Film festival takes Cary Grant back to his acrobatic roots

Stilt-walking and circus acts will be among the extra attractions when Bristol’s Cary Comes Home festival marks the 120th anniversary of the birth in the city of Hollywood star Cary Grant with a programme looking at how his early years as an acrobat influenced his screen performances and inform his wider impact on action cinema.

In all, the festival will screen eight Cary Grant films during its 29 November - 1 December run, backed by talks, walks, live music, a golden age of Hollywood-themed dressing-up competition and appearances by circus performers.

Films in the line-up include Grant’s stunt-peppered romantic comedies THE AWFUL TRUTH (1937),  BRINGING UP BABY (1938), HOLIDAY (1938) and MY FAVORITE WIFE (1940) and Hitchcock thriller NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1958), in which Grant’s physical skills are highlighted when he evades a bullet-spraying plane, scales a villain’s lair and does battle on Mount Rushmore.

The NORTH BY NORTHWEST screening will feature an introduction from the Behind the Stunts podcast and is part of Art of Action, a UK-wide film season supported by the National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network.

Image: Cary Grant in Bristol

Unveiling the season, festival Founder/Director Charlotte Crofts said: “Grant is usually best remembered for his good looks, style, and charm. These qualities are very much on display in all the films we’re screening, but our programming choices also remind us of his deep connection to his roots – from watching action adventures and slapstick silents in local cinemas during his Bristol boyhood, to his daring decision to run away with a troupe of acrobats. With them, he learned tumbling, balance, timing and command of his body, which eventually helped him to create some of the finest physical performances in cinema history.”

The main festival venue is the Bristol Megascreen, at Bristol Aquarium, Anchor Road, and the biggest screen in the West Country.

The grand finale on Sunday 1 December takes place at the magical Christmas Spiegeltent, on Waterfront Square, off Canons Way, and will be a gala screening of the romantic thriller, TO CATCH A THIEF, set on the glamorous Riviera, co-starring Grace Kelly (later Princess Grace of Monaco) and enhanced with live circus-themed entertainments.

Charlotte Crofts adds: “The thread running through our programme is how brilliantly Grant transformed his early experiences as Archie Leach into a career as a superb and versatile screen performer. His combination of good looks, physical prowess, and universal sex appeal even inspired Ian Fleming to create the ultimate action hero: James Bond”.

To find out more about the programme, festival passes and booking details, visit www.carycomeshome.com or stay up-to-date with festival news by signing-up via the website for free Cary Comes Home  e-bulletins &/or by finding/following the festival’s Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) accounts.  

Cary Comes Home 2024 is made possible thanks to the kind support of the BFI Film Audience Network and Screen Research at University of the West of England; our venue partners: Bristol Megascreen at Bristol Aquarium and Christmas Spiegeltent; and supporters: Avon Gorge Hotel, Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol Zoo, Avery’s Wine Merchants, Marriott Royal Hotel, Watershed,  Bristol Old Vic, SS Great Britain, Brooks Guesthouse, The Bristol Hotel, Aldwick Estate Vineyard, Thatchers Cider, Woodchester Valley Vineyard (Stroud).