Ghostly

Revolver Entertainment’s ‘When The Lights Went Out’ Tells the Chilling Tale of the Most Violent Poltergeist Haunting in British History, releasing on 12^th September 2012

Revolver Entertainment, the award-winning independent film distribution company, releases When The Lights Went Out, a chilling ghost-story set in Yorkshire and based on real events of a poltergeist haunting that terrorised a family for several years, in cinemas nationwide on 14^th September 2012. The film has its Yorkshire release on 12^th September 2012.

Based on the true story of the ‘most violent poltergeist haunting in British history’, the film is a masterpiece of filmmaking by avant-garde director Pat Holden (Awaydays, The Long Weekend) and is a personal undertaking for him, as his aunt lived in the house that was plagued for several years in the 1970s by chilling ghostly activity. The film is produced by Deepak Nayar (Bend It Like Beckham, Swinging With The Finkels) and Bil Bungay (Moon).

The star-cast includes the award winning actress Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead, Late Night Shopping) who plays Jenny, alongside Steven Waddington (Carrington, Sleepy Hollow) who stars as Jenny’s husband, Len. They are joined by up and coming British actors Craig Parkinson (Control, Four Lions) and Andrea Lowe (DCI banks, Route Irish) who play their supportive friends Brian and Rita. Also appearing as Father Clifford, the local Priest, is Gary Lewis (Billy Elliot, Gangs of New York). Completing the cast is newcomer Tasha Connor, who plays Sally the young girl, targeted by the persistent Presence that is infiltrating their home and lives.

When The Lights Went Out is the 1970's set story of a down-to-earth Yorkshire family and the malevolent spirit who turns their existence upside down. The film starts with The Maynard family moving into their new home in a small town in the North-West of England. Len, Jenny, and their teenage daughter Sally soon realize, however, that their dream home isn’t so perfect after all. There is a presence living amongst them who is set to disturbingly disrupt their lives.

Len and Jenny struggle to keep the already-fragile family together under the ghost's onslaught, as sinister echoes from the distant past start to reveal its true nature. And, as things get worse, it becomes apparent that the young daughter Sally is the main focus of its attentions. All must come together to fight the evil spirit if she is to survive.

The feature film was shot on location in and around West Yorkshire for six weeks, a location that is perpetually associated with paranormal activity. Home to the most terrifying monument of early England, the Pontefract Castle of Yorkshire has been the subject of ghost sightings since the death of Richard II, who was imprisoned within the castle. Now, his looming presence has become the harbinger of terror for locals and tourists alike, giving Yorkshire the ghostly alias of ‘Bloody Pomfret.’

When The Lights Went Out is a Reliance Entertainment, Starlight Film Partners and Solar Film Partners production in association with Kintop Pictures, Bent Nail and Bil Bungay. International Sales are being represented by Simon Crowe of SC Films International.

Made in the same vein as films such as Paranormal Activity, When The Lights Went Out is an authentic portrayal of the Maynard family’s ordeal, captured with chilling intensity and purpose.

When The Lights Went Out Releases in Yorkshire on 12^th September 2012 and Nationwide from the 14^th of September 2012 by Revolver Entertainment.

Bad Cinema Etiquette

to be Targeted by ‘Ninja Task Force’ in Morphsuits

The Prince Charles cinema has teamed up with Morphsuits to put an end to obnoxious behaviour with a team of ‘Invisible Cinema Ninjas’ ready to pounce on noisy viewers

Morphsuits, the full body Lycra costume company, has provided a solution to noisy and badly behaved cinemagoers by providing ‘invisible ninja’ costumes for volunteers to catch culprits of misconduct in the stalls, the second ‘anonymous vigilante’ act in this month. In a world first, The Prince Charles Cinema has hired a group of volunteer Cinema Ninjas dressed in the black all-in-one Lycra suits – practically imperceptible in the dark of a cinema – to put a stop to bad cinema etiquette and tomfoolery such as popcorn throwing, feet on seats and the use of mobile phones during films. The lighting in the cinema and the nature of the costumes has allowed the ‘ninjas’ to catch the offenders red handed.

