Yorkshire Silent Film Festival/ Blade Runner & Metropolis at Morecambe Winter Gardens
Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
Blade Runner and Metropolis could be linked together in all sorts of ways. The sci-fi masterpieces offer competing dystopias, both with incredible space-age cityscapes, each posing theoretical conundrums using androids and robotics. They are enduring visions from two of cinema’s great image makers in Ridley Scott and Fritz Lang, that continue to enthral audiences decades from release.
Yorkshire Silent Film Festival has paired the two based upon the musical experiences they offer. The fest has scheduled a double bill at the cavernous, Grade II-listed Morecambe Winter Gardens where audiences are in for a sci-fi treat that’s difficult to beat.
Starting with a screening of Scott’s 1982 Blade Runner, audiences are invited pay particular attention to Vangelis’ reverberating, atmospheric sound. The electronic synth score was composed by the Greek musician following his Oscar win for Chariots of Fire, and it still sounds like the future.
For Lang’s 1927 silent film Metropolis, Jonny Best will be at the Steinway grand piano, with percussionist Trevor Bartlett adding drama. Jonny and Trevor’s many performances together include Buster Keaton’s The General at Morecambe Winter Gardens.
Tickets are available for the films individually, or they can be booked at a discounted double bill price.
