House of Mystery

An epic of melodramatic villainy in ten episodes, the story of a bitter love triangle accompanied by nimble-fingered pianist John Sweeney.

An epic of melodramatic villainy in ten episodes, The House of Mystery emerged in 1923 as a triumph of the ciné-roman genre that was a staple of the French film industry before WWI. Made by a team of exiles recently fled from the Russian Revolution, the story centres around Julien Villandrit (Ivan Mosjoukine) and his courtship with Régine de Bettigny (Hélène Darly), a romance that inspires bitter jealousy in Henri Corradin, Julien’s malevolent associate (played by Charles Vanel, a specialist in moustache-twirling who went on to a number of roles for Clouzot). The love triangle sparks a glorious stream of plot twists, disguises and cliffhangers, with visual storytelling that is consistently compelling and rich.

Presented in four screenings across two days, The House of Mystery is a completely different proposition to our other six-and-a-half-hour marathon, The Cremaster Cycle. Nonetheless it promises to be a unique matinee experience, thanks in no small part to the efforts of nimble-fingered accompanist John Sweeney.

Tickets: £6.50 / £5 per séance, or buy a pass for all four screenings: £20 full price / £15 concessions.

Show Times

Saturday 8th April

11:00-13:00: Episodes 1, 2, & 3

16:00-17:20: Episodes 4 & 5

Sunday 9th April

11:00-13:00: Episodes 6, 7, & 8

15:30-17:00: Episodes 9 & 10

The House of Mystery (La Maison du mystère) Trailer from Flicker Alley on Vimeo.