• Morphsuits contacted The Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square, London with the idea and they agreed to trial the concept
• They recruited volunteers from their legions of regular cinemagoers in return for seeing the movie they ‘guard’ for free
• The Morphsuit ninjas have a clear brief to tackle any breach of what the cinema calls a ‘code of conduct’ for moviegoers
• The ‘ninjas’ place themselves in the darkest areas of the cinema, only coming out when they spot bad etiquette in the stalls
• Morphsuits are now looking to offer this service to other cinemas around the country, providing suits for free
• This is the second community act Morphsuits have been involved in, when last week saw ‘anonymous unrioters’ cleaning up the streets of Clapham to mark the anniversary of the London riots

Quotations

Gregor Lawson, cofounder at Morphsuits commented:

“I’m a big fan of going to the cinema, but there’s an unspoken code of conduct when you’re watching a movie that some people just don’t understand. Then when some fans were discussing being ninjas in their Morphsuits on our Facebook page I had a eureka moment. I thought I’d find a cinema and see if we could bring a light hearted taskforce to the aid of movie fans.”

Head of PR for The Prince Charles Cinema, Paul Vickery commented:

“The ‘Cinema Ninjas’ may sound ludicrous, but they have been a real success in clamping down on those ruining films for everyone else with inconsiderate behaviour. Like every cinema, we were irritated and upset by the minority of people running films for everyone else. When Morphsuits got in touch with us and suggested the Ninja idea, I thought it was a stroke of genius. We recruited some of our diehard fans, who get to watch the movies for free, and we haven’t looked back since.”

One wrongdoer who was caught by the anonymous vigilantes, Abdul Stagg, commented:

“I normally hate noisy people in cinemas, but I got a call from my friend just as the movie started and thought I could get away with taking it. The last thing I expected was two completely blacked-out people suddenly appearing by our seats and give me and my mates a warning to shut up. It was actually pretty terrifying at first, but then I realised it was a bit of a laugh and a great way to make it clear what I was doing was having an impact on those around me. It certainly made me hang up and shut up for the rest of the film.”

LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS

 MAKES ITS CINEMATIC DEBUT WITH LIVE 3D SCREENINGS AT

ODEON CINEMAS

ODEON – the largest cinema chain across the UK and Ireland - is thrilled to announce the first ever cinematic screenings of the Last Night of the Proms, LIVE from the Royal Albert Hall in spectacular 3D.

On Saturday 8 September, ODEON cinemas across the country¹ are offering guests front row seats to the BBC Proms as the world famous classical music event is shown on the cinema screen and in 3D for the very first time. 

With eight specialist cameras placed on stage, Proms fans will be able to soak up the fantastic atmosphere and feel like they are part of the action. The truly immersive film experience will offer unique and never seen before viewpoints, with cameras able to pan, tilt and rotate 180 degrees, capturing perfect footage of every performance. A remote camera will also be placed in the orchestra pit, providing a 3D view of every instrument and musician.

Drew Kaza, Digital Director at ODEON & UCI Cinemas said, “This is the first time the BBC Proms will be available to view on the cinema screen and in glorious 3D. We are delighted to be able to offer guests the chance to experience this momentous occasion which is part of our ODEON Plus programme.” 

“We look forward to celebrating the culmination of an extraordinary British summer and hope guests enjoy what’s sure to be an evening of outstanding musical talent, from the comfort of their local ODEON.”

Tickets are available to purchase on ODEON’s website www.odeon.co.uk, mobi.odeon.co.uk, via the ODEON Plus  booking line on 0871 224 1891 or by calling in at the box office. Tickets may also be purchased on the BBC Proms website http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms

The Hunger Games

A futuristic black chariot travelled the route of the District Line in London today, to celebrate the release of The Hunger Games on 2 Disc DVD, 2 Disc Blu-ray and Download to own from Monday. Replicating the famed chariot parade of the “Tributes” from the 12 “Districts” in the ground-breaking movie...

