The annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival, opening this evening at the Castro Theatre, invites audiences to join in for "five glorious days of silent-era films with brilliant live music," from May 28th to June 1st.

The festival, started by Melissa Chittick and Stephen Salmons, began in the early '90s with one film and an attendance of 1,800. Attendance has grown significantly to tens of thousands, with a program of over 20 events, including films, talks, and the opening night party.

The core of the festival is "live cinema," which showcases important titles from the silent era, often in restored or preserved prints, with live musical accompaniment, including Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, The Gower Gulch Players, and The Donald Sosin Ensemble.

Here are some highlights of the Castro Theatre's latest festival:

Photos and descriptions via San Francisco Silent Film Festival

All Quiet on the Western Front - Thursday, 7pm
"Based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, the story is told through the heartrending experiences of young Germans recruited into the carnage of World War I." Presentation will feature a new score and live sound effects created especially for the silent version.

Cave of the Spider Woman (Pan si dong) - Friday, 1pm
"A rare example of the magic-spirit film, a popular genre in ’20s Shanghai, and its story comes from a classic masterpiece of Chinese literature involving a pilgrim monk and the search for Buddhist texts. The monk and his followers, monkey, pig, and shark spirit, ward off the Spider Queen who tries to seduce the pilgrim. The film set Chinese box-office records in 1927 but was considered lost until the discovery in Norway."

Flesh of the Devil - Saturday, 7pm
"Leo and Ulrich are companions whose lifelong friendship is torn apart over their mutual love for the beautiful Felicitas."

Sherlock Holmes - Sunday, 7pm
"The silent film version of Sherlock Holmes starring William Gillette has been found! Long considered lost since its first release, the Gillette film is a vital missing link in the history of Holmes on screen. Restored by the San Francisco Silent Film Festival and the Cinémathèque Française, the film explores Holmes’s encounter with Professor Moriarty, his daring escape from the Stepney Gas Chamber, and the tour-de-force deductions."

Ben Hur: A Tale of Christ - Monday, 7pm
"Directed and produced on a grand scale, it’s a must-see for the virtuosity of its action scenes and the high impact of its storytelling style. Unmissable is the world famous chariot race scene, for which a real race was staged, filmed by 42 cameras, attended by the cream of Hollywood and with cowboys and stunt men as the chariot racers."

See the full schedule, buy tickets and learn more about the festival and its history on the official website. And for more on the Castro Theatre's offerings for the month of June, which include visits from Molly Ringwald, Judy Blume, Neil Gaiman and the Frameline39 International LGBTQ Film Festival, see their newly updated calendar.