Richard Gibson

The Celluloid Curtain - Europe's Cold War in Film

2011-05-16T17:50:00.000Z

The Celluloid Curtain - Europe's Cold War in Film, link here.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T14:05:00.003Z

London Film Festival, 2010

2010-10-30T16:56:00.002Z

This year's film festival screenings for me were:

14/10 Pandora's Box, 1929 (G.W. Pabst)
15/10 Conviction, 2010 (Tony Goldwyn)
16/10 Acto de Primavera (Rite of Spring), 1963 (Manoel de Oliveira)
16/10 Picnic, 1955 (Joshua Logan)
21/10 The Mayor of Hell, 1933 (Archie Mayo)
23/10 Boxing Gym, 2010 (Frederick Wiseman)
25/10 Wild River, 1960 (Elia Kazan)

I missed the screening I'd bought a ticket for:
24/10 A Brighter Summer Day, 1991 (Edward Yang)

A Single Man

2010-05-02T12:30:00.001Z

Ingmar Bergman

2010-05-02T12:28:00.000Z

Ingmar Bergman film season at The Barbican centre; 20th June - 12th July 2009.

Sergei Parajanov: Parajanov Festival 2010

2010-05-02T12:24:00.002Z

Visit the Parajanov Festival 2010 website here.

Pig Business

2010-05-02T12:19:00.002Z

Visit the 'Pig Business' website here.

London Film Festival, 2009

2009-11-01T14:48:00.002Z

This year's film festival screenings for me were:

16/10 Double Take, 2009 (Johan Grimonperez)
17/10 Jubal, 1956 (Delmer Daves)
19/10 The Touch, 1971 (Ingmar Bergman)
20/10 Far From Vietnam, 1967 (Chris Marker et al)
23/10 Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, 2009 (Werner Herzog)
24/10 J'Accuse, 1919 (Abel Gance)
24/10 Trash Humpers, 2009 (Harmony Korine)
25/10 The Night of Counting the Years, 1969 (Chadi Abdel Salam)

Tickets for 'Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno' were sold out, so I plan to see that in early November.

Alphabet Meme

2008-11-24T22:01:00.004Z

A ll About Eve
B attle of Algiers, The
C hinatown
D oulos, Le
E uropa 51
G
H iroshima Mon Amour
I mitation of Life (Douglas Sirk)
J udex
K nack, The
M ama Roma
N otte, La
O tto e Mezzo
P assenger, The aka Profesion: Reporter
Q uatre Cent Coups
R
S avage Innocents, The
T axi Driver
U gestu
V ertigo
W ild Bunch, The
X
Y eux Sans Visage
Z odiac

I saw this post on Self-Styled Siren's site, which came from this site so I decided that would be a fun thing to do, although for me a struggle if I did it in front of a PC. So last Saturday as I caught the train to go out I took a blank peice of paper and scribbled down my thoughts.

Juliet Binoche

2008-11-19T21:17:00.002Z

Autumn 2008

2008-09-17T18:39:00.001Z

Things have been a little busy over the summer.
I've been slack.
I have a ton of stuff, collected on my travels to post and seemingly less time to post it than I ever had and less time to watch films. I also wanted to do a mini-blog of my road trip as I have done previous years. I hope to be able to get around to that as well as keeping this a little more updated.

Cine Dore: Filmoteca Espanola

2008-09-17T18:30:00.002Z

The first time I was in Madrid I visited this place and saw 'Reflections in a Golden Eye', this summer I saw; 'The Deadly Companions'. They also had a season to celebrate the centenary of David Lean. So, I've been explaining to people it is the Spanish equivilent of the National Film Theatre, which they re-branded as BFI Southbank. Well worth a visit and superb value for money, I think the film cost €2.75.

Links

Cine Dore, Filmoteca Espanola, link.

Picture of the outside of the building, link.

Charlie Chalpin at Caixa Forum, Madrid

2008-09-17T18:26:00.002Z

This is not only an excellent art gallery but an excellent exhibition. I went in wondering what an exhibition about Charlie Chaplin would be about and came out wanting to revisit all of the films. Which since returning from Spain I have slowly been doing in the little spare time I seem to have these days.

