2011
PREVIOUSLY SHOWN
FILM LISTINGS and EVENTS

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2011
AUDIENCE
REACTIONS
AUDIENCE
"COMMENTS"
& SYNOPSIS
FOLLOW THE LINKS TO MORE OF THE FILM DETAILS
JANUARY

Alamar

Audience
Reaction
9 out of 10

 

The Red Balloon

Audience Reaction
9 out of 10

Audience reaction to this film is also given in the APRÈS FILM' feature. To view this page on the website go to the LINK at the bottom of this page.

“So real, I could smell the sea. Natan will remember for a lifetime, that magical holiday with this grand-father and father. Appealed to all the senses.”
“Beautiful film – a lovely relationship between father and son – a lovely simple life”
“Unique. Charming. Completely captivating”
“Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!”
“An idyllic place and a sensitive film – very touching, particularly the scene with Blanquita”
“Such harmony with nature. Magical”
“A bit tedious but interesting”
“A bit dull. Unsatisfactory ending”

Before their inevitable farewell, a young man of Mayan roots and Natan, his half Italian son, embark on an epic journey into the open sea.

Plus Second Feature
The Red Balloon

“Enchanting”
“Brings back memories of seeing this as a child-delightful”
“Still an imaginative masterpiece”
“Charming – amazed at the clever effects in 1956!”
“Delightful and simple”
“Very enjoyable”
“Happy, sad, funny, lovely and a picture of its time”
“I felt this film was limited in its scope”

A red balloon with a life of its own follows a little boy around the streets of Paris.
FEBRUARY
Undertow

Audience
Reaction
9 out of 10

Audience reaction to this film is also given in the APRÈS FILM' feature. To view this page on the website go to the LINK at the bottom of this page.
"A delicate lovely thing. Perfect portrayal of inner conflict"
"Superb moving film - a gem"
"Emotion portrayed with such sensibility"
"A very beautiful 'love film' which avoided both clichés and sentimentality"
"Had me guessing 'til the very end. Grim in parts but probably quite true to life except for the ghost"
"Beautiful scenery. A bit slow moving and confusing"
"Very poor!!"

An unusual ghost story set on the Peruvian seaside; a married fisherman struggles to reconcile his devotion to his male lover within his town's rigid traditions.
MARCH

Hidden Her Stories:
Woman of Change

Audience Reaction
8 out of 10

Audience reaction to this film is also given in the APRÈS FILM' feature. To view this page on the website go to the LINK at the bottom of this page.

"Congratulations to the young people who put together this excellent documentary film. This was an education for me & the articulate presenters ensured a high standard throughout the film"
"The films were inspiring and held your interest"
"Lovely way to mark International Women's Day. Very interesting" "Lots of facts about fascinating women who lived very real lives"
"Content more suitable for TV rather than cinema"

This unique documentary made by 20 young filmmakers celebrates the achievements of four inspirational
women who have not had their rightful place in the history books. A fascinating film that exposes the plights
and determination of Octavia Hill, Amy Ashwood Garvey, Claudia Jones and Jayaben Desai, including interviews
with people inspired by these women.

As one of the young filmmakers said: "I'd like people to be enlightened by these stories and inspired
by these women who fought with determination and success for what they believed in."
APRIL

Ajami

Audience
Reaction
8 out of 10


Audience reaction to this film is also given in the 'APRÈS FILM' feature. To view this page on the website go to the LINK at the bottom of this page.

Audience Reaction to last month's screening
Ajami 8/10
"Engrossing - needed concentration but worth the effort"
"An amazing, gripping and very moving film - one I won't forget"
"Good film but bloody depressing"
"Bit long. Bleak. Worth showing though!"
"Grim and difficult to understand. Wish I'd stayed at home"
"Where do you get them from? Awful"

Multiple award-winning film that intertwines five stories about everyday life in Ajami - a religiously mixed community of Jews, Muslims and Christians in Jaffa. With non-professional actors giving an unusually nuanced insight into life in Israel, the directors offer no glib solutions or sermons and allow the considerable energy of its images to sweep viewers along.