In the chariot was a “Capitol Representative” who bore a striking resemblance to Effie Trinket, along with two competition winners who won the chance to take part by creating and designing their own Hunger Games “Tribute” costumes.

The “Tributes” were 16 year old Billie Surrey from Stoke-on-Trent and 21 year oldIbtisam Ahmed from Nottingham. They entered a competition on the official The Hunger Games Facebook page to design their own Capitol-themed costume. But they weren’t required to actually enter an arena and fight to the death...

The Chariot ride began at Battersea Park and continued through to Westminster and along the Embankment taking in key London landmarks.

Billie said: "The best bit was when we took the horse drawn carriage across Westminster Bridge and there were lots of Hunger Games fans gathered there to see us. We posed for photos and it was brilliant fun. It's not every day you get to do something like that!"

Ibtisam said: "I'm a massive fan of The Hunger Games and getting  to ride through the streets of London in a Hunger Games costume I designed and made myself was amazing. It felt great being a Tribute, but I'm glad I didn't have to enter the Hunger Games arena at the end!"

Sarah Sanders, from Lionsgate Home Entertainment, commented: “We are delighted that our chosen Tributes enjoyed the day and are so excited about Monday’s DVD and Blu-ray release that they were prepared to create their own costumes.”

The Hunger Games is out on 2 disc Blu-ray, 2 disc DVD and Download to own from Monday

To find photos of the The Hunger Games-inspired chariot parade please go tohttp://www.flickr.com/photos/dnapr/

‘Netflix: What’s Hot’ guide

Wet Weather Warning: Stay Indoors with Netflix With new figures confirming the biggest washout for a century, the British Summer is officially over but fear not, Netflix will keep you entertained this September when you are indoors avoiding the rain, with the following new film and TV releases, all either out now or available from tomorrow on the service.

Breaking Bad: Season 4 Fans of hit US drama Breaking Bad can continue enjoying the show on Netflix with the arrival of season 4 starting tomorrow. The fourth season from Vince Gilligan promises as much action, drama and dark comedy as the previous seasons. About the show - A high school science teacher who learns that he has terminal lung cancer and teams with a former student to manufacture and sell high-quality crystal meth to secure his family's future.

New this fortnight

Iron Man 2 Refusing to hand over his technology to the government, rich inventor Tony Stark -- aka Iron Man — battles against his friend Lt. Col. Rhodes. But when an arms maker partners with a rogue Russian physicist, Iron Man teams up with Rhodes to take them down.

Killers When an elite assassin marries a beautiful computer whiz after a whirlwind romance, he gives up the gun and settles down with his new bride. That is, until he learns that someone from his past has put a contract out on his life.

2012 When volcanoes, earthquakes and other natural disasters suddenly threaten to destroy the world, a divorced father desperately attempts to save his family -- unaware that a conspiracy is afoot amid the chaos in this doomsday thriller.

Warrior Set in the violent world of mixed martial arts combat, this gritty drama follows two brothers at war with each other, who have pursued separate lives. But preparation for a championship bout soon leads the siblings back into each other's paths.

Spiral

Euronews in "The Spiral", the first cross-media pan-European TV series

"The Spiral", a political and detective series, will be broadcast in nine countries simultaneously, and Euronews is part of this unique project starting on September 2, 2012, playing its role as a pan-European news media reference.

Lyon, France, 31 August 2012 - Euronews is a full-fledged element of "The Spiral", a participative TV series in five episodes (52'), broadcast across Europe in September 2012 (1).

The project represents the perfect synthesis of traditional TV storytelling and new media interactivity. "The Spiral" is based on viewers' new habits; they are not just watching TV, they are also using smartphones, tablets and social media to interact with the sequence of the events.

