Special Screenings
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
PARADISE THEATRE, 1006c Bloor St. West
(between Ossington and Dufferin)
THE ORIGINALS: FILMS THAT DEFINED CINEMA
UPCOMING
MAY 3RD 2PM
THE LAST LAUGH 1924
JUNE 7TH 2PM
IT 1927
The ultimate jazz baby returns to the big screen.
Jordan Klapman accompanying
May 3rd, 2026 2pm
Paradise Theatre
THE LAST LAUGH 1924 101 min
Directed by F. W. Murnau
Cinematography by Karl Freund
Starring Emil Jannings
Accompaniment by Tania Gill
What does a man become when his entire world is stripped from him? This is the question posed by German master director F.W. Murnau (Nosferatu) as we watch a loyal doorman at a high-class hotel get dismissed by management due to his age and demoted to a lowly washroom attendant. With the loss of his position and the outward trappings of success, his world begins to disintegrate, his social standing is destroyed, and his mind crushed.
Murnau used his mastery of German Expressionism to fuse visionary romanticism with sociological objectivity that tied in with what was occurring in the post WWI Germany. Legendary cinematographer Karl Freund’s (Metropolis) inventive “unchained” camera work gliding through the spectacular sets of the hotel’s lobby, nighttime streets, looming skyscrapers and grim tenements conveys an emotional power equalled only by star Emil Jannings.
Looking at The La st Laugh with 21st century eyes, one can’t help but have the uncomfortable thought that perhaps the trappings of our worth-our titles, positions, income, and clothes are but a similar shell.
Looking at The La st Laugh with 21st century eyes, one can’t help but have the uncomfortable thought that perhaps the trappings of our worth-our titles, positions, income, and clothes are but a similar shell.
January 11 2pm
THE GENERAL 1926 -100th Anniversary Screening
with accompanist Jordan Klapman
There were two loves in Johnny’s life: his sweetheart Annabelle…and a steam locomotive named The General.
So, when the Civil War breaks out and Union soldiers steal the train with Annabelle aboard, there’s only one thing for engineer Johnny Gray to do.
Give chase…with a set of complications that only master comedian Buster Keaton could envision.
It’s easy to see why The General’s considered by most to be Keaton’s greatest achievement. His boundless wit and dexterity are on breathtaking display throughout the array of sight gags, twists and turns. The General has been blowing audiences away for a century. Find out why it’s a “must see” for everyone.
Bonus film: The Railrodder 1965 directed by Gerald Potterton, courtesy of the NFB
Keaton expert, Chris Seguin, talks about how Keaton’s legacy formed an enduring inspiration for filmmakers throughout the last century.
February 28th, 2026 2pm
CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari) 1920
Director: Robert Weine
Starring: Conrad Veidt
Live Accompaniment by Tania Gill
Made in the chaos and shadows of WWI, Caligari reflects Germany in a state of psychological shock-a society both trying to make sense of the world and one in search of order and control.
“When will I die?” That question posed by an innocent carnival goer to a mystic somnambulist opens the door to a tale that severs all ties with reality, one of madness and murder, delusions and deception.
Hailed as a German expressionistic masterpiece and instantly recognizable for its distinctive distorted angles, stylized sets and jagged, menacing shadows Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari fuses together themes of insanity, paranoia and illusions set in an off-balance nightmarish realm.
Conrad Veidt haunts the screen as Cesare, the murderous somnambulist, whose stalking of victims at the command of the sinister Caligari fuses the spectacle into a thriller.
While Caligari set the landscape for future classics from Nosferatu to M, in later years it was also seen as an ominous portent defined by the shifting perspectives and lost values that arose with the spread of Nazism.
The film catapulted the German Expressionist movement to the forefront and has remained both an inspiration and a reminder on why Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is one of The Originals.