Reflections on Harold Pinter’s Film Career

With a new production of ‘The Caretaker’ at The Minerva Theatre this month, this talk will look back at Harold Pinter’s work in the cinema, both as a screenwriter and also as an occasional director and actor.

Sat 8 Jun 10:30

Filmed prior to the current conflict in Gaza, this is a beautiful portrait of everyday Gazan citizens, leading meaningful lives beyond the rubble of perennial conflict.

This documentary has real value as a compassionate human document, in showing ordinary people who courageously have to keep going somehow, in the grimmest of conditions, in a world where, as someone puts it, there is a “wall between the people of Gaza and life itself”. A young woman practises the cello, a young man records rap tracks, a theatre director rehearses a performance piece, a fisherman broods over the oppression of his industry – they are not allowed to fish more than three miles out, and the amount of fish that can be caught so close to shore is pitifully meagre. The film wisely avoids any sermonizing or calls to action, and instead serves as an unwavering depiction of cinematic empathy. It’s a sombre film about a people under political siege, and so much more poignant in light of events since 7 October 2023.

UK 2019 Garry Keane & Andrew McConnell 92m

The Films of Powell & Pressburger

Martin Scorsese guides this rich, personal journey through the films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

The opportunity to have Scorsese, who has actively championed the duo’s films for at least half a century, walk the viewer through their work, his history with it and, more surprisingly, describe exactly how he has used some of it in his own pictures, is not to be missed. This brilliant documentary about film will be appreciated everywhere cinema is appreciated and features rare archival material from the personal collections of Powell, Pressburger and Scorsese. It is both an illustrative look at and guide to Powell and Pressburger’s gorgeous, radical work for the expert, the enthusiast and the student alike.

UK 2024 David Hinton 131m

Fran, who likes to think about dying, makes the new guy at work laugh, which leads to dating and more. Now the only thing standing in their way is Fran herself.

Lost on the dreary Oregon coast, Fran (Daisy Ridley) finds solace in her cubicle, listening to the constant hum of officemates and occasionally daydreaming to pass the time. She is ghosting through life, unable to pop her bubble of isolation, when a friendly new coworker, Robert (Dave Merheje), persistently tries to connect with her. Though it goes against every fibre of her being, she may have to give this guy a chance. This is a wry, wistful look at finding meaning in life when caught between social anxiety and the inevitable, interminable need to work, eat and find companionship. Do not let the title put you off, as this great little indie film is brought to life by Ridley’s superb, understated performance.

USA 2023 Rachel Lambert 94m

A clever, ambitious, and funny film from Alice Rohrwacher (‘Corpo Celeste’), which works as an intelligent meditation on our attitudes toward life, love, and death.

Everyone has their own Chimera, something they try to achieve but never manage to find. For the band of tombaroli, thieves of ancient grave goods and archaeological wonders, the Chimera means redemption from work and the dream of easy wealth. For Arthur, the Chimera looks like the woman he lost, Beniamina. To find her, Arthur challenges the invisible, searches everywhere, goes inside the earth - in search of the door to the afterlife of which myths speak. In an adventurous journey between the living and the dead, between forests and cities, between celebrations and solitudes, the intertwined destinies of these characters unfold, all in search of the Chimera. Rohrwacher is in great form, and has continued her trend of adding dashes of magic to tales that explore her country’s past. (Subtitles)

Italy 2023 Alice Rohrwacher 130m