Link:
Caixa Forum, Madrid. More or less opposite the Prado, link.

Coming attraction: Who Am I?

2008-03-30T07:34:00.001Z

Monday 31 March at 7.30pm

Followed by Q&A with producers Paul Mitchell and Rachel Seiftert at The Frontline Club.

From the press release; "What happens when you discover that your father isn’t your father? What if you learn the man you thought was your father actually killed your biological parents? During the “so-called” dirty war in Argentina (1976-1983), the military dictatorship there abducted some 30,000 people. Some were young women, pregnant or with small children.
About 500 of these children were taken from their parents, given to military families under new identities. Now, some thirty years on, they are grown up and struggling to learn the truth, to find justice for the crimes committed in the past, and above all, to understand what this means for their own identity. Director Estela Bravo has been making this film for twenty years."

Directed by: Estela Bravo
Produced by: Paul Mitchell and Rachel Seiftert
Length: 105 mins

Links
IMDB entry for Estela Bravo, link.
Link to the Frontline club, link.

U-Frame Festival 2008

2008-02-24T15:31:00.003Z

U.Frame is the first International Video Festival organised by the UP (University of Oporto - Portugal) in partnership with the UDC (University of Coruna - Spain). More than a competition platform for short films, it will promote and showcase creativity applied to new technologies. Thus, two special competition entries are offered: Light Media (films made with mobile phones) and Second Life (films produced in a virtual environment). We aim to promote contacts and exchanges between students in the area of audiovisuals from all over the world and reward the most creative works.

The event aims primarily to:
- promote contacts and exchanges among university students in the field of audiovisuals at an international level
- develop creativity
- reward and endorse the best projects (for example: screen the best works at Oporto's International Film Festival – Fantasporto)
- hold training sessions.

Sections:
3.1. Official competition:
- Documentary
- Fiction
- Animation
- Experimental

3.2. Second Life Special Competition:
- This competition is dedicated only to works produced in the virtual environment of Second Life

3.3. Online competition (Media light):
- Mobile (short movies - maximum 10 minutes - made with a mobile phone, with or without edition).
- 60 seconds (films with a maximum length of 1 minute. The film, trailer and credits included, shouldn't have/be
more than 10 MB, and must be delivered in one of the following formats: .mov, .wmv ou .swf).

Link
Festival U-Frame, link.

Coming attraction: Lost Highway at English National Opera

2008-02-24T15:19:00.003Z

With 'The 39 Steps' and 'All About my Mother' both on the London stage, this looks quite interesting.

Link

Lost Highway, link.

Coming attraction: 22nd London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival

2008-02-24T14:50:00.001Z

Link

22nd London LGFF, link.

From the archive: La Chanson de Bilbao

2008-01-24T21:24:00.000Z

Coming attraction

2008-01-17T21:47:00.000Z

IMD entry for No Country for Old Men, link.

Coming attraction

2008-01-17T21:42:00.000Z

IMDB entry for Back to Normandy, link.

Forthcoming blogathon

2008-01-17T21:30:00.000Z

Feb 1st-8th, South Dakota Dark's Deeply Superficial Blogathon, link.

Alice in the Cities, Wim Wenders Q&A

2008-01-10T23:59:00.000Z

Above: Alice in the Cities, Wim Wenders interviewed by Nick Roddick (Evening Standard).

Spain (un)censored.

2008-01-10T23:57:00.000Z

The Saragossa Manuscript

2007-12-30T20:42:00.001Z

Link

Link to the official fansite for The Saragossa Manuscript, link.

2007-12-30T20:39:00.000Z

Coming attraction: Wim Wenders in London & Spain (un)censored

2007-12-09T22:01:00.000Z

Our friends at NFT or to give it is 'proper' new name: BFI Southbank will be running in January a Wim Wenders season with the man himself coming over on January 10th for a Q&A, I've already bought my ticket (Alice in the Cities) will show earlier that evening. Plus, a great season called 'Spain (un)censored' which looks like it reaches us via MoMa in New York.

Raindance - 15th year

2007-12-09T21:58:00.000Z

I'm just trying to catch up on stuff I meant to post way back during September, October and November, here is another: Raindance.