Euronews in the Spiral

Euronews is a special partner in the series and participates to enhance the story. As international media, Euronews appears in several episodes reporting on the events and also heightens the intrigue through specific online news.

Starting with the first episode when a Europol cop watches on euronews.com a news story linked to the heist of six world renowned paintings in six museums across Europe, then on screen as the Euronews anchor presents the headlines. The Euronews bureau in Brussels also participated as the location of a scene. 

Euronews also produced special "reports" to be exclusively linked to the series' website, but in a Euronews environment. The first story is already available:www.euronews.com/2012/08/29/mystery-spirals-replace-stolen-masterpieces

 

"The Spiral" is a unique project:

everyone can enjoy it in reality, online, on TV.

Since August 21st, six world renowned paintings have already disappeared, replaced by a mysterious spiral, in six museums across Europe(2).

The game has already started: the thieves invite everyone to search for the paintings, hidden deep in www.thespiral.eu.

The series will start in the next days on air in nine countries and on seven channels(1).

The collective search will in fact result in the creation of the most valuable work of art, named The Spiral. It will be inaugurated at a major event on September 28th at 21:00 CET in front of the European Parliament in Brussels. This event is both the end of the story on TV, online and in reality.

The story

Arturo is a mysterious and enigmatic Banksy-like artist known in the art scene for his playful actions against the establishment. He runs The Warehouse, an art community in Copenhagen. Together with six young artists from The Warehouse, he sets up a major stunt: the heist of six major works of art. Arturo and the artists invite the audience to search and find the paintings to create The Spiral, the most valuable work of art.

Producer: Caviar Films, Brussels, www.caviarfilms.com, director: Hans Herbots, cast: www.thespiraltheseries.com/cast/

(1)   Arte (Germany, France, Switzerland and Belgian-speaking part), NRK (Norway), SVT (Sweden), TV3 (Denmark), Vara (The Netherlands), VRT (Belgium), YLE (Finland).

(2)   Six world renowned painting of Rubens, Eckersberg, Picasso, Larsson, Schjerfbeck and Munch disappeared in six museums across Europe: the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, the Rubenshuis in Antwerp, the DidrichsenMuseum in Helsinki, the Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo, the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven and the Thorvaldsens Museum in Copenhagen.

UK AND IRELAND EMBRACE NETFLIX

Fastest Territories To Reach One Million Netflix Members 

Netflix, the world’s leading Internet subscription service for enjoying TV series and films, has hit the one million member milestone in the UK and Ireland within seven months, faster than in any other territory it has launched.

To put that in perspective, that’s four times faster than it took Twitter to hit one million users globally and nearly twice as fast as it took Facebook and Foursquare globally.

“This membership milestone is evidence that Netflix has rapidly gained popularity in the UK and Ireland,” said Netflix Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings. “Our British and Irish members clearly enjoy the ability to instantly watch a large variety of TV shows and films streaming from  Netflix on their favourite devices whenever they want.”

Consumers are spending more time enjoying entertainment online, according to a survey by YouGov for Netflix. Ten percent of the UK population now dedicates two hours or more of their day to watching their favourite TV show delivered through the Internet.

On Netflix, comedy and drama are the top genre choices among UK and Irish members, whose favourite time of the week to enjoy their streaming entertainment is on a Sunday night.

TV presenter and gadget expert, Pollyanna Woodward comments, “Consumers are beginning to spend more time enjoying entertainment online, streaming TV and film, and this trend is only growing. With services like Netflix, consumers can watch their favourite TV shows and films when and how they want.”

Netflix is available on over 800 devices. Brits spend £565.21 a year on new electronic gear, according to YouGov, meaning that it is likely that any given household has at least one device that can stream TV shows and films from Netflix.

Netflix members can look forward to a number of great new TV shows and movies coming soon including sentimental buddy comedy “50/50”, and blockbusters “2012” and “Iron Man 2.” Members can also look forward to the next seasons of “Breaking Bad” and “Damages” on Netflix. 

