The Artist

    We had a wonderful time yesterday at The Palace Theatre, where The White Bus was showing The Artist. 

I love the Palace Art Nouveau ladies!

    But first, we were entertained in the foyer by the lovely Mayflowers. They were singing songs from the twenties and beyond, and looked like a pair of flappers straight out of a good Roaring Twenties party... They were therefore perfect pre-movie entertainment! I was not expecting so many people to turn up so much in advance, but everyone made the effort and the place was absolutely packed! 

Below: Serena Elizabeth and Hannah, the two Mayflowers... The pictures could have been better, but my camera is extremely temperamental... It's been to too many gigs. 

    The Artist is one of those movies you shouldn't see in a bland, aggressively corporate multiplex. The first time we saw it was at the awfully nice Curzon Soho. 
    The Palace Theatre was more than appropriate for seeing it a second time.    I enjoyed the movie even more, taking in the great acting and wonderful music, and revelling in the evocation of the Silent Era, a period I've been fascinated with for quite a long time, having read the biographies of Louise Brooks, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Mary Pickford and Lillian Gish - I also recommend the fantastic Movies of the Silent Years published by Orbis (part of an amazing series covering the Silent era up to the 70s). 

    We are now looking forward to The Palace Theatre's centenary celebrations and especially to the three evenings of 1930s cinema - we already have our tickets! - and the backstage visits in October!