The Road to Bologna (7) - Double Acts - Jean Arthur, Cary Grant, Marlene Dietrich, Frederick Hollander

Who could have predicted....The hottest ticket in town has proven to be a seat for passholders among the 8000 or so who turned out last night for The Wind, Victor Sjostrom's 1928 silent. Part of the attraction was the orchestra conducted by Timothy Brock which played Carl Davis's score, composed way back in 1983. That Lillian Gish can sure sell tickets....

I was not among the 8000 but Angelica Waite sent through some photos....

As Norman May once said..."I dont want to sound incredulous...but I cant believe it."

But back indoors in real cinemas there was the well-known sight of Jean Arthur as the zipped up Congresswoman in Billy Wilder's achingly brilliant A Foreign Affair and there was Jean Arthur in the until now very hard to see The Talk of the Town. George Stevens was still trying to make pictures with a little drollery back in 1942 and Talk of the Town hits that spot sweetly. Cary Grant is also in it along with Ronald Colman whom Arthur's character finally rejects in favour of Grant. On the strength of the story her decision was ridiculous. Colman's law professor was clearly a far more desirable object.... Music for both of these movies was supplied by the great Frederick Hollander...Grant also pursued Marlene Dietrich in Blonde Venus, one of the four Sternberg pictures on show in the Marlene strand. And for the completists, David Hare take note, the little cut David was the first to notice years ago in Shanghai Express remained in the copy screened here on DCP.