Death of Tony Scott

News of the tragic death of director Tony Scott broke this morning.

As we mourn the passing of a very talented individual we thought you might like to enjoy Tony being directed by his older brother Ridley in Boy And Bicycle, one of Ridley Scott’s first films.

In this atmospheric film Tony stars as a schoolboy playing truant for the day in Hartlepool.

His bike trip takes him from the beach, to a funfair and to a deserted shack, as we listen to his random thoughts (everything from fish shops to women’s hairy legs).

Boy and Bicycle is truly a family affair, as Scott’s father drove the car used for the many tracking shots, while both of his parents make cameo appearances.

Made on an old 16mm spring-wound Bolex camera in 1962, the BFI provided Scott with post-production funding, and the film was finished with a score by John Barry.

You can watch Boy And Bicycle on The Space at:

http://thespace.org/items/e00000ml?t=cc5x

THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE

Fritz Lang’s DAS TESTAMENT DES DR. MABUSE [THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE] is to be released in the UK on Blu-ray in a Dual Format (DVD & Blu-ray) edition & limited edition SteelBook as part of Eureka Entertainment’s MASTERS OF CINEMA Series on 24 September 2012

  

Available on Blu-ray for the very first time anywhere in the world

Directed by the giant of cinema Fritz Lang (Metropolis; M; Die Nibelungen; The Big Heat; Fury; Rancho Notorious; etc.)

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SYNOPSIS:

With the etching onto glass of a single word – "MABUSE" – Berlin reawakens into a nightmare. Fritz Lang's electrifying Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse [The Testament of Dr. Mabuse] is the astonishing second instalment in the German master's legendary Mabuse series, a film that puts image and sound into an hypnotic arrangement unlike anything seen or heard in the cinema before – or since.

It's been eleven years since the downfall of arch-criminal and master-of-disguise Dr. Mabuse (Rudolf Klein-Rogge), now sequestered in an asylum under the watchful eye of one Professor Baum (Oskar Beregi). Mabuse exists in a state of "catatonic graphomania", his only action the irrepressible scribbling of blueprints that would realise a seemingly theoretical "Empire of Crime". But when a series of violent events courses through the city, police and populace alike start asking themselves with increasing panic: "Who is behind all this?!" The answer borders on the realm of the impossible…

Not only a follow-up to Lang's earlier Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler. [Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler], but also, with the presence of Otto Wernicke's Police Commissioner Lohmann, a semi-sequel to Lang's immortal masterpiece M, Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse is itself considered by many to be Lang’s greatest achievement – a work of terrible and practically supernatural power that seems to have prophesied the implications of the Nazi scourge. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse for the very first time on Blu-ray, in a Dual Format (Blu-ray + DVD) edition and limited edition SteelBook on 24 September 2012.

Available to pre-order from:

Amazon (Dual Format Edition) http://amzn.to/IPwrrB  (Ltd Edition SteelBook) http://amzn.to/NalAg3

HMV (Dual Format Edition)  http://bit.ly/NZoW7o  (Ltd Edition SteelBook) http://bit.ly/MKn0v3

Play (Dual Format Edition)  http://tidd.ly/71ec5005  (Ltd Edition SteelBook) http://tidd.ly/69468261

The Hut (Dual Format Edition)  http://tidd.ly/cd72105f  (Ltd Edition SteelBook)  http://tidd.ly/f7b9fe46

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SPECIAL DUAL FORMAT (BLU-RAY + DVD) EDITION FEATURES:

• HD transfer of the film presented in its original aspect ratio, in 1080p on the Blu-ray

• Optional English-language subtitles

• Feature-length audio commentary by film scholar and Fritz Lang expert David Kalat

• Lavish booklet featuring the words of Fritz Lang, rare archival imagery, and more

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DETAILS:

