The Kennington Bioscope is a regular cinema event featuring live accompaniment to silent films that takes place at the Cinema Museum.

For our festive event, rounding out the year, we will be screening The Sideshow (1928), directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Marie Prevost, Ralph Graves, Alan Roscoe and ‘Little Billy’ Rhodes. An entertaining ‘programmer’ drama with a cast of colourful characters produced by “Poverty Row” Columbia Pictures, in which a circus is threatened by acts of sabotage organized by a rival company. We are proud to announce that this screening will be projected from a 35mm film print, courtesy of UCLA.

Director Erle C. Kenton had been a Keystone man, and made seven films, this being their final one, with star Marie Prevost, another alumna of Mack Sennett’s company. In the 1920’s, Canadian Prevost was Queen of the B’s, working for Universal and Warner Bros., acting in three films for Lubitsch, who thought extremely highly of her skills as an actress. Talented in both comedic and dramatic terms, this is a rare chance to see one of her films, unavailable on any other format than 35mm film!

In his 2005 essay for the SFSFF, Richard Hildreth commented, “Despite its humble origins, The Sideshow is a remarkable film, noteworthy for its largely forgotten cast and crew and its rare presentation of a little person in a sympathetic and adult role. In a career that spanned 40 years, Rhodes appeared in some 50 films and television shows, including The Wizard of Oz (1939) and two Three Stooges films. His size, however, condemned him to comic or fantasy roles. Only in The Sideshow did he get to play a hero — albeit a tragic one.”

The event will be presented by Michelle Facey.

Live piano accompaniment. Players TBA.

Silent film with intertitles which may be suitable for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Tickets & Pricing

£7. Seats are limited, so please arrive early or request an invitation using the email kenbioscope@gmail.com.