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

The official record of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine's fateful 1924 expedition.

In June 1924 Mallory and Irvine walked to their deaths, disappearing from the view of their fellow explorers on the north-east ridge of Mount Everest. That there was a filmmaker with a customised camera and a telephoto lens on hand to record any of their final steps is impressive, even when viewed from the age of citizen photojournalism. The documentary that Captain John Noel crafted from his hard-won footage is an astonishing movie, one that pays equal tribute to the ambition of Mallory's team and the inhospitality of the mountain. A film that is astonishing in its chill grandeur, and that will linger long in the minds of viewers. We will also be screening the ‘The Great White Silence’ this season which traces the Arctic expedition led by Capt. Robert F. Scott.

UK 1924 J.B.L. Noel 87m

NT Live

Sam Mendes ('The Lehman Trilogy') directs Mark Gatiss as John Gielgud and Johnny Flynn as Richard Burton in this fierce and funny new play.

Thu 21 Mar 19:30

Sat 23 Mar 12:15

Sun 7 Apr 12:30

A janitor in Japan drives between jobs listening to rock music in this absorbing slice-of-life drama which adds a quietly soaring gem to director Wim Wenders' estimable filmography.

Hirayama (Kôji Yakusho) seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine he enjoys his passion for music and for books. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past. This is a movie about art, exploring how in the midst of chaos, it’s not labour but the physical objects of beauty that we weave into our lives - paperback novels, cassette tapes of favourite albums, carefully tended bonsai plants, a perfectly framed photograph - that structure and give our days meaning. A deeply moving reflection on finding beauty in the everyday world around us. A poem of extraordinary subtlety and beauty led by a remarkable performance by Yakusho. Not to be missed. (Subtitles)

Japan 2023 Wim Wenders 123m

Les Cyclades

An odd-couple comedy that sees two former school-friends reunited in middle-age for a sun-soaked Greek holiday.

Three feisty femmes – Magalie (Laure Calamy), Blandine (Olivia Côte) and Bijou (Kristin Scott Thomas) – play estranged childhood friends who tentatively reunite for a trip to the Greek Islands. Recently divorced, and watching helplessly as her only son leaves home, Blandine is struggling to find her footing again, so when her former best friend Magalie, loud and fearless, suddenly resurfaces, she allows herself to be spontaneous for a change. But as they head off towards their destination, it is soon apparent that Magalie’s very different approach to holidaying – and to life – could lead Blandine to her breaking point… and beyond. An unashamed crowd-pleaser with Kristin Scott Thomas getting in on the act and letting down her hair as a hippie jewellery maker called Bijou. The film emerges as a breezily delightful tale of female camaraderie, intermingled with laughter, tears and great scenery around Amorgos, where Luc Besson’s cult ‘The Big Blue’ was shot. (Subtitles)

France/Greece/Belgium 2022 Marc Fitoussi 110m