Label: Eureka Entertainment Ltd

Cat. No: EKA70009

Barcode: 5060000700091

RRP: £20.42

Steelbook Cat. No: EKA70083

Steelbook Barcode: 5060000700831

Steelbook RRP: £30.63

Release Date: 24 September 2012

Certificate: 12

Run Time: 116 minutes

Format:  1.19:1 OAR

Genre: World Cinema

Director: Fritz LANG

Year: 1933

Country:  Germany

Language: German

Subtitles: English (Optional)

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TRIVIA:

• Trivia: Banned in Germany by Nazi Josef Goebbels on the grounds that it might incite terrorism against the State

Sight & Sound Poll Winners Season

Following on from the BFI’s major announcement last week that Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo has topped Sight & Sound magazine’s Ten Greatest Films of All Time, the BFI announces that throughout September BFI Southbank will host a season of the top ten films from the poll. The season will comprise of some stalwarts of the poll including Citizen Kane (1941), 8 ½ (1963) and La Règle du jeu (1939), as well as less frequent entries such as The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) and Man With a Movie Camera (1929). This season will give cinephiles and newcomers alike a chance to see the most critically acclaimed films ever made on the big screen, and will once again prompt people to question what makes a film a ‘classic’. A question which will be further examined by a panel of industry experts including filmmaker Ben Walters and former Head of Publishing at the BFI, Edward Buscombe inCall It a Classic? 

The Sight & Sound poll is the most comprehensive and eagerly anticipated international film poll in the world. Once-a-decade, since 1952, Sight & Sound has asked international critics and filmmakers to choose their Top Ten greatest films, from across the history of world cinema. Over 800 film experts (critics, archivists, curators, programmers and academics) and over 400 directors from all over the world have contributed to the 2012 poll, voting for over 2000 films. This is the seventh time that the critics' poll has been conducted, and the third time that the directors' poll has been published. 2012 also sees the 80^th birthday of Sight & Sound, which will be marked with a re-launch of the magazine and the release of thecomprehensive digital archive of Sight & Sound and The Monthly Film Bulletin.

The season will begin with Call It a Classic?, a panel discussion which will ask questions pertinent to the Sight & Sound poll such as How does a film achieve classic status? Should there be a canon of ‘great’ films? And who gets to decide what’s a classic? To mark the publication of the poll and the 20^th Anniversary of the BFI Film Classic Series, Sight & Sound editor Nick James is joined by a panel of distinguished film historians, critics, and BFI Film Classic authors, including critic, programmer and filmmaker Ben Walters and former Head of Publishing at the BFI, Edward Buscombe, to debate these questions and more.

The 1960s produced two of the films in this year’s top ten, the first of which is Fellini’s 8 ½ (Dir. Federico Fellini, 1963). The film depicts the agonies of the creative process of filmmaking in wildly inventive ways as the viewer follows director Guido Anselmi while he struggles with ‘director’s block’. A film which repeatedly breaks the conventions of storytelling through self aware moments such as Guido whistling a tune that has just been heard on the soundtrack, 8 ½ is a film which has continued to charm film fans ever since its release in 1963. The second 60s classic, and the youngest film to appear in this year’s top ten, is Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Laden with ground-breaking special effects and iconic moments, 2001 is cited as a major influence by such directors as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (who then went on to make Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind respectively) and is a seminal Sci-Fi film which must been seen on the big screen to be fully appreciated.

Two seemingly permanent fixtures in the top ten which continue to hold their own this year are Citizen Kane (Dir. Orson Welles, 1941) and La Règle du jeu (Dir. Jean Renoir, 1939). In Citizen Kane Orson Welles tells the story of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane (largely rumoured to be based on the newspaper magnate William Hearst). The film did not do particularly well at the box office on its initial release in 1941, but with a combination of critical acclaim and a 1956 re-release it eventually became a hit, and has been atop the Sight & Sound Poll ever since 1962. La Règle du jeu has been in the top ten since 1952 despite it being derided by Parisian audiences for its satire of the French upper classes and being subsequently banned by the French government. Despite this, Renoir’s film about the loves and lives of the upper classes soon came to be regarded as a masterpiece and its appearance in the Sight & Sound top ten yet again reflects this critical consensus.   

