James Fox in Passage To India. In October, he’s coming to the David Lean Cinema to talk about the film. From Left: Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, Fox and Croydon’s own Peggy Ashcroft
The David Lean Cinema makes something of a return to its roots in October with the screening of its eponymous director’s last film, A Passage To India, with a question and answer session afterwards featuring actor James Fox and Lean’s assistant director, Patrick Cadell.
The screening and Q&A event is one of two planned for October’s programme at the Clocktower’s art-house cinema, the other being with Renee Edwards, the director of One Note At A Time, the documentary on jazz musicians in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. These high-profile Q&As follow next month’s screening of Pin Cushion at which actress Joanna Scanlan will attend to answer cinema-goers’ questions.
Fox and Cadell – who will attend subject to professional commitments – should have some fascinating tales to tell about Lean’s last film.
The epic historical drama, based on the novel by EM Forster, is set in India in the 1920s, as the British Raj is in terminal decline, and examines the personal relationships and themes of racism, imperialism and religion.
Lean had not made a film for 14 years, deterred, so it was thought, by the criticism of his previous work, Ryan’s Daughter, when released in 1970. Passage To India received warm reviews – some describing it as Lean’s finest work since Lawrence of Arabia – and 11 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. The film won two Oscars: Maurice Jarre, Lean’s trusted musical composer, for Best Original Score, and Croydon’s own Peggy Ashcroft for Best Supporting Actress (making her, at 77, the oldest actress to win the award).
Tickets for this screening, On October 13, are expected to be in high demand and film-goers are recommended to book early.
One Note At A Time is one of two movies being screened as part of Black History Month, as the David Lean Cinema’s October programme also include’s Spike Lee’s latest release, Blackkklansman.
Other notable films on offer include The Children Act, rated as Emma Thompson’s best work, and for Halloween, there’s Possum, a movie that has yet to be allocated a certification by the British Board of Film Censors.
- Unless otherwise stated, tickets for all screenings are £8.50. Concessions (Freedom Pass-holders, full-time students, claimants and disabled) £7. Rush tickets may also be available for under-25s.
David Lean Cinema programme for October
All films are at 2.30 and 7.30pm unless stated
Tue Oct 2 THE HEIRESSES (12A) (7.30pm)
2018 Paraguay 98min (subtitled). Director: Marcelo Martinessi
Stars: Ana Brun, Margarita Irun, Ana Ivanova
Chela and Chiquita have been living together in a mansion in Asunción, Paraguay for more than 30 years. They have fallen on hard times, and Chiquita is about to be imprisoned on fraud charges. Left on her own, Chela begins to provide a taxi service for other elderly ladies. She encounters the much younger Angy, and begins to bond with her. Martinessi creates a subtle tragicomedy around the nuanced performances of the three lead actresses.
Thu Oct 4 APOSTASY (PG)
2017 UK 95min. Director: Daniel Kokotajlo
Stars: Siobhan Finneran, Sacha Parkinson, Molly Wright, Robert Emms
First-time director Kokotajlo draws on his one upbringing as a Jehovah’s Witness to tell the story of a single mother and her daughters, and how each reacts to living in a strict and patriarchal society. When one of the daughters begins to turn away from the faith, her mother and sister are commanded to shun her by the church elders, leading to unbearable tensions in their home, before tragedy strikes… “Apostasy is a supremely intelligent and gripping drama” (The Guardian).
* The 2.30pm screening will be subtitled for those with hearing loss.
Tue Oct 9 THE RIDER (PG) (7.30pm)
2017 USA 104min. Director: Chloe Zhao
Stars: Brady Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lane Scott
Brady is a young Sioux rodeo rider, recovering from a near-fatal brain injury. To his circle of friends and fans, he is a winning rider just temporarily out of action, but medical staff and visits to a paraplegic friend provide a stark warning of other possible futures. Most of the cast, including Brady – a magnetic screen presence – are essentially playing themselves, in this “incredible, indelible reimagining of the American West” (Rolling Stone).
Thu Oct 11 BLACKKKLANSMAN (15)
Black History Month screening
2018 USA 135min. Director: Spike Lee
Stars: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace
1972. Ron Stallworth arrives as the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Ambitious, and determined to make his mark, Stallworth embarks on a perilous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. After recruiting the seasoned Flip Zimmerman for the sting of the decade, together they work to thwart the extremist hate group’s efforts to appeal to mainstream America. Winning the Grand Prix at Cannes and produced by Jordan Peele (Get Out), Spike Lee’s biographical dramedy tells the uncompromising story of an American hero.
