Live music:
Stephen Horne (piano, accordion), Frank Bockius (drums, percussion)
“This sophisticated, seductive, romantic comedy tells the story of Toni, a naive Viennese pretzel baker who enthusiastically seizes the opportunity to audition for the opera—only to discover that the invitation was a ruse. Upon arriving in Budapest, she learns that the supposed director recruits girls not for the opera stage, but for more dubious ‘entertainment’ at nightclubs. Toni’s disastrous debut (…) leads her to flee headlong in a hilarious sequence. She ends up with a friend at the Hotel Eden on the French Riviera, where a romance blossoms between Toni and a charming, wealthy young man. But her scandalous past is hot on her heels—catching up with her in true screwball comedy fashion.” Written by Ernst Lubitsch’s frequent collaborator Hanns Kräly and directed by Academy Award winner Lewis Milestone, The Garden of Eden is perhaps the best Lubitsch film Lubitsch never made. With opulent sets by William Cameron Menzies, this late silent film gem shines in a beautiful new 2025 4K restoration from the San Francisco Film Preserve. (AFI Silver, Oct. 2025)
Stephen Horne
is internationally recognized as one of the foremost silent film accompanists. He has been resident pianist at London’s BFI Southbank for over 30 years, has performed at all the major British venues, and has recorded music for many DVD releases of silent films. Although primarily a pianist, he often incorporates other instruments, such as the accordion, into his performances. He appears regularly at silent film festivals around the world, both solo and with other musicians.
Frank
Bockius is a versatile drummer and percussionist from Germany specializing in jazz, flamenco, Latin, and baroque music. For the past 25 years, he has dedicated himself to accompanying silent films. He regularly performs at silent film festivals around the world with various international colleagues and also produces music for silent films.
Screenplay: Hanns Kräly, Avery Hopwood, George Marion Jr. (intertitles), based on the play “The Garden of Eden” by Rudolph Bernauer, Rudolf Österreicher.
Cinematography: John Arnold.
Editing: John Orlando.
Starring: Corinne Griffith (Toni Lebrun), Louise Dresser (Rosa), Lowell Sherman (Henri D’Avril), Maude George (Madame Bauer), Charles Ray (Richard Dupont), Edward Martindel (Colonel Dupont)
80 min., b/w, DCP, silent film with intertitles