Fans of silent cinema will be thrilled to hear that this year there are three silent masterpieces in the top ten which will be shown at BFI Southbank. Entering the top ten for the first time is Man With a Movie Camera (Dir. Dziga Vertov, 1929) the non-narrative silent film about a day in the life of the Soviet Union. The second silent film in the top ten is The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dir. Carl Dreyer, 1928). A masterpiece which is both highly experimental and utterly accessible, Dreyer’s last silent film chronicles the final day of Joan of Arc’s life, at the centre of which is a remarkable performance by Marie Falconetti as Joan. The final silent film which will screen as part of the season is Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (Dir. FW Murnau, 1927). Hailed in the US as ‘the German genius’ after having made Nosferatu (1922) and The Last Laugh (1924), Murnau was given unprecedented freedom on this his first US feature about a married farmer who becomes involved in an obsessive adulterous affair. 

Also included in the top ten are films by some of the most prolific directors in the history of cinema. Between them, Alfred Hitchcock, Yasujiro Ozu and John Ford have made well over 200 feature films, therefore gaining a critical consensus as to which of their films surpasses the rest is quite a feat in itself. Ozu’s Tokyo Story (1953) is a beautifully nuanced exploration of familial duty, expectation and regret. From the simple tale of an elderly husband and wife's visit to Tokyo to see their grown-up children, Ozu draws a compelling contrast between the dignity of age and the hurried insensitivity of a younger generation. By the time John Ford made his 115^th feature film The Searchers (1956) he had already won the Oscar for best director four times. The Searchers was not just a simple ‘Western’ tale of good guys versus bad guys, but a film about the perpetual problem of race in America, which would go on to be considered by many to be the pinnacle of his already illustrious career. Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1957) has cemented itself in the top ten since 1982 and is widely acknowledged as one of Hitchcock’s greatest achievements. James Stewart and Kim Novak star in this psychological suspense drama which will get a theatrical re-release on 7 September and also play at BFI Southbank as part of the BFI’s Genius of Hitchcock retrospective. The memorable Bernard Herrmann score and camerawork from Robert Burke combines with Hitchcock at his very best to ensure that Vertigo is a classic that should visited and re-visited on the big screen time and again.

Screenings taking place in the Sight & Sound Poll Winners season:

Call It a Classic?

How does a film achieve classic status? Should there be a canon of ‘great’ films? Who gets to decide what’s a classic? How can we spot the classics of the future? TO mark the publication of the once-a-decade Sight & Sound Greatest Films of All Time Poll and the 20^th Anniversary of the BFI Film Classic Series, Sight & Sound editor Nick James is joined by a panel of distinguished film historians, critics, and BFI Film Classic authors, including critic, programmer and filmmaker Ben Walters and former Head of Publishing at the BFI, Edward Bescombe, to debate these questions and more, exploring the idea of the classic in cinema, and asking what relevance the term still has today. Please check bfi.org.uk for further updated information on panellists.

Tickets £5

Monday 3 Sept 18:30 NFT1

8 ½ Otto e Mezzo

Italy. 1963. Dir Federico Fellini. With Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimée, Barbara Steele. 138mins. EST. 15.

The fact that Fellini’s wildly inventive film is about the agonies of the creative process – with Marcello Mastroianni starring as a film director juggling his love life, meddlesome producers and searching for artistic inspiration – means that it has unsurprisingly been a favoured film of film directors; it took third place in the 2002 directors’ poll. However it has also been a favourite of the critics’, appearing in the top ten in each of the polls since 1972. It came ninth in 2002; how with it fare this time around?

