation, at Via dei Genovesi 114 in Cagliari. Roberto Chiesi will lead a seminar dedicated to Louis Feuillade's 1913 film "Fantômas – À l'ombre de la guillotine," which will then be screened with a live soundtrack by singer-songwriter and guitarist Paolo Capodacqua.

That same evening, at 9:15 pm, the tour will leave the cinema and continue to the Su Piscosus restaurant, at Via Napoli 4 in Cagliari, with “Crimes in Black and White… at the Table.”

The third special event will bring the festival to Siliqua on Saturday, November 21st, in the Monte Granatico hall at Corso Umberto I 25. At 7 pm, the protagonist will be “Sherlock Jr. – Calma signori miei”, Buster Keaton’s 1924 masterpiece, with live soundtracks by Silvia Belfiore on piano and Andrea Morelli on saxophone and flutes and an in-depth seminar curated by Alessandro Macis.

(Unioneonline/AD)

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