The Goodies Forever

With Robin Ince & Friends

Date: Saturday 29th January 2022
Time: 2:20pm
Venue Website: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: £8.50/£5.00

In 2020 Tim, Bill and Graeme attended a special 50th anniversary event at Slapstick celebrating The Goodies onstage with Robin ince.

As Bill Oddie is now sadly unable to make Slapstick 2022 due to complications related to covid, Robin Ince, comedian and host of infinite monkey cage, will be celebrating the work of those super chaps: The Goodies by hosting a celebration of their best moments onscreen.

Robin has reached out to fellow comedians, writers and friends and asked them to record an onscreen introduction to their favourite moment from The Goodies.

Watch out for Tim Vine, Rob Brydon, Harry Hill and a plethora of surprise celebrity fans as they choose their favourite moments from the classic tv series.

Please Note: This Event replaces It’s Only Funny When It Hurts lecture with Bill Oddie which we hope to reschedule in the near future.

Animation Fanatics

With Peter Lord

Date: Sunday 30th January 2022
Time: 9:30am
Venue Website: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: £8.50/£5.00

Peter Lord (co-founder of Aardman Animations) has had a passion for early animation, both stop motion and classical drawing.

Here he celebrate the unique blend of surrealism and visual comedy that animation does best, showing clips from the weird and wonderful work of Ladislas Starevich right through to the classic slapstick of the Golden Years.

This cornucopia of animated delights will dazzle and charm, with the opportunity to learn from Bristol’s iconic animator/director.

Please Note: Bill Oddie, as was originally advertised, is not able to co-host this event.

Richard Herring’s

Desert Island Comedy Flicks

Date: Sat 29th January 2022
Time: 12.30pm
Venue Website: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: From £8, plus booking fee

Pioneer of comedy Podcasting, legendary stand-up and writer Richard Herring joins Infinite Monkey Cage co-host Robin Ince at Slapstick’s inaugural DICF event.

If Richard was stranded on a desert island and could only have only 10 comedy films with him which films would he chose?

Come and delight in the conversation as Robin probes Richard to reveal the titles that Richard feels deserve repeat viewing and hear the stories behind the choices.

With a Q&A too, this will be a rare chance to see and hear Herring in the hot seat.

The Real Charlie Chaplin (2021)

Date: Saturday 29th January 2022
Time: 9:20am
Venue Website: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: £8.50/£6.00

Dir: Peter Middleton & James Spinney US 104min

We are honoured to be hosting a screening of the brand new documentary ‘The Real Charlie Chaplin’ fresh off its debut at The London Film festival.

A look at the life and work of the one and only Charlie Chaplin in his own words, featuring an in-depth interview he gave to Life Magazine in 1966.

With unprecedented access to archive footage, as well as talking heads from surviving family members, this documentary reveals never-before-seen insights into the Hollywood star. Introduced by Peter Middleton & James Spinney followed by a Q & A.

You can read a review of the documentary, written by Pamela Hutchinson, here!

Slapstick Conversations: Buster Keaton

With James Curtis

Date: Friday 28th January 2022
Time: 3.30pm
Venue Website: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: £6.50/£4.00

James Curtis, admired biographer of Preston Sturges, W.C.Fields and Spencer Tracy, gives us the richest, most comprehensive life story to date of the legendary actor, stunt artist, screenwriter, director and comedic master Buster Keaton, in his latest biography Buster Keaton: A Filmmakers’ Life.

Buster transformed movie-making by elevating physical comedy on film to the highest of art forms.

His silent shorts and features remain as startling, innovative, and irresistible today as they were when they first beguiled audiences almost a century ago.

In partnership with Festival of Ideas, Slapstick is proud to present a special ‘in conversation’ with James Curtis* on Zoom, live from California, hosted by Bristol Ideas director Andrew Kelly**. In collaboration with Bristol Festival of Ideas.

