Plus Tony Palmer Q&A
To commemorate 50 years since the death and 120 years since the birth of Dmitri Shostakovich, we present Tony Palmer's remarkable film portrait of the great composer, starring Ben Kingsley in the title role.
Palmer's prowess as an editor, skilfully interweaves archive footage and Soviet cinematic portrayals of Stalin with his own film, which is mostly in black and white reflecting the nature of the times in which Shostakovich lived. The starting point is Shostakovich’s funeral, where the composer himself is commenting sardonically in a voiceover on the guests. The dread figure of Stalin looms over the film, and Shostakovich’s terror becomes emblematic of the Terror itself. Based on the now-equivocally-considered memoirs of Shostakovich, written down by Solomon Volkov, this film is an overwhelming experience. Music (generously) is performed by The London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Rudolf Barshai. Rare 35mm print.
UK/Netherlands/Denmark 1987 Tony Palmer 157m
We are delighted to welcome back director Tony Palmer for a Q&A after the film.