Ahhhh cinema…
This week and next it’s the Bradford Film Festival which means that there are good films to see nearly every day. It also means there are strange, intriguing, unsettling and sometimes downright awful films to see as well (like the Armenian short film To die is to live which was basically a montage of performance art with a thrash metal soundtrack and lots of very loud breaking glass… for eight minutes). But aside from that, so far it’s been good.
On Saturday, while Liz was away visiting friends I went to see From Russia With Love. If, like me the only Bond films you’ve seen in the cinema have been Roger Moore and onwards (Moonraker was my first I think), then you’ve missed a treat. For me, all films are better on the big screen, and it’s a real treat to be able to see classics of old up there (last year, for example, they had The Ipcress File which was great). The second Bond film is much closer in tone to the latest, and the train compartment fight, between Robert Shaw’s blonde killer and Bond is just as ferocious as anything Daniel Craig got up to.
On Monday we went to see Pandora’s Box , a restored print of the 1929 silent German classic. I believe that everyone should try and see a silent film on the big screen. We had a specially commissioned score and a pianist with great endurance (it’s over two hours long) and the film itself is nihilistic psychodrama gold. After a few minute the fact that the actors aren’t speaking is irrelevant, you’re following the story and the characters. It’s only afterwards you think that this was the way your (great) grandparents devoured film.
Other films: The Lives of Others: Riveting Oscar winner about a Stasi eavesdropper who gets involved in those he has under surveillance.
Catch a Fire: worthy South African crime drama with redemption at its core.
The Caiman: Italian satire from Nani Moretti about a B-movie director who ends up making a satire about Berlusconi.
Pitbull: Downbeat Polish hit, imagine an episode of the Bill in which everyone downs vodka every couple of minutes.
Now we’re off to have a Bradford curry for lunch, then see Twelve Angry Men followed by Regarding Buenos Aires
Tags: film
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I wish I could spend all day at t’movies :(