We’re delighted to welcome Buster Keaton’s granddaughter Melissa Talmadge Cox, via video link from California, in conversation with Keaton scholar Polly Rose to introduce the Great Stoneface’s final silent, the Berlin Festival award-winning THE RAILRODDER (Dir: Gerald Potterton, Canada, 1965, 24 mins). Shot in colour, the film features Buster’s breathtaking gag-packed solo rail trip across … Read more
Buster Keaton makes his feature film debut in THE SAPHEAD, directed by the husband of groundbreaking filmmaker Alice Guy. Keaton plays Bertie, the pampered son of a silver mine owner and brother-in-law to a shady investor who ruins Bertie’s wedding plans with lies and puts the family’s wealth in jeopardy. Host Polly Rose (University of … Read more
Stand-up star Lucy Porter introduces two films linked by their takes on marriage. The short, LE TORCHON BRULE (Romeo Busetti, France, 1911, 5 mins) is by far the oldest and shortest in this year’s programme, starring Sarah Duhamel as one half of a couple engaged in all-out war. The main feature is OH! WHAT A … Read more
Laugh-out-loud sight gags, sharp satirical digs at the business side of Hollywood and some of cinema’s best known stars feature throughout this fine satire – charting the attempts by Mel Brooks and the lost-too-young Marty Feldman to make a silent film. True to its title, the movie is completely silent—save for one unforgettable word delivered … Read more
W.C.Fields is best known for his witty, cantankerous quotes and later talkies but here in this early silent comedy he shines as the henpecked Elmer. Regularly criticised by work colleagues and disrespected by clients until ,that is, he’s hypnotised into believing he is a lion. Host Andrew Kelly will be talking live via Zoom to … Read more
A comedy about four single girls with busy office jobs and love lives sharing a flat in a big city. Sounds like the plot of a modern TV series, doesn’t it? But not only does Norrtullsligan date from 1923 it was an adaptation of stories published 15 years earlier by journalist and feminist Elin Wägner. … Read more
To open Slapstick’s 20th anniversary edition Aardman’s co-founder chats with Andrew Smith , director of Cartoon Carnival a lovingly-researched documentary telling the story of the pioneering early days of animated film and of one film preservationist’s quest to rescue pre-sound cartoons from obscurity and share them with new audiences. We will be showing the film … Read more
Celebrate Valentine’s Day in a unique and unforgettable way by joining Bristol’s Slapstick Festival for its 20th-anniversary Silent Comedy Gala, hosted by none other than the brilliant, award-winning actor Martin Freeman. Known and loved worldwide for his iconic roles in Sherlock, The Hobbit, The Office, and Black Panther, Martin’s razor-sharp wit, charm, and deep passion … Read more