In 1977 while viewing the Taviani brothers’ film Padre Padrone (Vittorio Taviani obituary, 3 May) at the Aaben independent cinema in Hulme, Manchester, the film’s narrative became increasingly confusing and difficult to follow.
At the halfway point a member of the audience stood in front of the screen and announced that he had seen the film in London the week before and that this was not the film that had won the Palme d’Or, as the projectionist was showing the reels in the wrong order. Having called the police for protection, the cinema manager gave out free tickets to the disappointed film buffs, with the parting shot: “But I have to tell you we have been showing this movie all week and no one else has complained.”
Bob Chorley
Salford
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