Link
Raindance, link.

More missed films...

2007-12-09T21:51:00.000Z

PiF - PaF or Polska i Film - Polska a Film, which was held at Shepherds Bush Vue 10-13th November, looked like quite a decent showcase of old and new Polish cinema.

Link
PiF-PaF, link.

For the stamp collectors...

2007-12-09T21:37:00.000Z

Next year Royal Mail will be releasing "Ian Flemming's James Bond" - a very nice looking set of stamps replicating the book jackets from the novels - nice! Available 8th January 2008.

Then on Tuesday 10th June they release another set (no pictures in the booklet they sent me) called 'Classic Carry On and Hammer Films'.

Link
Royal Mail, stamps and collecting, link.

51st London Film Festival

2007-12-07T19:21:00.000Z

More missed films...

2007-12-07T18:55:00.000Z

Actually I had planned to go to at least one of the Jacques Demy films but again, missed them all.

Missed attraction

2007-12-07T18:51:00.000Z

Link
Invitation to a dream was at Ciné lumière (Institut français) but I missed them all, here is the link.

Coming attraction: KM 31 aka Kilómetro 31

2007-12-07T18:45:00.000Z

Link

IMDB entry for KM 31 aka Kilómetro 31, link.

November 29th...2 months since last post and...

2007-11-29T22:15:00.000Z

I'm somewhat embarrassed to be posting, a quick look shows I haven’t posted in two months. It’s been a busy two months and my tiny contributions to the blogosphere seem to be decreasing by the week. I aim to try to rectify this with the forthcoming holiday period, all things going to plan.

So last month I took in four films at the London Film Festival. Here is a quick summary, something I had been meaning to write for around about a month:

Rescue Dawn
I went along because I had really enjoyed ‘Little Dieter Needs to Fly’, it hadn’t occurred to me some of the (brief) comments I’d seen later, now that it is on general release that it’s Herzog’s first Hollywood film. I enjoyed it, there is a scene where a dog walks right to left in front of the camera and the actors on it’s hind legs which, for me was a nice, Herzog touch.

Mister Lonely / Harmony Korine Q&A
There was quite a crowd for this one on the Friday I attended. No idea when it is coming out here, other than at some point next year. It has two ‘storylines’ for want of a better word. One of them, the one we see least of was for me the better part of the film.
Sadly I just couldn’t really get into the main part of the film at all, that said it is a concept which not too many people would even try to put on screen. I haven’t had a sniff around online to see what others think of this yet.
The following Sunday was a NFT Q&A interspersed with the usual clips. It was very well attended, some decent questions from the audience and quite a lot of fan-type adulation. I may well post more on this, if I can recall the event but can’t promise, it was after all this time of year I attended a Kenneth Anger Q&A and I still haven’t managed to post about that.

Son of Rambow: A Home Movie

The highlight for me. A small British film, without a release for the UK market, which if audience reaction (I know could be dangerous!) is anything to go by could do very well here, I’m sure people will bandy around comparisons to Shane Meadows, Wes Anderson and maybe a few others. For me it was spot on in it’s depiction of school life in the 80’s, a sort of ‘Grange Hill: The Movie’ but updated, I think many people in their mid 30’s can relate to dodgy pirate copies of ‘First Blood’ and for that reason it will, I hope do well. A US distributor has picked it up and it will get a release in May. Be very interesting to see what American audiences make of this.

Link
Read James Rocarols review of 'Son of Rambow' at Cinema Attraction, link.

Anyway today, is the three year anniversary since I started this, so I thought I had better post something. I’m glad I did, maybe I will get back into it a little more now.

Blogathon: Luis Buñuel

2007-09-29T09:03:00.000Z

Link

Luis Buñuel blogathon at Flickhead, link.

Blogathon: Luis Buñuel

2007-09-29T08:59:00.000Z

Luis Buñuel on location for 'Las Hurdes'.

Blogathon: Luis Buñuel

2007-09-29T08:57:00.000Z

Coming attraction: September at BFI Southbank

2007-09-29T08:50:00.000Z

Coming attraction: Tribute to Alain Robbe-Grillet

2007-09-29T08:42:00.000Z

Blogathon's

2007-09-23T10:27:00.000Z

Well worth checking out will be:

Coming next week - Luis Buñuel blogathon at Flickhead, link.
In November - Film & Faith blogathon at Strange Culture, link.

