Where Gothic deals with monsters and the supernatural the Grand Guignol concerns itself with the monsters inside us and murders that are only too horribly real. Originating in the Théâtre du Grand-Guignol, a converted chapel in a small alleyway in the notorious Pigalle area of Paris, this was the theatre of short sensational plays of blood-curdling horror, the equivalent of the ‘blood tub‘ melodramas of Victorian London. These plays dealt with grisly aspects of the Parisian underworld not considered fit for mainstream theatre - prostitutes, criminals and street urchins - and were judged by how many members of the audience passed out from shock during the performance (at least two faintings per night were required for a piece to be considered a success).
Grand Guignol flourished briefly in London theatre in the 1920s, but also found its way into the silent films of that decade.
Bryony Dixon of the BFI National Archive will introduce a trio of Guignolesque delights of the silver screen, featuring an early Sweeney Todd, an episode of Fred Paul’s ‘Grand Guignol’ series and an avant garde Tell-Tale Heart, with accompanist John Sweeney at the piano.
Bryony Dixon
Bryony has researched and written on many aspects of early and silent film and co-directs the annual British Silent Film Festival, as well as programming for a variety of film festivals and events worldwide. She has given papers at academic conferences on film and organised the first International Charles Chaplin Conference in 2005 as part of the BFI’s Chaplin Project.
She has been lead curator on a number of the BFI’s recent film restorations, including Underground (1928), Wonderful London (1924), The Great White Silence (1924) and all nine surviving Hitchcock silent films. She is the author of 100 Silent Films (BFI Screen Guides, 2011).
John Sweeney
John Sweeney has played for silent films since 1990 at venues including Riverside Studios Cinema, National Film Theatre, Nottingham Broadway and the Barbican Centre. He has also worked extensively in contemporary dance, composing music for choreographers Viola Farber, Sarah Fahie and Andreja Rauch. Sweeney also works as a pianist for Rambert Dance Company and En-Knap.
He can be heard regularly playing for silent film at the National Film Theatre on the South Bank in London..
Image Credit: An original advertisement for a Guignol show. Public Domain via the Bibliothèque nationale de France / Wikipedia.
| Ticket | Event time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
|
Grand Guignol
An evening of horror |
19:00 - 21:00 | £15.00 |
Address
Guys Hospital Chapel, Entrance via the Courtyard, St. Thomas Street, London, SE1 9GU
Nearest Station
London Bridge (Tube)
Getting there
1. The ticket holder voluntarily assumes all risks and danger incidental to the event for which the ticket is issued, whether occurring prior, during or after the event. The ticket holder voluntarily agrees that the management, venue, event participants, DesignMyNight (WFL Media Ltd) and all of their respective agents, officers, directors, owners and employers are expressly released by the ticket holder from any claims arising from such causes.
2. Tickets are issued subject to the rules and regulations of the venue.
3. Please check your tickets, as mistakes cannot always be rectified.
4. Occasionally, events are cancelled or postponed by the promoter, team, performer or venue for a variety of reasons. If the event is cancelled, please contact us for information on receiving a refund from the responsible party. If the event was moved or rescheduled, the venue or promoter may set refund limitations. It is your responsibility to ascertain the date and time of any rearranged event.
5. The venue reserves the right to refuse admission and may on occasion have to conduct security searches to ensure the safety of the patrons.
6. Every effort to admit latecomers will be made at a suitable break in the event, but admission cannot always be guaranteed.
7. We regret that tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded after purchase.
8. Tickets are sold subject to the venue or promoter's right to alter or vary the programme due to events or circumstances beyond its control without being obliged to refund monies or exchange tickets.
9. If this ticket is re-sold or transferred for profit or commercial gain by anyone other than the promoter, venue management, DesignMyNight or one of their authorised sub-agents, it will become voidable and the holder may be
refused entry to or ejected from the venue.
10. The venue may operate a No Smoking Policy.
11. The promoter, venue management and DesignMyNight accept no responsibility for any personal property.
12. The event listed on the purchased ticket is strictly for ticket holders who are over 18 years of age. Identification may be required.