Piccadilly

Sue and I went out on Friday to see a film called Piccadilly. This was not your typical film nor was it in a typical film venue.

I had heard of this production on the local radio. A composer, Neil Brand, was talking about a piece of music he had been asked to write by the BFI National Film and Television Archive for a 1929 silent movie called Piccadilly to be shown at the Barbican.

I though the idea of seeing a restored silent movie with a live seven piece band interesting, so we arranged to see it.

The movie had another claim to fame. The female lead was the alluring Anna May Wong in the role of a night club dancer who becomes involved in a fatal with the club owner. This was probably one of the first occasions an oriental woman had played lead, and in a mixed race romantic role too.

It was an absolutely stunning production. The artistry of the camera work and lighting was thoroughly modern and very evocative, especially in conjunction with the superb jazz inspired score.

A great night out.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/collections/release/piccadilly/