Tomorrow, for the first time in London: Lebowski Fest UK

2007-08-29T21:11:00.000Z

Link

Lebowski Fest UK, link.

Today, born on this day: Ingrid Bergman

2007-08-29T21:05:00.000Z

Real location #7 - The Leather Boys

2007-08-27T20:39:00.000Z

Although the facia of the Ace Cafe has changed since 'The Leather Boys' was made in the early 1960's the location remains the same. Importantly the A406, or as it is mostly known; the North Circular road, has moved slightly.

In the film we see Reggie (Colin Campbell) race Pete (Dudley Sutton), possibly to Staples Corner and back to the Ace Cafe, they stop underneath a railway bridge with advertising Ferodo products. This remains more or less identical today with the exception that the line, which leads to Euston has been electrified.

Interesting, for me is that at one point the North Circular was what the M25 road is today, an outer-London ring road.

Links

IMDB entry for The Leather Boys, link.

The Ace Cafe, official site, link.

Ace Cafe on a map, link.

A link to some other pictures I took at the Ace Cafe, link.

Wikipedia entry for the North Circular, link.

2007-08-11T22:13:00.000Z

Jim Jarmusch en España

2007-08-11T21:29:00.000Z

FICA - Festival Internacional de creación audiovisual, Villanueva de la Serena (Badajoz). A season of Jim Jarmusch films shown during July.

Coming attraction: A Throw Of Dice

2007-08-11T21:23:00.000Z

Showing in Trafalgar Square, London on Thursday 30th August at 9pm.

Link
IMDB entry for A Throw Of Dice, link.

Version Original Revista de Cine # 141

2007-08-11T18:23:00.000Z

Version Original - Revista de Cine. Issue # 138 featuring articles on literary translations including articles:

Orgullo y Prejuicio by Toni Montesinos

érase una vez by Ramón Mondero

Capote, la moralidad del artista by Israel Paredes

El libro como vinculo las horas by Rocío Tizón

En el boca del miedo by Rodrigo Arizaga

La última tentación de Cristo by Angel Román

B.S.O. The Emperor's Club by Victor León

Apu y los libros by José María Santiago

El libro iluminado by Israel de Francisco

Todos caem en el cuento by Enrique Pérez

El rompecabezas literario by David Aparicio

El nombre de la rosa by Ma José García Berzosa

Akira Kurosawa

2007-08-09T06:14:00.000Z

Link
Akira Kurosawa Blog-a-thon, November 15th, link.

Coming attraction: Meet Ken Loach

2007-08-08T20:16:00.001Z

'It's a Free World' + Ken Loach in conversation at BFI Southbank (previously National Film Theatre), Thursday 13th September at 18.20. Sadly it doesn't look like I can go.

Real location - supplementary entry

2007-08-08T20:11:00.001Z

Not one I have visited, yet but 'The Culture Show' devoted a special to film locations including 'The Wicker Man', 'Trainspotting', 'Kes' and several others.

Link

Interview with Tony Garnett about the making of Kes and the locations in Barnsley, Yorkshire, link.

Michelangelo Antonioni

2007-08-05T19:31:00.000Z

Links
BBC obituary, link, a bit more substance than how it was reported on BBC News 24, link.
Downloads of Zabriksie Point soundtrack and track from Blow-Up at Aquarium Drunkard, link.
Andrew Pulver at The Guardian, picks Antonioni's best scenes, link. In fact The Guardian covered his and Bergman's passing rather well, with lots of online content, link.
Green Cine Daily rounds up some links, link.
Wim Wenders poem to Antonioni, link.

Film Stars - the index

2007-08-05T19:16:00.000Z

A summary of the film stars cards series. I can't seem to find the actual cards so will post a summary of the ones I've posted thus far. If I find more I will post them.

9. June Clyde, link.
8. Mary Carlyle, link.
7. Grace Bradley, link.
6. Joan Blondell, link.
5. Wendy Barrie, link.
4. Rosemary Ashlen, link.
3. Pearl Argyle, link.
2. Rose Asther, link.
1. Adrienne Ames, link.