Sat Oct 13 A PASSAGE TO INDIA (PG) (2pm)
Plus Q&A James Fox and Patrick Cadell
1984 UK/USA 164min. Director: David Lean
Stars: Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft, James Fox
A special “reunion” featuring actor James Fox and assistant director Patrick Cadell (subject to professional commitments). EM Forster’s novel of clashing cultures, set against the backdrop of the British Raj in the 1920s, is vividly brought to the screen in David Lean’s final triumph. It gained the most Academy Award nominations (11) of any Lean film, and Croydon-born Peggy Ashcroft won Best Supporting Actress. “A priceless work of vision, beauty and substance” (New York Times).
Tue Oct 16 ONE NOTE AT A TIME (PG) (7.30pm)
Plus Q&A with Renee Edwards
Black History Month screening
2016 UK/USA 95min. Director: Renee Edwards
Features: Bethany Bultman, Dr John, Irma Thomas, Preservation Hall Jazz Band
A thoughtful documentary examining the repressive aftermath of Hurricane Katrina through the lens of New Orleans’ musicians. Despite the resurgence of jazz in the city, conditions are generally hostile towards the success of its seasoned artists and musicians, with poverty, a waning culture and, more poignantly, an indifferent healthcare system being a handicap to their survival. Multi award-winning editor Renee Edwards’ directorial debut is a beautifully rich and intimate portrait of the music scene and its endangered remnant.
Thu Oct 18 THE CHILDREN ACT (12A)
2017 UK 105min. Director: Richard Eyre
Stars: Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Fionn Whitehead
Fiona Maye is a scrupulous High Court judge who serves her role with diligence. Her devotion to her work takes a toll, however, when she begins to neglect her husband. Suddenly, Fiona finds herself treading a tenuous border: as her marriage reaches a crisis point, she must also choose whether to permit a blood transfusion for a teen with cancer despite his family’s religiously motivated refusal. A sophisticated drama based on the eponymous novel by Ian McEwan, with an elegant performance from Thompson.
Tue Oct 23 FACES PLACES (12A) (7.30pm)
2017 France 94min (subtitled). Directors: Agnes Varda, JR
Director Agnes Varda (Vagabond) travels France with photographer JR. Sharing a passion for making, showing and sharing images, they reach out to the people they meet, listening to them and often creating and exhibiting their portraits. Equal parts breezily charming and poignantly powerful, Faces Places is a unique cross-generational portrait of life in rural France – and has made the 90-year-old Varda the oldest person ever to be nominated for an Academy Award.
Thu Oct 25 PUZZLE (15)
2018 USA 103min. Director: Marc Turtletaub
Stars: Kelly Macdonald, Irrfan Khan, David Denman
Kelly Macdonald stars as Agnes, a wife and mother in her 40s who has devoted herself to home, family and her tight-knit community. The birthday gift of a jigsaw puzzle, and the delight it brings, leads her to Robert (Irrfan Khan, The Lunchbox), who recruits her as his partner in a upcoming world jigsaw tournament. With his guidance, Agnes discovers a life outside the restrictive one she has been leading, but she must decide what comes next.
* The 2.30pm screening will be subtitled for those with hearing loss.
Tue Oct 30 THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST (15) (7.30pm)
2018 USA 91min. Director: Desiree Akhavan
Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, John Gallagher Jr., Sasha Lane, Jennifer Ehle
A high school student in 1990s Montana, Cameron is caught kissing a girl, and sent to God’s Promise, a remote gay conversion therapy centre. She and the other residents go through daily re-education exercises in the hope of “getting better”, but they can’t deny their true identities and start to realise that they’re just playing along. This Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner is a stirring look at sexuality and acceptance, featuring the best performance of Moretz’s already promising career.
Wed Oct 31 POSSUM (TBA) (7.30pm)
2018 UK 85min. Director: Matthew Holness
Stars: Sean Harris, Alun Armstrong
Halloween horror show. Returning to his childhood home, a disgraced puppeteer is forced to confront his wicked stepfather and the dark secrets that have plagued his entire life. Shot on 35mm and drawing inspiration from some of the darker British shockers of the 1970s, this understated exercise in creeping dread is a remarkable debut feature from writer/director Holness.
Plus BRIT short Shiver.
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