Garden of Eden (BFI Southbank)
Details
# UK Premiere of 4K Restoration: The Garden of Eden
### + intro by Bryony Dixon, Curator, BFI National Archive
Delightfully saucy, The Garden of Eden is arguably Lewis Milestone’s most successful romantic comedy.
- Director Lewis Milestone
- With Corinne Griffith, Louise Dresser, Lowell Sherman
- USA 1928. 80min
- Digital 4K (restoration)
- With live accompaniment by Stephen Horne
Minus only the gatling-gun dialogue, this is effectively a silent screwball. Scripted by Hans Kraly, Lubitsch’s regular writer, the film follows the fortunes of Corinne Griffith’s radiant young singer as she flees a pretzel bakery for the bright lights of Budapest, only to find herself on offer to wealthy men in a disreputable music hall. The action then traces her journey to Monte Carlo and the notorious Hotel Eden, where Viennese comedy joyfully turns to French farce.
Restored in 4K in 2025 by San Francisco Film Preserve. In collaboration with George Eastman Museum, Library of Congress and The Maltese Film Works. Funding provided by Sunrise Foundation for Education and the Arts.