Back from my trip...

2007-08-05T08:45:00.000Z

Actually I've been back for a couple of weeks but haven't really had much chance to post stuff here but I'll try and get back into it. The trip was great except when I ran into some people from the criminal underworld, a sort of cross between Bresson and Carol Reed's 'Oliver!' only not very cinematic, unfortunately.

The curtain comes down...

2007-06-28T20:25:00.000Z

Just like Tony Curtis I'm going to be hitting the road so will be away for a short while. It's going to be similar to last year, only hopefully this year I will be able to communicate a little better.

Film Stars # 9: June Clyde

2007-06-24T10:41:00.000Z

Links
IMDB entry for June Clyde, link.
Wikipedia entry for June Clyde, link.

Coming attraction

2007-06-24T10:36:00.000Z

"My favourite of Cassavetes films...very explosive...very raw" Pedro Almodovar.

Links
IMDB entry for Opening Night, link.
Part of the John Cassavetes season at BFI Southbank, link to earlier post.
BFI Southbank, link.

Coming attraction,

2007-06-24T10:33:00.000Z

Link

IMDB entry for Exiled, link.

Film Stars # 8: Mary Carlyle

2007-06-19T20:15:00.000Z

Links
Another cigarette card of Mary Carlyle, link.
IMDB entry for Mary Carlisle, link.

Kenneth Anger

2007-06-17T09:01:00.000Z

...which reminds me, I was supposed to post some thoughts on when Anger came to the London Film Festival last October...

Coming attraction: Charlie Chaplin - Complete Mutuals 1916-17

2007-06-17T08:54:00.000Z

Here is a rare treat - 12 films made by Charlie Chaplin for Mutual between 1916 and 1917 (restored) with live music from Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, composed and conducted by Carl Davis, intended to be an experience very similar to how they were first shown. Sounds fantastic to me.

Link

Cadogan Hall's website, link.

Coming attraction: Jan Svankmajer

2007-06-17T08:48:00.000Z

Apologies, I am quite behind on various blog posts, so this isn't so much a coming attraction but something that is currently ongoing. I like the quote from Milos Forman on the front of this - "Disney plus Bunuel equals Svankmajer".

Coming attraction: At the BFI Southbank in July

2007-06-16T20:34:00.000Z

The big season seems to be Mikio Naruse, of which I'm ashamed to say I haven't seen any although I have been toying with buying the Eurkea/Masters of Cinema set for quite some time but still haven't got 'round to it.

Links
BFI Southbank - 'When a Woman Ascends the Stairs', link.
IMDB entry for Mikio Naruse, link.
Articles on Naruse on 'Senses of Cinema', link and 'Bright Lights Film Journal', link.

Wendy Craig

2007-06-16T20:26:00.001Z

Ah, the 1960's.... Wendy Craig, 'The Servant', 'I'll Never Forget What's'isname' and I see from a cursory glance at IMDB a Basil Dearden/Dirk Bogarde flick from '62 called 'The Mind Benders' which sounds like it belongs more in the San Francisco-Jack-Peter-Roger Corman canon, anyhow I found the above image ages ago, don't worry I'm not starting a series on Wendy Craig, just thought I'd share this for those who most remember a very different Wendy Craig.

Peter Watkins

2007-06-16T20:08:00.000Z

Bumper month for fans of Peter Watkins, BFI Southbank (National Film Theatre in old money) is showing 'Privilege' during July (Sunday 29th and Tuesday 31st) along with 'Forgotten Faces'. From the programme "Ahead of the game in '67, Watkins forsees the complete assimilation and exploitation of rock 'n' roll music by 'The Man': in this case the Christian Right. A reluctant, tortured Christ like poster-boy - sharply played by Paul Jones of Manfred Mann - fronts an overblown version of Onward Christian Soldiers alongside giant crucifixes, before he cracks under pressure. Only Jean Shrimpton questions the facade."

Also, I think I saw earlier today that Eurkea/Masters of Cinema were giving their normally excellent treatment to 'Edvard Munch', however I can't seem to see any reference to it on their site.

