Peckham & Nunhead Film Festival: The Immigrant & Steamboat Bill, Jr.

In a small corner of Peckham Rye Park, London on a friday night, a group of film fans gathered to watch two classic silent films. With the sun setting whilst a live pianist accompanied the films, the atmosphere was as relaxed as can be and there was no pretentiousness surrounding the event, which I was extremely happy about, the people that were there simply wanted to watch a good film surrounding by others who want to watch a good film.

The two films on show were Charlie Chaplin's The Immigrant, a hilarious short released in 1917. The film only runs a mere 20 minutes long, yet is as engaging as any feature of the time, the slapstick comedy is constant and the accompanying piano was so fitting. The film was extremely well received and had me, along with everyone around me, in stitches.

The other film shown was Steamboat Bill, Jr, a 1928 comedy directed by Charles Reisner and starring Buster Keaton. Being made over a decade later than the previous film shown, the improvements in the production of films was interesting to look at. This film takes slapstick comedy to a new level, with the climatic storm scene at the end of the film being perhaps my highlight of the night. A roar of laughter erupted in this quaint corner of the park and didn't stop until the scene was well and truly over. It was so beautiful to see so many (well over 50) people of all ages, from toddlers to pensioners, come out to the park in a cold September evening to watch some old films.

People were drinking wine, eating scones and sampling the nearby café's burgers and organic beers. There were people on wooden chairs, in sleeping bags, on picnic blankets and on plastic carrier bags, the variety of different people this event attracted was something that struck me as surprising, and something that really started this festival off with a strong feeling that the cinema is not dying, or dead, it is, in fact, in the most unusual places and situations where you find the passion and dedication that comes with the art. What a beautiful evening to start off the festival, heres to the next week.