This film wouldn't normally have got me down to the South Bank at 8.30 on a Tuesday and it was definitely losing me in the last half hour (not helped by the fact that the projector failed for a couple of minutes at the start of the dénouement) but the ending--particularly the closing lines--made it worthwhile, even though I think they could have got to the same point in a more interesting or more efficient way.
The film was shown as part of BFI's Screen Epiphanies series--a regular event for BFI members where a celebrity will pick a film that is important to them and they will then introduce it at a screening of the film at the BFI. I really enjoyed David Morrissey's Epiphany on Kes last year and figured that even if I didn't know jack about Bob, I might enjoy hearing Jonathan Ross talking about it (and film in general). Ross is, of course, always good value for money (especially when the ticket is free). Ross discovered Bob a few years ago, he said, and has since introduced it to a number of people including Stephen Spielberg and Richard Attenborough. In fact, when Ross was rewatching the film to prepare for the event, he found a sweet note to him from Attenborough slipped inside the DVD case, which he read out to us.
A blurry and distant Jonathan Ross |
Maybe it was because Ross was there but there was a rowdier crowd than usual tonight at the BFI. People started whooping when Amex were thanked and were heckling Ross throughout his piece; they also heckled the poor projectionist when the screen/projector/movie conked out. Anyway, it was a good evening's entertainment, although with hindsight, I would have napped through the middle 30 minutes of the movie.