Slapstick 2017
Please note : this season finished in Jan 2017
Bristol's ever popular Slapstick Festival returns to Watershed (now celebrating its thirteenth edition!) and this year funny women are leading the way, from original Roaring Twenties flapper Colleen Moore, to ‘The It Girl’ Clara Bow and the stately Pola Negri, each in scintillating on-screen performances and presented by 21st Century champions, such as comedians Lucy Porter, Shazia Mirza, Marcus Brigstocke and film historian Kevin Brownlow.
In addition, the festival pays special tribute to three stand-out comics who have sadly recently left us, but who remain very much alive via their indomitable screen presence – comedians Victoria Wood and Rik Mayall plus French clown and filmmaker Pierre Étaix, winner of the 2012 Aardman Slapstick Visual Comedy Award.
In a focus on Europe, great Scandinavian directors Mauritz Stiller and Carl Theodor Dreyer cast wry eyes on the daily misadventures of ordinary humanity, and we'll be looking back at some classic television with special guest Neil Innes who’ll be premiering lost Dada-esque Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band footage. There'll also be the usual plethora of Slapstick silent comedy too, including an inspired unseen programme of silent shorts with Robin Ince & Goodie Bill Oddie in a comedy double act made in heaven.
All this, plus legendary music hall authority, comedian and actor Roy Hudd MBE in conversation with presenter Matthew Sweet, discussing his extensive contribution to the world of comedy.
What’s not to love..?
Previous screenings & events in this season
Accidentally Preserved: Surviving Slapstick on 16mm
classifiedParental guidance
General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.
In this special programme, curated by silent film historian and filmmaker Ben Model and hosted by Bill Oddie and Robin Ince, discover some rare and hilarious slapstick comedies starring comedy performers whose work has been largely forgotten.
Neil Innes Presents Unseen Bonzos
classifiedSuitable for all
A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over.
In this special event join former Bonzo member Neil Innes for an onstage chat and reminisce and witness Bonzo Dog’s holy grail of lost performances – as part of a newly restored ‘lost’ episode of 60s British music programme Colour Me Pop.
The Goodies: Robin and Not Josie's Book Shambles
classifiedSuitable for all
A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over.
Comedians Robin Ince and Josie Long’s hugely popular podcast ‘Robin and Josie's Book Shambles’ comes to town to interrogate The Goodies on the books and authors that have inspired them as well as the books they have made themselves.
Roy Hudd in Conversation
classifiedSuitable for all
A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over.
Join legendary music hall performer, comedian and actor Roy Hudd as he discusses his extensive contribution to comedy with BBC Radio 3’s Matthew Sweet.
Silent Comedy: A Century Ago - Fairbanks and Chaplin Double Bill
classified PG Slapstick 2017
Join us for a taste of the ‘flickers’ from a century ago - Saturday morning pictures circa 1916. A silent comedy double bill featuring two of the biggest stars of the silent era.
Master of the House
classified U Slapstick 2017
By turns funny and deeply affecting, Carl Theodor Dreyer’s story of a housewife who, with the help of a wily nanny, turns the tables on her tyrannical husband, is a deft and a richly detailed tragi-comedy of domestic manners and gentle revenge.
Paths to Paradise
classified PG Slapstick 2017
Join Oscar®-winning director and film historian Kevin Brownlow as he introduces the rare Raymond Griffith feature Path To Paradise from his personal collection and champions this unsung comic.
The Peoples Poet: A Celebration of the Stickest Bogeys of Rik Mayall
classifiedSuitable only for 15 years and over
No one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in a cinema.
The loss of Rik Mayall in 2014 came as frying pan blow to the world of comedy. A true one-off and comedy eccentric, the life of this fabulously anarchic comedian is celebrated in this special tribute looking back over a bombastic 35 year career.
Thomas Graals bästa film
classified PG Slapstick 2017
In this funny tale of a famous screenwriter struggling to produce a film script, Mauritz Stiller - one of Sweden’s greatest filmmakers - directs another, Victor Sjöström, in the role of Thomas Graal, alongside the incomparable Karin Molander as the unflappable Bessie.
Why Be Good?
classified PG Slapstick 2017
The comic gift that made Colleen Moore one of the top stars at the end of silent period shines throughout this 1929 romantic comedy.
The Suitor
classified U S Slapstick 2017
One of the best films from one Frence's greatest filmmakers, Pierre Étaix’s (1928-2016) The Suitor is a remarkable homage to the great American silent comics, with Étaix himself in the lead role.
Hot Water
classified U Slapstick 2017
A wonderful companion to Friday night's Silent Comedy Gala at Colston Hall don't miss this rare chance to see this underrated Harold Lloyd gem on the big screen.
Kid Boots (CANCELLED)
classified PG Slapstick 2017
Full of energetically paced physical comedy and clever sight gags this light, funny and romantic situation comedy provides an excellent showcase of Pop-eyed comedian Eddie Cantor’s hilarious pantomimic talents.
Shooting Stars
classified PG Slapstick 2017
This exquisite double bill of rarely screened silent comedies is introduced by stand-up comedian Shazia Mirza, with live music accompaniment from Daan Van Den Hurk and the world's only Silent movie harpist Elizabeth - Jane Baldry.
Victoria Wood: Let's Do It!
classifiedParental guidance
General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.
Andrew Kelly hosts a panel looking at the extraordinary contribution Victoria Wood made to comedy writing, performance and stand up as we celebrate one of Britain’s most talented and best loved comedians.
Mon Oncle
classified U Slapstick 2017
In keeping with Slapstick’s traditional celebrations of the great silent and visual clowns, we’re delighted to present French master Jacques Tati’s gentle and brilliantly witty satire on the modern world.
NotFilm
classified PG Slapstick 2017
Ross Lipman's fabulous kino-essay provides a fascinating insight into what proved to be Samuel Beckett’s only onscreen work and Buster Keaton’s last ‘silent’ movie.