MAY

Waste Land

Audience Reaction
9 out of 10

Monday 9 - Tuesday 10 May 7.45pm
Certificate PG

Audience reaction to this film is also given in the 'APRÈS FILM' feature. To view this page on the website go to the LINK at the bottom of this page.

"Stark reality, strength and generosity of the human spirit, inspiring, heart-warming"
"An extraordinary insight into people, art and environment"
"Never seen anything quite like it before. It will stay with me"
"Utterly compelling"
"Interesting both from the re-cycling and a view of modern art, but so long and repetitive"

This uplifting documentary about Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill site on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, focuses on Vik Muniz, one of Brazil's best-regarded artists. Working with local "pickers", or catadores, who scavenge from the rubbish, Muniz sets about creating an art project that aims to raise money for the locals.

Special Event:
W S Gilbert Centenary
MAY
Sunday 29 May 2.30pm Certificate 12A

Please note there will be an interval
Arthur Sullivan and William S Gilbert become estranged when, after ten hits in a row, their latest collaboration Princess Ida is a huge flop. The stalemate is broken when Gilbert is inspired by an exhibition of Japanese arts and crafts to pen The Mikado. With a superb cast this big-hearted, splendidly droll celebration of the entertainer's lot not only goes backstage, but into accounting ledgers, hiring practices, personnel problems, sex lives and the endless detailed work of rehearsal.
JUNE
Tuesday 14 June 7.45pm Certificate PG
Gerard Winstanley leads the Diggers, a commune set up in Surrey to proclaim equality and the right to work 'free' land, but the arrival of less idealistic members of the commune undermines the movement. The polar opposite of the typical, commercial costume drama, this acclaimed production depicts the hardships and political turmoil in 17th-century England following the Civil War and the victory of the Puritans.
Member's Choice Special Screening
JULY

Peeping Tom

Audience Reaction:
7 out of 10

Audience reaction to this film is also given in the 'APRÈS FILM' feature. To view this page on the website go to the LINK at the bottom of this page

"Still shocking. An eerie soundscape - captured the mood wonderfully"
"Nostalgic. Quaint"
"Very Hitchcock"
"I saw this in 1960. Was impressed then. Unfortunately not so impressed now but enjoyable none the less"
"A bit plodding. Not the tension I expected. I was hoping for the loose ends to be tied up"

A voyeuristic focus-puller murders beautiful women and films them at the moment of their death. An audacious, clinical and ruthlessly frank thriller and one of the first - and still one of the best - cinematic journeys into the mind of a psychopath.

AUGUST

Monday 8 - Tuesday 9 7.45pm
Certificate PG

Audience reaction to this film is also given in the 'APRÈS FILM' feature. To view this page on the website go to the LINK at the bottom of this page
Staff Benda Bilili! is the name of a ragtag gang of Kinshasa street children and middle-aged wheelchair users who have over the past decade coalesced into one of central Africa's most highly regarded musical outfits. In this inspirational and uplifting documentary we follow the musicians as they fight to keep the band together in the face of personal tragedy.
DURING SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER WE SHOWED FOUR FILMS AS A
'GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD SEASON' CLICK THE ICON BELOW TO VIEW DETAILS

NOVEMBER
Special Live
Music Event
Tuesday 8 - 7.45pm
Certificate PG

Two young brothers become the leaders of a gang of kids in the Tokyo suburbs. They become disillusioned with their father when they witness how he plays the buffoon before his colleagues and boss. A silent film with its visual style so dynamic that you hardly notice, both the gags and the emotional disappointments are anchored in a sure sense of characterisation that remains wholly fresh.

DECEMBER
Tuesday 13 - 7.45pm
Certificate 15
After Elizabeth's husband dies she begins to play her tenor saxophone again, and seeks out fellow members of the Blonde Bombshells - an all-girl swing band from the 40's. With a strong script by Alan Plater this gentle comedy-drama presents some delightful performances from a star-studded cast, with Dench rightly receiving BAFTA and Golden Globe wins.


