Monday, April 16, 2012

Filmspot

Filmspot

The Great War Weekend at Eastbourne Redoubt

Posted: 15 Apr 2012 02:58 PM PDT

As regular readers of this blog will be well aware, we have a screening of ‘A Very Long Engagement‘ at Eastbourne Redoubt next week. It’s to complement the museum’s ‘Great War Weekend’.

When deciding on the right film to screen at this event, the Filmspot team came up with a surprisingly diverse list of ideas, so we thought we’d share some of the other titles from our original shortlist with you here.

1. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) 

Directed by Lewis Milestone, All Quiet on the Western Front is rightly seen as one of the greatest anti-war films of all time. It is based on the novel of the same name by ErichMaria Remarque, and stars Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres John wary and Ben Alexander. The film focuses on a group of German friends, who patriotically join the army, only to have their outlooks completely changed by the horrors of life in the trenches.

2. . Porco Rosso (1992) 

An unusual WWI-related film this charming film by animation legend Hayao Miazaki ,from the Japanese Studio Ghibli, is about a former WWI pilot who is turned into a pig. The art direction and animation is as stunning as you would expect from the studio responsible for Spirited Away, Spirited Away and Totoro.

3. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

David Lean‘s classic film about T.E. Lawrence, and his exploits in Arabia during WW1, stands the test of time, and remains one of the best-loved films of the 1960s. Peter O’Toole got his major break into feature films portraying the titular role, and this is often cited as his best performance.

4. Wings (1927) 

This silent film won the first ever ‘Best Picture’ Oscar. With a renewed interest in silent films, partly fuelled by the success and popularity of ‘The Artist’, it is a great time to revisit some of the classics of the silent era. Wings contains some incredible footage of airborne stunts – especially when seen by a modern audience, used to the smoke and mirrors of CGI effects.

5. Oh, what a lovely war! (1969)

This musical, directed by Richard Attenborough, really is a ‘who’s who’ of British acting talent in the late 60s. The cast includes Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth More, Laurence Olivier, Jack Hawkins, members of the Redgrave family, Maggie Smith and Ian Holm, just to name a few! The film somehow manages to portray the horrors of war, between a range of catchy ditties. A very surreal, but strangely moving feature.

So, all that remains is for me to mention once again… We will be kicking off our 2012 season with 'A Very Long Engagement', at Eastbourne Redoubt on 21st April at 8pm. We shall screen the film in original French with English subtitles.

See http://www.eastbournemuseums.co.uk/Events.htm for full details, and contact Eastbourne Redoubt for tickets on 01323 410300.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Filmspot

Filmspot

Ont un style-français printemps, Filmspotters!

Posted: 09 Apr 2012 03:02 PM PDT

Everyone loves Paris in the Springtime… and the rest of France for that matter! So, while we’ve been thinking about Jean-Pierre Jeunet in advance of our screening of ‘A Very Long Engagement‘ at the Redoubt, Eastbourne (see below for details), we thought we’d have a think about a few films to give your springtime a distinctively Gallic flavour…

1. French Cancan [1954]

Jean Renoir‘s colourful and nostalgic celebration of fin-de-siècle Paris, stars Jean Gabin as the impresario Danglard who decides to launch his new club, the ‘Moulin Rouge’ by reviving the French Cancan. A musical full of  memorable characters and joie de vivre, Renoir’s film is a tribute to the Paris painted by his father and the impressionists.

2. Les Demoiselles du Rochefort (Young Girls of Rochefort) [1967]

Another musical, but with a very different feel. Jacques Demy’s follow up to the highly acclaimed ‘Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ is fun, colourful and breezy, and includes some wonderful musical numbers. It stars Catherine Deneuve with her real-life sister, Françoise Dorléac as a pair of twins who work as a ballet teacher and a music teacher, respectively. Set over a weekend in Rochefort, when the fair comes to town, they film follows the girls and their search for romance.

3. Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (The Lovers on the Bridge) [1991]

Leos Carax’s ‘Les Amants du Pont-Neuf’ is a simple love story between two homeless people who meet on the oldest bridge in Paris, the ‘Pont-Neuf’. Alex (Denis Lavant) is a street performer who is struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, and Michele (Juliette Binoche) is a painter who is gradually loosing her sight. Not exactly a ‘feel-good’ romance, it feels very un-Hollywood, and is certainly all the better for it.

4. The Red Balloon [1956]

You can watch this enchanting evocation of childhood in its entirety on YouTube. We would definitely recommend it. Written and directed by Albert Lamorisse, and starring the Director’s son, the beauty of this short film is its simplicity. It depicts a friendship between a young boy and a helium balloon, which has a mind of its own. With almost no dialogue, the charming score  is far more effective than any kind of script could be.

5. Micmacs [2009]

Finally, to give a final plug to our filmmaker of choice for April – Jean-Pierre Jeunet –  with his most recent feature. Uplifting, but not as saccharine as ‘Amelie’, ‘Micmacs’ has all the classic Jeunet hallmarks – many of his favourite collaborating actors pop up (for example, Dominique Pinon and Yolande Moreau), the eccentric characters and steampunk-eque gadgetry. Although not the quite the ‘satire on the world arms trade’ that the film bills itself as, its charm, wit and warmth make it delightful viewing.

We’re looking forward to presenting another of Jeunet’s films, the soaringly romantic ‘A Very Long Engagement’, at Eastbourne Redoubt on 21st April. See http://www.eastbournemuseums.co.uk/Events.htm for full details, and contact Eastbourne Redoubt for tickets on 01323 410300.
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