La Revue des Revues (Parisian Pleasures)

France, 1927. Director Joë Francis. 103min.

Beautifully restored in 2005 by Lobster Films with the Danish Film Institute, La Revue des Revues is a formidably audacious and colourful parade of sets, costumes and dances. Its frothy plot involving a seamstress’s rise to stage glory is a thinly veiled excuse to feature authentic stage choreographies from legendary establishments Folies-Bergère, Palace and Moulin Rouge, including those of Josephine Baker and the Russian trio Komarova, Skibine and Gretchikine. Taking silent cinema’s attraction to the grand spectacle of the music halls to a new level, this fast-paced, fast-changing, dazzlingly kaleidoscopic show is pure spectatorial pleasure.

With Hélène Hallier, Josephine Baker and Pépa Bonafé.

Past screenings

Birds of Paradise – London
Sunday 5 December 2010, 20:20 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
Sunday 12 December 2010, 15:30 | BFI Southbank, NFT2
With an introduction by Jane Pritchard, and live piano accompaniment from Cyrus Gabrysch on Sunday 5 and Stephen Horne on Sunday 12.