I quite fancy seeing 'Privilege' on the big screen, it remains one of the hardest British films of the 1960's to actually see.

Links

Peter Watkins's own website, link.

Bright Lights Film Journal article on Privilege by Tom Sutpen, link.

Pan Paperback book cover, link.

Paul Jones sings songs from 'Privilege' (HMV EMI EP front & rear), link.

Film Stars # 7: Grace Bradley

2007-06-16T20:02:00.000Z

Links

IMDB entry for Grace Bradley, link.

Another picture, link.

Coming attraction: Tell No One

2007-06-16T19:48:00.000Z

Links
Imdb entry for Tell No One, link.
Official website, link.

Coming attraction: Jindabyne

2007-06-16T19:39:00.000Z

Link

IMDB entry for Jindabyne, link.

Cassavetes and Falk in the same month...

2007-06-02T20:52:00.000Z

...well nearly. I found out by accident that Peter Falk was here this week to promote his book 'Just One More Thing' meanwhile over at the NFT they have a Cassavetes season this month (15th-30th June).

Sadly I also found out the book signing event at Piccadilly branch of Waterstone's was cancelled as he had to return to the US. Had I known I might have popped along, I picked up a copy of the book for a browse and it looks decent.

Links
Review of 'Just One More Thing' on the Waterstones site, link.
Cassavetes season at NFT, link.

Film Stars # 6: Joan Blondell

2007-05-25T07:09:00.000Z

No. 6 Joan Blondell

Links
IMDB entry for Joan Blondell, link.
Wikipedia entry for Joan Blondell, link.

Star Wars Blog-a-thon

2007-05-24T21:43:00.001Z

Apparently tomorrow is the 30 year anniversary of Star Wars, so much to answer for...

There is a Blog-a-thon in celebration of May 25th 1977 and the films release at Eddie on Film starting tomorrow, I am posting late at night on 24th as I will be tied up most of tomorrow and it's after 11pm here.

I did go to see this on its release although I am sure it didn't reach my town until sometime in 1978, I would have been five to six years old. I had been to the cinema before but the only film I recall was 'The Jungle Book', which we all went to see, for 'Star Wars' my Mother took me, the queue was right around the corner of the small one screen cinema in the town I grew up in. I was excited, at least I think I was. I estimate that this film could have been out maybe six months before it hit our town, maybe well over a year before the film was released in the USA.

I don't rememeber how we came to see this as my Mother most certainly wasn't interested in it, so I must have nagged my parents, I'm guessing there was so much hype about this film at the time, probably nothing compared to today's hype and the general marketing of films but I certainly knew people at school who had the plastic dolls and had talked about seeing it.

Anyway I experienced something that has frequently happened to me inside cinemas since- I fell asleep. In this case I remember waking up towards the end, the part where they have to shoot straight to destroy the death star. I had no idea what was going on in the film at this point, I am not even sure that I had enjoyed the film, I certainly had no idea about half of what the characters were saying. I remember looking at my Mother, she seemed to be sucked in to whatever was happening in the film.

A strange thing happened when we left the cinema, it was daylight as it had been a matinee and it was the first time I had experienced stepping out into the bright daylight after hours inside a dark cinema.

That's all I can remember about the first time I saw 'Star Wars'.

Link
Eddie on Film, Star Wars Blog-a-thon, link.

Coming attraction: Distant Voices, Still Lives

2007-05-13T19:57:00.000Z

Julie Christie

2007-05-13T19:52:00.000Z

Links
Just released 'Julie Christie Collection' 4 DVD's, link.
Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown, comment from The Shamus on Julie Christie, link.

Film Stars # 5: Wendy Barrie

2007-05-13T19:47:00.000Z

No. 5 Wendy Barrie

Link
IMDB entry for Wendy Barrie, link.
Wikipedia entry for Wendy Barrie, link.

Out there in the blogosphere

2007-05-12T18:49:00.000Z

Katherine Hepburn is 100 today, see the tribute at Edward Copeland on Film, link.

Thanks to Glyphjockey for sharing the way to start the day the David Lynch way, link.

