Screening of Erich von Stroheim's 1929 silent film 'Queen Kelly' with a pre-recorded introduction by film historian Pamela Hutchinson and a post-screening discussion by Darrell Buxton.
QUAD is screening Queen Kelly on Sunday 8 November, part of the Cinema Rediscovered on Tour season. It's a late silent drama from Erich von Stroheim, long described as the most infamous unfinished film in cinema history. The story is set in an imaginary European country and follows a prince who falls for an orphan girl, and the vain, cruel queen whose jealousy wreaks havoc on everyone around them.
It was Stroheim's last silent film and his final directorial project. The production was lavish, and his insistence on complete artistic freedom, regardless of cost, ended up costing him his Hollywood career. Production was shut down after star Gloria Swanson complained she'd been misled by a script that referred to a dance hall when the rushes showed a brothel; Stroheim was fired, much of the storyline scrapped, and an alternate ending shot. The film opened in Europe and South America, but it never played in the US.
This digital reconstruction was overseen by Milestone Films' Dennis Doros and Amy Heller, working from Stroheim's original scripts. It's billed as the film's most complete and spectacular form to date, and it comes with a new score by composer Eli Denson. The screening includes a pre-recorded introduction by film historian Pamela Hutchinson and a post-screening discussion led by film historian Darrell Buxton, so there's a bit of context on both sides of the film.
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It starts at 13:00, with tickets at £11.50 standard and £9.50 concession.
