The Church and Cinema in a Secular Age

As a new Pope was elected in Rome, the film ‘Conclave’ became the most successful in the history of Chichester Cinema - a perfect time for a talk looking back at the Church in film.

Sat 19 Jul 10:30 – In the Auditorium

A compelling portrait of an artist obsessed, this documentary follows German auteur Werner Herzog as he deals with difficult actors, bad weather and getting a boat over a mountain, all in an effort to make a film.

German director Werner Herzog begins work on his 1982 epic ‘Fitzcarraldo’ (also screening this week) but soon runs into serious setbacks, from casting problems to his own stubborn refusal to use special effects. After having to reshoot much of the film because the lead actor was recast, his crew must then haul an old steamboat over a mountain using manpower alone. With a resolve bordering on insanity, Herzog struggles to realize his vision, vowing to see the film completed - even if it leads to his undoing. Critics consider this one of the best – if not the best – documentaries on the making of a film. (Subtitles)

USA/West Germany 1982 Les Blank 95m

A young man fraught with guilt longs to defect from the IRA. He is drawn to the widow of a slain Protestant policeman but must hide his secret that he was involved in her husband's murder and evade the authorities.

1980s Northern Ireland: Cal (John Lynch) is a member of the Irish Republican Army, but has no stomach for the jobs he is asked to do, including driving the getaway car of the killer of a Protestant police officer. With his guilt eating away at him, he longs to defect from the organization, but Cal meets librarian Marcella (Helen Mirren), the widow of the slain officer, and is instantly drawn to her. Their mutual feelings of confusion and distress bring them together, but their relationship faces obstacles as Cal must hide his secret from Marcella, while also dodging the police. The two leads give their individual characters great substance, which only adds to the irresistible chemistry which is more than evident on screen.

UK/Ireland 1984 Pat O'Connor 102m

A horse trainer living in an isolated and picturesque location is dealing with a personal tragedy, when her daughter arrives at her doorstep, frightened, trembling and covered in someone else's blood.

In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, Kate (Julianne Moore) is a mother struggling to make peace with her troubled daughter Claire (Sydney Sweeney) - a situation that becomes even more perilous when Claire shows up on Kate's doorstep in a hysterical state. As Kate pieces together the shocking truth of what happened, she learns just how far a mother will go to try to save her child in this gripping tale of love, sacrifice and survival from BAFTA-winning director of ‘Beast’ Michael Pearce. Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney are at different points in their careers, but they are both equally able to play complicated, emotional characters capable of holding secrets until the moment they explode to the surface.

USA 2025 Michael Pearce 83m

Werner Herzog’s monumental marvel of a film is the story of an extremely determined man who intends to build an opera house in the middle of a jungle.

Opera-loving European Brian Fitzgerald (Klaus Kinski) lives in a small Peruvian city. Better known as Fitzcarraldo, this foreigner is obsessed with building an opera house in his town and decides that to make his dream a reality he needs to make a killing in the rubber business. To become a successful rubber baron, Fitzcarraldo hatches an elaborate plan that calls for a particularly impressive feat - bringing a massive boat over a mountain with the help of a band of natives. This is a truly remarkable film with a production as audacious as the feat it's depicting, ‘Fitzcarraldo’ is nothing short of an awe-inspiring spectacle. We also screen the documentary on the troubled making of this film ‘Burden of Dreams’, which really lays bare the love-hate relationship between Herzog and Kinski. (Subtitles)

West Germany/Peru 1982 Werner Herzog 158m