Holiday (19), dir. George Cukor
Bristol Megascreen at Bristol Aquarium, Anchor Road,Bristol UK, BS1 5TT
Sunday 1 December, 10:00 (GMT)
Rating: U
Running Time: 1hr, 35min, plus intro
Join us to experience a hugely underrated gem in another wonderful pairing of Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, introduced by Polly Rose, who will explore the film’s slapstick influences and Cary’s acrobatic performance.
“Holiday is a lesser-known gem with a theme of challenging conventional expectations and capitalist values that feels particularly resonant today, featuring acrobatic stunts, a dash of queer-coding and an excellent supporting cast — come join the Fifth Avenue Anti-Stuffed-Shirt and Flying Trapeze Club!” (Polly Rose)
Johnny Case (Grant), a self-made man who has worked his way up from humble beginnings, falls in love with Julia (Doris Nolan) whilst holidaying in Lake Placid. Knowing very little about his intended bride, he is shocked to discover that she’s the socialite daughter of wealthy banker Edward Seton (Henry Kolker). Edward is suspicious at first, but then endorses the marriage once he checks out Johnny’s work credentials. Case then meets Julia’s free-spirited younger sister, Linda (Hepburn), to whom he confides his plan to take a long holiday from work to explore the meaning of life.
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This is the third of four films that Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn co-starred in and their on-screen chemistry, together with Grant’s unique mix of suave elegance and silly physical comedy – those pratfalls and acrobatics, that made Pauline Kael coin him as the “slapstick prince charming” – make for a joyful screening. Katharine Hepburn again shows her athleticism, performing tumbles from Cary Grant’s shoulders.
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Polly Rose (University of Bristol) is a Bristol-born film editor and longtime Cary Grant fan. After learning from a social media gif that silent screen comedian Buster Keaton edited his own films, Polly began researching Keaton’s creative filmmaking process and this quest is now a PhD project (funded by AHRC/SWWDTP). Polly is a regular programmer and presenter at Bristol’s Slapstick Festival and has given talks on Buster Keaton across the UK and internationally. |
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|---|---|---|
| OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION WITH LIVE MUSIC FROM THE RICHIE PARADISE TRIO |
PANEL: CARY IN MOTION CELEBRATING CARY GRANT’S PHYSICAL PROWESS |
PANEL: ANIMAL MAGIC! PANEL DISCUSSION WITH MATTHEW SWEET, MICHAEL LAWRENCE AND THEO JONES |
Celebrating Bristol’s recent designation as a UNESCO City of Film, in recognition of the city’s vibrant screen heritage, of which Cary Grant is one of our brightest stars.