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THU 26 – SUN 30 JAN

Bristol’s own silent and visual comedy festival returns with an incredible line-up of special events. The guests include Barry Cryer, Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Ian Lavender and Sanjeev Bhaskar.

DAVID WYATT’S SILENT MAJORITY:

THE CLOWN PRINCES

FRI 27 JAN 2.00pm £7.00/£5.50 Concs

David Wyatt presents his selection of some of the finest and funniest of the lesser well known silent comedians; Charley Chase, Lloyd Hamilton, Max Davidson & Larry Semon among them.

CHARLES CHAPLIN: BRIDGING THREE CENTURIES

WITH DAVID ROBINSON

SAT 28 JAN 9.30am £7.00/£5.50 Concs

David Robinson is recognised as the definitive biographer and a world expert on Chaplin. In this presentation, richly illustrated with film and rare stills, he considers the phenomenon of an artist who maintains his power as a supreme entertainer in the 21st century.

GRAEME GARDEN ON CHARLEY CHASE (U)

Live piano accompaniment by John Sweeney

SAT 28 JAN 11.00am £7.00/£5.50 Concs

Charley Chase was a brilliantly inventive and prolific comedian contributing to over 300 films as writer, director, or actor and worked with almost every major name in early film comedy. Graeme Garden selects his favourite shorts from this period to reveal Chase at his finest and funniest.

HAROLD LLOYD: DOUBLE BILL

AN EASTERN WESTERNER (U) & GRANDMA’S BOY (U)

with Barry Cryer

Live musical accompaniment by The European Silent Screen Virtuosi

SAT 28 JAN 2.00pm £8.00/£6.00 Concs

Barry Cryer introduces two of Harold Lloyd’s finest comedies. An Eastern Westerner – consistently clever and amusing, well-paced and packed with gags plus a rare chance to see Lloyd’s first feature film on the big screen Grandma’s Boy.

SLAPSTICK SPOOFS (U)

SUN 29 JAN 9.30am £7.00/£5.50 Concs

Long before Airplane and Naked Gun there were silent spoofs of current epics like Bending Hur. Before Laurel & Hardy, Stan Laurel almost made a career out of it, and see Buster Keaton parodying western star William S.Hart. Hosted by David Wyatt.

MY CHAPLIN with Sanjeev Bhaskar

SUN 29 JAN 11.00am £7.00/£5.50 concs

Kumars at No 42 star Sanjeev Bhaskar selects favourite shorts and shares his passion for Charlie Chaplin with Chaplin historian David Robinson. With live piano accompaniment.

THE GREAT STONE FACE: YOUNG KEATON (U)

Live musical accompaniment by members of the European Silent Screen Virtuosi

SUN 29 JAN 2.00pm £8.00/£6.00 Concs

Keaton admirers Bill Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer and Ian Lavender each select a favourite short that reveals Keaton at his freshest, most spontaneous and inventive, films include The Boat (1921) and The Scarecrow (1920).

For the full programme see www.slapstick.org.uk