Isabella Rossellini - The Guardian Interview

2007-05-08T21:15:00.000Z

On Sunday I attended the screening of 'Rome, Open City' followed by Q&A with Isabella Rossellini, interspersed with some short films. Geoff Andrew (Time Out, BFI Southbank) conducted the Q&A.

The event was informative and interactive and was, I'm pretty sure sold out. I won't go into all of the details as the entire transcript from the Q&A is now online on The Guardian's site (see below link). Many of the things she discussed about her father are covered in her new book and the short film directed by Guy Madden; 'My Dad is 100 Years Old'.

I particularly liked the way she talked about her mother's relationship with her father, likening it to if Julia Roberts had fallen in love and run off with the best Iraqi director.

Ultimately I was pleased to get my copies of 'Stromboli', 'Europa 51', 'Voyage to Italy' and 'Fear' signed by her and enjoyed seeing 'Rome, Open City' on the big screen as well as seeing the rare films shown and hearing her talk about two of the people I have recently become very interested in; Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini.

Read the transcript to see why Isabella Rossellini was afraid of Anna Magnani, why Roberto Rossellini took glucose pills and which of her mother and fathers films are her favourites.

Looking through the May listings I have seen several of the early Rossellini films, the one Isabella Rossellini talked about and sounds intriguing 'The Miracle' (L'Amore) is showing next month when the season moves away from the neo-realist films into the documentaries and the ones that are not easy to see.

Clips/films shown

My Dad is 100 Years Old, link.

Brief Encounter with the Rossellini Family, directed by Gert Engstrom, 5 minute location film on the set of 'Voyage to Italy'.

The Chicken (billed on the programme notes as 'Ingrid' a segment from a film called 'Siamo Donne', link.

Links

IMDB entry for Roberto Rossellini, link.

IMDB entry for Isabella Rossellini, link.

The Guardian, transcript from the Q&A with Geoff Andrew, part 1 - link, part 2 - link.

Roberto Rossellini writes to Ingrid Bergman (earlier post), link.

National Film Theatre, Rossellini retrospective, link.

More Rossellini

2007-05-08T20:43:00.000Z

Link

10th May - 8th June, 2007

Isabella Rossellini: In the Name of the Father the Daughter and the Holy Spirits, at the Italian Cultural Institute, 39 Belgrave Square, London, SW1, link to their site.

Coming attraction

2007-05-07T20:34:00.000Z

Voyage to Italy (Viaggio in Italia) will show as part of the Rossellini retrospective on Sunday 27th May at 16.15 and Wednesday 30th May at 20.45. I saw it as part of a double bill years ago, with I think an Antonioni film and I enjoyed it. I also really liked this BFI re-release poster shown here.

Link

IMDB entry for Voyage to Italy, link.

Coming attractions

2007-04-14T17:30:00.000Z

This is England - April 27th, The Lives of Others - April 13th.

Coming attraction: At the NFT in May

2007-04-09T13:14:00.000Z

It's been a while since I have seen a programme of so many things in one month to think about trying to get along to see, in May NFT will show:

Julie Christie - The Most Poetic of Actresses
Roberto Rossellini - Through the Realism to Rhapsody. Part 1 of a Rossellini season that sees Isabella Rossellini inroduce a screening of 'Rome Open City' on May 6th.
Shane Meadows season
The Maysles Brothers season
Bill Douglas - the trilogy and 'Comrades'.

The Cinema Theatre Association

2007-04-09T12:45:00.000Z

David Lynch

2007-04-03T20:15:00.000Z

Mike Figgis interviews David Lynch in the March issue of Sight and Sound magazine, link.

Coming attraction: The Woman Next Door with Q&A with Fanny Ardant

2007-04-01T18:26:00.000Z

21st London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival

2007-04-01T18:18:00.000Z

Link
21st London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, link.

Birds Eye View Film Festival

2007-04-01T18:09:00.000Z

Link
Birds Eye View Film Festival, link.

For the set-jetter...

2007-03-25T17:10:00.000Z

Link
Costa de Almeria, home to Cinema Studios Fort Bravo, Western Leone et all. Official tourism link.

Coming soon....

