2008/2009 Season Films
All shows start at 7:45PM unless otherwise stated
NB: December's show has been changed from that initially advertised.Les Petites Vacances
12 September 2008An absorbing "road movie" about an ex-teacher who takes her two grand-children on an impromptu holiday without telling the children's divorced parents.
The film features an outstanding performance from the veteran actress, Bernadette Lafont, playing the increasingly unpredictable grandmother.
NB: The short film to accompany this first feature of the season is John Schlesinger's 1961 classic railway documentary, "Terminus", covering the life of Waterloo station. Following the success of "Night Mail" last season, this should provide a nostalgic treat for members.
Water
10 October 2008The film examines the plight of a group of widows, some as young as eight years, forced into poverty at a temple in the holy city of Varanasi. It focuses on a relationship between one of the widows, who wants to escape the social restrictions, and a liberal man who is a fervent nationalist and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.
Although Deepa Mehta's film aroused sensitivities on the sub-continent, the treatment of its subject emerges as humane and sympathetic.After the Wedding
24 October 2008Jacob Petersen has dedicated his life to helping street children in India. When the orphanage he heads is threatened with closure, he receives an unusual offer from a Danish businessman, Jørgen. There are, however, certain conditions... Not only must Jacob return to Denmark, he must also take part in the wedding of Jørgen's daughter. The wedding proves to be a critical juncture between past and future and, with many plot twists, it catapults Jacob into the most intense dilemma of his life.
Half Moon
7 November 2008Mamo, an old and legendary Kurdish musician living in Iran, plans to give one final concert in Iraqi Kurdistan. After rounding up his ten sons as backing musicians, he sets out on the long and troublesome journey in a derelict bus, denying a recurring vision of his own death at half moon. Halfway, the party halts at a small village to pick up a female singer, which adds to the difficulty of the undertaking, as it is forbidden for women to sing in public. But Mamo is determined to see the venture through and the result is a serious and worthwhile film, containing both whimsy and humour.
The Band's Visit
21 November 2008On an ordinary day, the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrives in Israel from Egypt for a cultural event, only to find themselves stranded overnight after taking the wrong bus. As the band settles in as best it can, each of the members attempts to get along with the locals in his own way.
What follows is a gentle comedy of quiet happenings and confessions as the band makes its own impact on the town and the town on its members.
Still Life
5 December 2008Set against the real-life background of the construction of the controversial Three Gorges dam, this Chinese film, which won the Golden Lion award at Venice, presents an amalgam of fiction and documentary. A mine-worker tries to find his wife and family and loss takes the form of both the displacement of people and the personal separation of a mine-worker from his family.
A haunting picture of the creativity, disruption and destruction that is modern China, from that country's original younger-generation director.
Tell No One
9 January 2009Hollywood thrills meet French cinematic style in this adaptation of a best-selling novel.
The paediatrician, Alexandre Beck, misses his beloved wife, Margot, who was brutally murdered eight years previously when he was himself the prime suspect. When two bodies are found near where the corpse of Margot was dumped, the police reopen the case and Alex becomes a suspect again. The mystery increases when he receives a surprising e-mail and goes on the run.
Dersu Uzala
6 February 2009A Russian army explorer, who is rescued in Siberia by a rugged Asiatic hunter, renews his friendship with the woodsman years later when he returns at the head of a larger expedition. The hunter finds that all his nature lore is of no help when he accompanies the explorer back to civilisation.
This is Kurosawa's only film made outside Japan and he convinces with the majesty of the photography of extreme weather conditions in a wild region.
Lights in the Dusk & Night at the Opera [Double Bill]
6 March 2009Lights in the Dusk
In Helsinki, a lonely night-watchman is caught up in a series of misadventures with a femme fatale and a crooked businessman.
The film has been described by one critic as "a digestibly light serio-comedy in a deadpan comedy world".
Night at the Opera
The Marx Brothers take on high society. Two lovers who are both operatic performers are prevented from being together by the man's failure to be accepted as an operatic tenor. Pulling several typical Marx Brothers stunts, and crammed with one-liners, the brothers arrange for the normal tenor to be absent so that the young lover can get his chance.
Night of the Sunflowers
3 April 2009Six distinct views of the same day's events are shown in this thriller about a serial rapist and murderer. Each chapter brings in new characters, resulting in a multi-layered portrait of a community.
Set in the poor mountainous area of western Spain, it is an exciting picture of how a crime has a ripple-effect and creates new victims.
Days of Glory
15 May 2009In 1943, Arabs volunteer to fight the Nazis in order to liberate France. In spite of their courage, they have to suffer indignities, as they receive worse food, less leave and scant hope of promotion.
But their paths of glory lead merely to betrayal and rejection.
AGM (19.45) followed at approx. 20.45 by The General
12 June 2009Possibly the greatest of all feature-length silent comedies, Buster Keaton's brilliant athleticism and timing at times take the breath away.
Set in the American Civil War, this version has a score by Carl Davis.