The Patsy (1928)

With Sally Phillips & Ronni Ancona

Date: Friday 28th January 2022
Time: 1:00pm
Venue Website: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: £8.50/£5.00

Dir: King Vidor US 78min U

Following the gala screening of ‘Show People’ at The Cathedral, the iconic Marion Davies shines in one of the best of her many collaborations with director King Vidor.

The Patsy does not skip a beat. No scene, gag or joke is out of place in this delightful movie, which follows the trials and tribulations of an awkward teenager hopelessly in love with her elder sister’s boyfriend.

With live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney and introduced by Ronni Ancona and Sally Phillips.

W.C. Fields: Sally of the Sawdust

With Dr Harriet Fields and Chris Serle

Date: Friday 28th January 2022
Time: 10:00am
Venue Website: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: £6.50/£4.00

Dir: D.W Griffith US 104mins U

The irascible and immensely talented W.C Fields stars alongside silent film darling Carol Dempster as they form a sort of father/daughter relationship in ‘Sally of the Sawdust’.

When her circus mother dies, young Sally (Dempster) is raised by Professor McGargle (Fields), a juggler and small-time con man. McGargle trains Sally to dance for his opening act, and after their success, the pair join a carnival in this rare D.W Griffith comedy.

Putting these two incredible actors together in the circus is bound to make for a great comedy.

With an introduction from presenter Chris Serle and a personal message from Dr Harriet Fields (Fields’ granddaughter). With live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney.

Lloyd: The Kid Brother (1927)

With Suzanne Lloyd

Date: Thursday 27th January 2022
Time: 3:00pm
Venue Website: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: £8.50/£5.00

Ted Wilde & Harold Lloyd US 82mins U

Slapstick legend Harold Lloyd stars in one of the greatest ever silent comedies ‘The Kid Brother’.

Lloyd is undoubtedly an icon of the silent era, and this film is an incredible testament to his talent.

Perfectly paced, it balances humour and action into a beautifully crafted story of a sheriff’s timid son, someone who has a chance to prove himself when a medicine show run by con artists comes into town.

With live piano accompaniment from John Sweeney.

Introduced by Suzanne Lloyd (Lloyd’s granddaughter).

First Women in Comedy

With Sian Norris and Lucy Porter

Date: Thursday 27th January 2022
Time: 1:00pm
Venue Website: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: £8.50/£5.00

Lucy Porter and Sian Norris present a series of short films celebrating pioneering women in film comedy. Between 1914 and 1919, Universal Studios released 170 movies from women directors. By comparison, between 2007 – 2017, only 53 films directed by women were among the 1,223 which made it into each year’s chart of top 100 movies at the box office.

Featuring films from pioneering directors Alice Guy Blache, Mabel Normand, Lois Weber and more, Lucy and Sian discuss the films and the culture of the period and take a look at women in comedy today. With live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney.

Sian Norris is a writer and journalist. She is the Chief European and Social Affairs Reporter at Byline Times and her book, Birth Violence, will be published in 2022 by Verso. She is the founder of the Bristol Women’s Literature Festival. Lucy Porter is a stand-up comedian, writer and actor who can often be heard on Radio 4 on ‘Just a Minute’, ‘Quote…Unquote’ and ‘The Personality Test’.

An Old Gangster Molls (1927)

With Lucy Porter

Date: Thursday 27th January 2022
Time: 10:00am
Venue Website: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: £6.50/£4.00

Dir: Svatopluk Innemann CZ 108min U

This Czechoslovakian silent comedy ‘An Old Gangster Molls’ stars Anny Ondra, who later became one of Hitchcock’s leads in his classic silent thriller ‘Blackmail’ (1929).

She plays alongside Czech greats like Vlasta Burian and Jan W. Speerger in this screwball comedy about a factory owner and his uncle, who swap their identities and invent incredible stories to escape marriage in this classic filled with physical comedy and exquisitely observed situational humour.

With an introduction from comedian and presenter Lucy Porter and live accompaniment by John Sweeney on the piano and Frank Bockius on percussion.