GOLDEN AGE of HOLLYWOOD SEASON

During September and October 2011 Bracknell Film Society presented a short season featuring four timeless titles from the 'thirties' classical era of the Hollywood movie.

As a contribution to this event on Sunday 11th September at 3pm, an Illustrated Talk: 'The Golden Age of Hollywood' on this era was given by Ian Banks (BA Hons, MPhil) lecturer in film studies at Reading University, Oxford and Cherwell Valley College.

FOR INFORMATION ON FILMS SHOWN IN THE
SPECIAL SEASON
CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW THE TITLE

Gold Diggers of 1933
Scarface
Stagecoach
It Happened One Night
Tuesday 13 September 7.45pm PG
Tuesday 27 September 7.45pm 15
Tuesday 11 October 7.45pm U
Tuesday 25 October 7.45pm U

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GOLDEN AGE
of
HOLLYWOOD
SEASON

GOLD
DIGGERS
of
1933
To book a ticket for forthcoming screenings please contact the SHP Box Office on 01344 484123 or click the logo below to book via the SHP website.

Tuesday 13 September 7.45pm

AWARDS

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VIEW THE AWARDS LIST

Certificate

Director: Mervyn LeRoy, USA, 1933, 96 minutes
Cast: Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Ginger Rogers

Three out-of-work showgirls are down to their last pair of stockings when a millionaire-turned-composer rescues their new show. A perfect showcase for an all-star cast. With outstanding musical numbers and the amazing choreography of Busby Berkeley. This colourful depiction of the Depression is unnerving even though the overall tone of the movie is upbeat.


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GOLDEN AGE
of
HOLLYWOOD SEASON

SCARFACE

To book a ticket for forthcoming screenings please contact the SHP Box Office on 01344 484123 or click the logo below to book via the SHP website.

Tuesday 27 September 7.45pm

AWARDS

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VIEW THE AWARDS LIST

Certificate

Directors: Howard Hawks, Richard Rosson, USA, 1932, 90 minutes
Cast: Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, George Raft, Boris Karloff

A gangster rises in the Chicago rackets. Obsessively devoted to his sister, he takes over the town - but a policeman vows to destroy his empire. Its seminal importance in the early gangster movie cycle outweighed only by its still exhilarating brilliance, this atmospheric, mesmerising and darkly humorous work is a true classic of its genre.

The film's release was delayed almost a year due to producer Howard Hughes' protracted battles with the Hays Office and regional censor boards.


BACK TO

GOLDEN AGE
of
HOLLYWOOD
SEASON

STAGECOACH

 To book a ticket for forthcoming screenings please contact the SHP Box Office on 01344 484123 or click the logo below to book via the SHP website.

Tuesday 11 October 7.45pm

AWARDS

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VIEW THE AWARDS LIST

Certificate

Directors: John Ford, USA, 1939, 96 minutes
Cast: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Thomas Mitchell, Andy Devine, John Carradine

A disparate group find themselves on the stagecoach to Lordsburg. En route, they are held up by the Ringo Kid and in danger of attack by Geronimo. It's impossible to overstate the influence of Ford's magnificent film, generally considered to be the first modern Western, as he takes the conventions of the genre and spins them on their ear.


BACK TO

GOLDEN AGE
of
HOLLYWOOD
SEASON

IT HAPPENED
ONE NIGHT

To book a ticket for forthcoming screenings please contact the SHP Box Office on 01344 484123 or click the logo below to book via the SHP website.

Tuesday 25 October 7.45pm

AWARDS

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VIEW THE AWARDS LIST

Certificate

Director: Frank Capra, USA, 1934, 100 minutes
Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns

A spoiled heiress, running away from her family, is helped by a man who's actually a reporter looking for a story. But then he falls for her... Widely considered to be the film that set the template for the modern romantic comedy, every line of dialogue is calculated bliss and the chemistry between the leads is magnificent.


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For audience comments on a selection of our past showings please CLICK on the image below to visit APRÈS FILM