Silent Movie Month
every October since 2012
In 2012, with encouragement from Wharton Studio Museum, City of Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick proclaimed October as Silent Movie Month, a month-long celebration of silent film and Ithaca’s role in early movie making history, produced by Wharton Studio Museum in collaboration with many local organizations.
2026 marks our 15th year of this month-long celebration of silent film -- local and otherwise. Our theme this year is Altered States in Silent Cinema and we have a wonderful lineup of films and events. WSM is very glad to once again be partnering with Cinemapolis, Cornell Cinema, The History Center, and Odyssey Book Store!
SILENT MOVIE MONTH 2026 EVENTS
Wharton Studio Museum proudly presents:
Saturday, October 3, 2026 at 2:30pm
SNOW WHITE (1916) with live score by performed by harpist Leslie McMichael
This silent romantic fantasy directed by J. Searle Dawley inspired a young Walt Disney to create his own animated version.
at Cinemapolis, 120 E Green St, Downtown Ithaca
Free admission
Details at cinemapolis.org
Finger Lakes Film Trail proudly presents:
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at 6pm
THE GREAT K&A TRAIN ROBBERY (1926) with an introduction by Diana Riesman, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Wharton Studio Museum
Tom Mix, known as “The King of Cowboys” stars in this Western, alongside his horse Tony.
at Carriage House Theatre at Cayuga Museum of History and Art/Case Research Lab, 203 Genesee St REAR, Auburn, NY
Free admission
Details at cayugamuseum.org
Wednesday, October 14, 2026 at 6pm
THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (1920)
This classic silent horror film is a quintessential example of early German Expressionist cinema.
at Cinemapolis, 120 E Green St, Downtown Ithaca
TICKETS
Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 5:30pm
MALOMBRA (1917) with live score by acclaimed musicians Donald Sosin and Joanna Seaton
Silent film diva Lyda Borelli stars in this Italian silent film based on the 1881 novel by Antonio Fogazzaro.
at Cornell Cinema, Willard Straight Hall on Cornell University's campus
TICKETS
Wharton Studio Museum & The History Center proudly present:
Monday, October 19, 2026 at 6:30pm
MYSTERY OF THE ROCKS OF KADOR (1912) with an introduction by Mark Sandberg, Professor of Film & Media, UC Berkeley
at Cinemapolis, 120 E Green St, Downtown Ithaca
Free admission
Details at cinemapolis.org
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at 6pm
Authors in Conversation: Two Writers, Two Novels, and a Friendship with Jeffrey Blount and Susan Carter
Wharton Studio Museum invites you to join authors Jeffrey Blount – his 4th novel is Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way -- and Susan Gere Carter, The Trolley to Renwick Park (set in Ithaca during the Wharton Studio era) as they discuss writing, their books shared themes, and their friendship.
*Copies of the books will be available for purchase
Moderated by Samantha Sheppard, Professor of Media Studies and Chair in the Department of Performing and Media Arts, Cornell University
at Cinemapolis, 120 E Green St, Downtown Ithaca
Free admission
Details at cinemapolis.org
Co-sponsored by Odyssey Book Store
Cornell Cinema proudly presents:
Friday, October 23, 2026 at 7pm
FAUST (1926) with live score by The Invincible Czars
Cornell Cinema presents this classic German silent fantasy directed by director F. W, Murnau. Faust is the final film he directed in Germany before moving to Hollywood.
at Cornell Cinema, Sage Chapel on Cornell University's campus
TICKETS
Co-sponsored by Wharton Studio Museum
Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 6pm
A PAGE OF MADNESS (1926)
Japanese director Teinosuke Kinugasa’s film is, according to Cornell Cinema, “among the most unsettling, visually striking, and criminally underseen films of the silent era.”
at Cornell Cinema, Willard Straight Hall on Cornell University's campus
TICKETS
Silent Movie Month extends into November with this special presentation of…
Friday, November 13, 2026 at 7:30pm
DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1920) with live score by student musicians in the Cornell Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Gabriela Gómez Estévez
The classic silent horror film directed by John S. Robertson and starring John Barrymore.
at Cornell Cinema, Bailey Hall on Cornell University's campus
Free admission
Details at cinema.cornell.edu
Presented by the Cornell’s Department of Music, in collaboration with Cornell Cinema and Wharton Studio Museum