Film
Slapstick Silent Comedy Gala 2018
- Director
- Various
- Certificate
- U
- Running Time
- 150 mins
The 2018 Slapstick Festival launches in style with the annual Colston Hall gala, which is hosted this year by king of the one-liners Tim Vine.
Top of the bill is the 1924 Buster Keaton masterpiece Sherlock Jr., in which Old Stoneface plays a cinema projectionist and aspiring detective who’s accused of a crime he did not commit. This one recently made 18th place in a BBC critics’ poll of the 100 greatest comedies of all time. That makes it officially funnier than Blazing Saddles and Withnail and I. This will be accompanied by the world premiere of Guenter A. Buchwald‘s new semi-improvised score, performed by the European Silent Screen Virtuosi (and members of Bristol Ensemble).
It wouldn’t be Slapstick without Charlie Chaplin. This year’s main supporting feature is a 100th anniversary screening of 1918’s A Dog’s Life, in which the little tramp plays second fiddle to an adorable mutt named Mutt (rechristened Scraps for the movie) as they team up in the struggle to survive in the big city. At 40 minutes, this was Chaplin’s longest film and biggest hit to date. The main challenge he faced was finding the right dog. He auditioned a dachshund, a Pomeranian, a poodle, a Boston bull terrier and an English bulldog before deciding that he was better off with a common or garden mongrel. The Slapstick screening will be accompanied by a 15-piece Bristol Ensemble orchestra performing Chaplin’s own score to the film.
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There’s another comedy animal in the last film in the programme: Laurel and Hardy’s final silent short from 1929: Angora Love. Produced by the great Hal Roach, it has the hapless duo adopted by a stray goat, which causes them no end of problems when they try to sneak it past their landlord, who’s alerted by the strong hircine aroma. Naturally, our heroes decide to bathe the beast, whereupon all hell breaks loose.
The show also includes a live performance by award-winning silent visual comedy duo The Kagools. Go here for tickets.
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