With Slapstick 2025 fast approaching Pamela Hutchinson previews the festival
Articles
Drum roll please as we unveil the exciting and star-studded programme for Slapstick 2024, including the long-awaited return of our cherished Gala to the venue where it all began, now renamed Bristol Beacon and looking and sounding truly glorious after its extensive refit.
Gender Rebels On Saturday 22nd April Slapstick presented a series of screen comedies at Watershed, Bristol examining how queer-coding and gender play was taking place onscreen as far back in the 1910s. With three films and three guests hosts feedback from attendees gave us rave reviews with over 85% saying they found the screening’s ‘excellent’. … Read more
Slapstick Sgt. Pepper’s Competition There’s been so much interest in the Sgt Pepper-esque image created by Keith Kilpin of Aardman for the cover of the Slapstick 2023 brochure and other publicity print that we’ve decided to make it the subject of a Guess Who competition. To enter, study the original artwork, then turn to the … Read more
Welcome to the 19th edition of Bristol’s very own Silent, Visual and Classic Comedy Festival. Music has been a key ingredient of every Slapstick since the festival began, but for our 19th annual edition, we’re giving it extra special attention.
Monday 7th November 2022 (7.30pm)
Slapstick Festival’s annual comedy fundraiser returned to Reading’s Hexagon theatre. Event features, Alan Davies, Ed Byrne, Stephen K. Amos, jay Lafferty and more
To those who came to see us in 2022, we hope you had a fantastic time! If you want to remind yourself of the great events we put on as part of our Slapstick 2022 season HERE’S HOW!
The Tiswas Team receive their Legacy Awards, given in recognition of creating significant new work in the medium of silent and visual comedy
Tiswas Stars Reunite for One-Off Reunion Our slapstick season finished on an absolute high, with the stars of the classic children’s TV series Tiswas reuniting for an evening of fun and mayhem. Chris Tarrant, Sally James, John Gorman and Bob Carolgees, along with Spit the Dog, were among those that took to the stage on … Read more
Slapstick Sunday Our last full day of festival events began with Paddington (2014), introduced by Andy Day, and concluded with Lee Mack’s hilarious Desert Island Comedy Flicks. In between there was a moving tribute to the late great Barry Cryer hosted by his friend and long-time comic collaborator Les Dennis, with Barry’s Son Bob Cryer … Read more
Hello everyone, As you will no doubt have heard, yesterday we learnt the news that we had lost singular comedy genius and very dear festival friend, Barry Cryer.
We have screening notes for a number of our programmes, you will find them on the programme pages for the individual films.
Since I reported the results of my researches into the brief career and subsequent total oblivion
Someone recently posted on You-tube a recording from an old 8” low-cost shellac gramophone disc released in 1930.
For years animation has been one of the most impressive and entertaining disciplines in cinema.
Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin. All three began their careers more than a century ago
By Pamela Hutchinson
Plus our fabulous festival guide
For those who have never delved into the history of silent comedy, Chaplin’s life started with great upheaval. He was born in 1889 to Hannah Chaplin and Charles Chaplin, Senior
Charlie first performed at the age of twelve, when he got a chance to act in a stage show. He left school permanently at thirteen and followed his ambition to become an actor.
On 30th December 2019, we learnt the sad news that Neil Innes, long-time friend and supporter of the festival, had sadly passed away.
Charlie Chaplin, one of cinema’s most famous stars, was a man of many talents… actor, director, writer, and composer are among his many credits.
THREE AGES (1923) Directed by Buster Keaton USA 63 mins U Three Ages is the first feature-length film that Buster Keaton wrote, directed, produced and starred. The film contains three different stories set in three different time periods of human history: the Stone Age, ancient Rome, and modern times (the Jazz Age). The film was … Read more
SO FUNNY IT HURT: BUSTER KEATON AND MGM (2004) Directed by Kevin Brownlow UK 38 mins U Buster Keaton is currently the most popular comedian of the silent era. But in the late 20s, he was giving anxiety to his producer, Joseph M. Schenck. Schenck decided that since his releases for United Artists were not as … Read more
THE VAGABOND QUEEN (1929) Directed by Géza von Bolváry UK 62 mins U This unparalleled essay in European absurdism was one of the most regrettable casualties of the coming of sound. Released as a silent in May 1929, it was re-issued with synchronized music and sound effects in August 1930 – but too late. Variety, … Read more
SKINNER’S DRESS SUIT (1926) Directed by William A. Seiter USA 70 mins PG This show is intended to revive the reputation of a comedian of the silent era – not on the scale of a Lloyd or a Keaton, but extremely amusing and entertaining in his own right. I have several of his Universal comedies … Read more
SPITE MARRIAGE (1929) Directed by Edward Sedgwick and Buster Keaton USA 76 mins PG Spite Marriage is the tale of a tailor who is madly in love with an actress… so in love, that he’s gone to see her play countless times! He is given the chance to marry the woman of his dreams, but … Read more
It’s Just a Jump to the Left! Slapstick 2018 is just around the corner! We’ve got so many great events in January to help brighten those cold winter days and nights! Make sure you check out our full programme as we have four days chock-full of laughs, music and classic comedy with some great special … Read more
Why is Slapstick Violence Funny? The subject of this post was originally going to be on an entirely different topic, which will be saved for a later time! When I was doing research for that topic, I came across this TedxEmory talk on YouTube. The title of this video is, “Technology and the New Aesthetics … Read more
Lucy and Ethel – Sitcom’s Best Friends Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance created one of television’s most enduring comic duos – Lucy and Ethel. Lucy and Ethel were neighbours and best friends on the beloved sitcom, I Love Lucy. The two were constantly getting into trouble with all of Lucy’s crazy schemes! I remember growing … Read more