2007-03-20T08:40:00.000Z

Coming attraction: Inland Empire

2007-03-11T22:59:00.000Z

Above: 3 promotional postcards given away at UK cinemas to promote 'Inland Empire'.

Links
IMDB entry for Inland Empire, link.

Call Me Bud - Jack Lemmon on Film by Nick Fuller

2007-03-02T09:03:00.000Z

Text to follow.

Links
Call Me Bud - Jack Lemmon on Film by Nick Fuller, Amazon, link.
Jeff Duncanson's Billy Wilder Blog-a-thon, link.

Coming attraction: Los Olvidados

2007-03-02T09:00:00.000Z

Link
IMDB entry for Los Olvidados, link.

Coming attraction: Days of Glory

2007-03-02T08:57:00.000Z

Link
IMDB entry for Indignes aka Days of Glory, link.

Coming attraction: Play

2007-03-02T08:55:00.000Z

Link
IMDB entry for Play, link.

Douglas Sirk

2007-02-04T14:24:00.000Z

Link
Out now, Douglas Sirk Collection, featuring 4 new films to DVD; 'Has Anyone Seen My Gal?', 'All I Desire', 'Magnificent Obsession' and 'The Tarnished Angels', link.

Film Stars # 4: Rosemary Ashlen

2007-02-04T13:56:00.000Z

No. 4 Rosemary Ashlen

Real Location # 6 - Foreign Correspondent

2007-02-04T13:43:00.000Z

Westminster Cathedral as seen in the film.

Westminster Cathedral today.

Visitor information for Westminster Cathedral.

Links
IMDB entry for Foreign Correspondent, link.
Westminster Cathedral official website, link.

Ingrid Bergman

2007-02-04T13:13:00.000Z

Film Stars # 3: Pearl Argyle

2007-02-02T08:08:00.000Z

No. 3 Pearl Argyle

Pearl was a ballerina and only made, according to IMDB six films.

Links
IMDB entry for Pearl Argle, link.
Link to a National Portrait Gallery image, link.

Version Original Revista de Cine # 141

2007-02-02T08:06:00.000Z

Including articles:

Shakespear in Winter by Mario de la Torre
Nadie Sabe by Israel Paredes
Eterna primavera by Carmen Lloret
Acque di primavera by Victor Leon
Vietnam despues de Vietnam by Angel Roman
Las estaciones de lo relativo by Israel de Francisco
El calor de la violencia by Ramon Monedero
Septiembre (September by Woody Allen) by Nuria Miguel
Cuento de onono by Jose Maria Santiago
De repente, el ultimo verano by Rocio Tizon
La escapada, el verano by Pedro Triguero-Lizana
En un lago de Corea by Cristina de Julian

Version Original Revista de Cine # 140

2007-02-02T08:00:00.000Z

Including articles
La cenicienta espanola y el guionista desencantado by Eduardo Nabal
El atardecer de las estrellas by David Aparicio
Escribiendo La Ley Del Deseo by Angel Roman
Azcona & Fink (Barton Fink) by Enrique Perez
Adaption de Carter Burwell by Victor Leon
Adaption - Cuando el guionista es la estrella by Mario de la Torre
Cuando la mascara cae rasgada by Israel de Francisco
El azar y la casualidad en el guion de el proyeect de la bruja de Blair (The Blair Witch Project) by Jose Antonio Planes
Escrita y dirigida por by Jose Maria Santiago
L'Enfer - una pelicula donde el guionista es la estrella by Natalia Pinuel
Cuidadano Wood byRocio Tizon

Film Stars # 2: Rose Asther

2007-01-29T21:47:00.000Z

No.2 Rose Asther.

No entry found on IMDB.

Film Stars # 1: Adrienne Ames (Paramount)

2007-01-28T11:23:00.000Z

Reverse reads:

Film Stars - Second Series of 54

No.1 Adrienne Ames (Paramount)

A Series of real photographs now being issued with these cigarettes.

Carreras Ltd. Estd 1788, Arcadia Works, London, England.

Keep this attractive series of real photos in the Carreras slip-in album obtainable from all tobacconists (Price One Penny).

Links
Adrienne Ames entry on Wikipedia, link.
Adrienne Ames entry on IMDB, link.