Silver Screen

Thursday afternoon Silver Screen, film for a fiver, at Peterhead hasn’t shown a film I’ve fancied for ages.  At last, there was something I was interested to see, but not enough to thole two hours on a bus to Aberdeen when it was released.  ‘Wicked Little Letters’.  Based on a true story from the 1920’s, billed, bizarrely, as a mystery-comedy.  It is quite funny, mostly due to the juxtaposition of the period sets and costumes and the “foxy-assed” language. 

It was a tangerine-orange day in Peterhead, but there’s always an edge to the wind there.  North wind haunts the place, grasping at you around every corner.  Possibly the spirits of two centuries of whales wreaking revenge for times past.   It’s still a huge port, but the money appears to be going elsewhere.  Thrifted a pressed-glass bowl, bought notepads and apricots.  To help the local economy.

The cinema was mobbed with silveries, many of whom are incapable of keeping quiet while the film is playing.  Most of whom bring noisy packets of biscuits with them.  (I snuck in a toffee crisp).  At least two sat in the wrong seats, necessitating the lights going up just before the film started.  Another caused a fracas in the foyer as she couldn’t get the new code system for the toilet door to work, shouting she’d wet herself in a minute.  There may well be a wicked little email coming from her to the manager.

There was a bit of a queue for the complimentary teas and, as well as the unhygienic tub of biscuits, there was a hullabaloo (silveries making sugar choices) around a pop-up bake-sale, by donation, in aid of the local food bank. 

Bizarre mystery-comedy.

Favourite quote: “Edith Swan takes it up the Swanee and she loves it more than Christmas Day”.

Credit: ‘Wicked Little Letters’ 2023 Dir. Thea Sharrock.

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/peterhead/peterhead/index.html

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