A one-off screening of the rarely seen silent epic film Jone o Gli ultimi giorni di Pompei (Jone or The Last Days of Pompeii, 1913, dir. Giovanni Enrico Vidali) will be held in the 500-seat Bloomsbury Theatre from 6 to 8.30 pm on Saturday 9 May 2026.
Immerse yourself in the romance and menace of Pompeii’s last days, ending with the terror of its citizens as the volcano Vesuvius erupts and destroys their city in spectacular fashion. The screening will be accompanied by live piano and percussion performed by the professional silent film musicians John Sweeney and Jeff Davenport. As a performance, this event replicates the scale of exhibition frequent in the silent era (epic films were often first shown in opera houses) and the means by which live music once engaged audiences emotionally with cinema’s classical worlds. Tickets cost £12 and you can book HERE.
This event is part of the activities of the research project Museum of Dreamworlds as well as the bicentennial celebrations of UCL.
Note: this is a fee-paying event run by an organisation which is not affiliated to, or funded by, the Classical Association. Please contact the organisers directly with any enquiries.