Programme 2004 / 2005

Thirty Sixth Season

8th September, 2004 FAR FROM HEAVEN
6th October, 2004 L'HOMME DU TRAIN
20th October, 2004 THE PIANIST
17th November, 2004 TAKING SIDES
8th December, 2004 NICHOLAS NICKLEBY
19th January, 2005 GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
9th February, 2005 BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTRESS
9th March, 2005 VERONICA GUERIN
13th April, 2005 GOOD BYE, LENIN!

Programme from 2002/2003
Programme from 2003/2004
Programme from 2005/2006
Programme from 2006/2007
Programme from 2007/2008
Programme for 2008/2009

8th September, 2004 FAR FROM HEAVEN (USA/France 2002)

TODD HAYNES has set his film in Hartford, Connecticut in 1957 and it is a wonderful pastiche of the “women’s pictures” of the period, which raised social issues in less abrasive ways than we are used to now, but which were unashamedly moving. Immaculately acted by JULIANNE MOORE, DENNIS QUAID and DENNIS HAYSBERT.

6th October, 2004 L'HOMME DU TRAIN (France/UK/Germany/Japan 2002)

Another example proving the need for the French film industry. PATRICE LECONTE uses ageing pop-star JOHNNY HALLYDAY and veteran classic actor JEAN ROCHEFORT to explore the momentary coming together of two completely disparate men and their unlikely emotional bonding. Intelligent, witty ... and all the other regularly applicable adjectives.

20th October, 2004 THE PIANIST (France/Poland/Germany/UK 2002)

A Cannes Palme d'Or winner with Best Director BAFTA and Oscar awards for ROMAN POLANSKI as well as Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay for RONALD HARWOOD and Best Actor for ADRIAN BRODY. The true story of the Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, who was trapped in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw after the German invasion and survived to witness the consequent atrocities, told with feeling and honesty.

17th November 2004 TAKING SIDES (Germany/France/UK/Austria 2001)

Another RONALD HARWOOD script, this time adapted from his own highly successful stage play. ISTVAN SZABO makes a welcome return to direct this confrontation, set in 1946, between Wilhelm Furtwängler (STELLAN SKARSGARD), the famous conductor, and American intelligence officer, Major Steve Arnold (HARVEY KEITEL).

8th December, 2004 NICHOLAS NICKLEBY(USA/UK 2002)

The American writer-director, DOUGLAS MCGRATH, has bravely taken on the task of distilling the essence of this complicated story for the screen and his success is in no small part due to the wonderful collection of British character actors he has assembled to help him. TOM COURTENAY, CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, JIM BROADBENT et al.

19th January, 2005 GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING (UK/Luxemburg/USA 2003)*

Taken from a novel by TRACY CHEVALIER which thoughtfully explores the possible origins of Vermeer's intriguing portrait of an unknown young girl, PETER WEBBER's film is a stunning picture of life in 17th-century Delft. COLIN FIRTH, SCARLETT JOHANSSON, JUDY PARFITT, TOM WILKINSON.

9th February, 2005 BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTRESS (France/China 2002)*

Based on director DAI SIJIE's semi-autobiographical novel it recounts the story of two eighteen-year-old boys sent to live among the peasants of the far west of China during the period of the Cultural Revolution. It is funny, touching and very human.

9th March, 2005 VERONICA GUERIN (USA/UK/Ireland 2003)*

Veronica Guerin was a journalist working in Ireland who was murdered as the direct result of her investigations into the activities of Dublin's drug barons. This is a Hollywood production made by JOEL SCHUMACHER and it has all the qualities of the American investigative thriller genre with CATE BLANCHETT a luminous presence.

13th April, 2005 GOOD BYE, LENIN! (Germany 2003)*

A wry German comedy by WOLFGANG BECKER which is a direct descendant of the political and social satires of the inter-war years in Berlin. Christiane, a staunch communist, is recovering from a coma and her children fear that the shock of finding out about reunification will kill her. They try to keep it from her - with thought-provoking results.

Last Year's Programme