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

The Hangman (Germany 1928) (35mm). German titles: Der Henker and Der Staatsanwalt klagt an. Directed by Theodor Sparkuhl and Adolf Trotz. Photography: Johannes Männling and Theodor Sparkuhl. With Andrée Lafayette and Bernhard Goetzke.

Prosecutor Leander is known for his heavy-handed and unyielding pleadings, demanding draconian punishments, often even the death penalty, for every accused offender. One day, he will experience first-hand how complex some legal assessments can be. Love and passion, hatred and jealousy can drive even the most righteous people to actions they would never normally commit. Therefore, not everyone who commits a crime is necessarily a criminal.

Stage and film actor Bernhard Goetzke is chiefly associated with Fritz Lang’s films Destiny (1921), Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922) and Die Nibelungen (1924). Co-director/photographer Theodor Sparkuhl was originally a projectionist and subsequently became a newsreel cameraman. He was later the chief photographer for director Ernst Lubitsch until the latter’s departure for America. During 1928-30 Sparkuhl worked at British International Pictures, where his credits include Bright Eyes, The Flying Scotsman and The Informer. He too moved to America in 1931 and is remembered for his work on such classics as Beau Geste (1939) and The Glass Key (1942). His colleague Adolf Trotz was born in an area of Silesia that is now within Poland and worked in German cinema until incurring the disapproval of the Nazi regime. He subsequently made films in Spain then moved to Italy, where he died at only 43 in 1939. Art director Victor Trivas was later in America, where he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Story for the 1946 film The Stranger.

Live piano accompaniment.

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

Tickets & Pricing

£8. Seats are limited, so please arrive early or request an invitation using the email kenbioscope@gmail.com.