Chaplin: The Circus (1928)

SOLD OUT

With David Robinson

Date: Wednesday 26th January 2022
Time: 5.20pm
Venue Website: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: £8.50/£5.00

Dir: Charles Chaplin US 81mins U

Charlie Chaplin once again dons his iconic ‘Tramp’ character in his film ‘The Circus’.

Released in 1928, Chaplin was already a household name and one of Hollywood’s greatest stars, and his newest film would continue to cement his legacy.

The iconic tightrope scene permanently etched Chaplin into the minds of everyone who saw it.

Nothing can make you forget seeing Chaplin’s tramp walk a tightrope with such grace, all with a group of monkeys on his back.

With a pre-recorded introduction from film historian David Robinson

My Grandmother (1929)

Date: Wednesday 26th January 2022
Time: 3:30pm
Venue: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: £8.50/£6.00

Dir: Kote Mikaberidze Soviet Union 80mins

‘My Grandmother’ is an avant-garde gem of early Soviet Union filmmaking, banned for almost 50 years for some not so subtle political criticism.

This experimental film is an incredibly sophisticated piece of silent cinema. Following his sacking, our protagonist, a lazy pen-pusher, must seek out a benefactor, a “grandmother” in the slang of the day, and make them write a letter of recommendation for him to return to his job.

Director Kote Mikaberidze has created an incredibly euphoric film, blending together animated sequences, modern editing techniques, bold satire and absurdist set designs.

With a recorded introduction from actor and early Russian cinema enthusiast Paul McGann, My Grandmother will also feature live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney.

Max Linder: Be My Wife (1921)

With Serge Bromberg

Date: Wednesday 26th January 2022
Time: 1:20pm
Venue Website: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: £8.50/£6.00

Dir: Max Linder US 55min

Max Linder writes, directs and stars in the second of his three American films (Be My Wife). He plays the role of ‘The Fiancé’ and is determined to woo his girlfriend Mary and make her his wife, but in typical Hollywood romance fashion, the soon-to-be aunt-in-law Agatha does not approve of Max and tries to set up Mary with another man.

This love triangle comedy makes incredible use of visual and physical gags and perfectly showcases the French comic’s elegant yet chaotic performance.

With live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney along with an online introduction from silent film champion and Lobster Films co-founder Serge Bromberg.

Silent Ozu: Days Of Youth (1929)

With David Robinson

Date: Wednesday 26th January 2022
Time: 10:30am
Venue Website: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: £6.50/£4.00

Dir: Yasujirô Ozu JP 103mins U

The oldest known surviving film by legendary Japanese director Yasujirô Ozu, with an introduction by film historian David Robinson. Ozu’s debut feature film ‘Days of Youth’ is a carefree and joyful romantic comedy that follows the extravagant efforts of two men unknowingly competing for the same girl.

Made in the director’s student days, it is his most lighthearted film and although it’s very different to his later work, a keen eye could certainly spot how this film helped shape the incredible career he had ahead of him.

With live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney.

Ben Model & Steve Massa Live from New York*

Edward Everett Horton – Silent Comedian?

Date: Tuesday 25th January 2022
Time: 5.30pm
Venue Website: Watershed
Map: Watershed
Price: £6.50/£4.00

Ben Model and Steve Massa join us live from New York as they live-stream their latest discoveries in silent comedy from their homes into Watershed in this Pre-Festival special event.

Edward Everett Horton is remembered today for his fussy on-screen character in Hollywood sound films such as Top Hat (1935).

While never thought of as a silent slapstick comedian, he actually was!

He had a substantial career in 1920s silent comedies, culminating in eight starring two-reelers – produced by no less than Harold Lloyd.

Undercrank Production’s new DVD Edward Everett Horton: 8 Silent Comedies presents the whole series.

This programme, curated and hosted by Ben Model and silent comedy historian Steve Massa, presents three of Horton’s best – Find the King (1927), Scrambled Weddings (1928) and Dad’s Choice (1928).