Sat 1 Sept 20:20 NFT1

Sun 16 Sept 20:20 NFT1

Tue 25 Sept 20:20 NFT1

2001: A Space Odyssey

UK 1968. Dir Stanley Kubrick. With Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Leonard Rossiter. 141min. 70mm

In a career made up of masterpieces, Kubrick’s wondrous epic nonetheless stands proud, and remains a touchstone for all sci-fi cinema since, from Solaris to Star Wars to Prometheus. It first broke into the critics’ poll top ten in 1992, coming tenth, then moving up to sixth by 2002. Will the Kubrick vote in this year’s poll be split across his other great films such as Barry Lyndon, The Shining or A Clockwork Orange, or will 2001 continue its ascension?

*Introduced by Peter Kramer

Fri 21 Sept 18:00 NFT1*

Sun 23 Sept 20:20 NFT1

Citizen Kane

USA 1941. Dir Orson Welles. With Welles, Joseph Cotten, Everett Sloane, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead. 119min. U

‘No one who is really interested in the cinema can afford to miss it’, reckoned the BFI Monthly Film Bulletin of Welles’ debut back in 1941, and it’s a verdict that Sight & Sound’s Top Ten poll has emphatically upheld over the years. Kane didn’t figure in the first poll, in 1952, but it has held the top spot ever since. It topped both the critics’ and the directors’ polls in 2002, and the burning question this year is whether it will extend its fifty-year reign.

*Introduced by Laura Mulvey

Wed 5 Sept 20:30 NFT2*

Sun 9 Sept 18:10 NFT3

Man With a Movie Camera Chelovek s Kinoapparatom

USSR 1929. Dir Dziga Vertov. c64min. With live piano accompaniment

Making its first appearance in the critics’ poll top ten, Dziga Vertov’s thrillingly audacious non-narrative silent film about a day in the life of the Soviet Union opens with a prologue announcing, ‘Attention viewers, this experimental work aims at creating a truly international language of cinema based on its absolute separation from the language of theatre and literature”. It’s a radical statement of intent for a film that still seems radically modern and pertinent today, 83 years on. Could its time have finally come?

Wed 12 Sept 20:40 NFT2

Sat 22 Sept 16:15 NFT1

The Passion of Joan of Arc La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc

France 1928. Dir Carl Dreyer. With Falconetti, Eugene Silvain, Michel Simon, Antonin Artaud. 96min. PG

Overwhelming in its intensity, Dreyer’s captivating and deeply moving silent masterpiece famously boasts one of the most powerful performances ever captured on film in Maria Falconetti’s portrayal of Joan of Arc, facing trial and execution for heresy. Interestingly, the film has dropped in and out of the critics’ poll top ten over the years; it was there in 1952, 1972 and 1992, but not in the other years. It’s back in this year’s top ten, but where will it rank?

Tue 25 Sept 18:15 NFT1

Sat 29 Sept 18:00 NFT1

La Règle du jeu

France 1939. Dir Jean Renoir. With Marcel Dalio, Nora Gregor, Gaston Modot, Jean Renoir. 110min. EST. PG

Renoir’s masterful ensemble drama has been a permanent fixture in the critics’ poll top ten since its inception. La Règle du jeu was joint tenth in 1952, third in 1962 and then second only to Kane from 1972 through to 2002, when it slipped to third behind Vertigo. Will support for Renoir’s poetic-humanist vision have swelled in the decade since, or has the critical opinion turned elsewhere?

Mon 17 Sept 20:40 NFT3

Wed 19 Sept 20:50 NFT1

Sat 22 Sept 20:40 NFT2

The Searchers

USA 1956. Dir John Ford. With John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood. 115min. U

John Ford’s unforgettable, elegiac widescreen epic is now widely acknowledged as the summation of that great American art form, the movie western. So it’s perhaps surprising that The Searchers didn’t appear in the critics’ poll top ten until 1982, when it came joint tenth. It rose to fifth place in 1992, before again falling out of the top ten in 2002. ‘That’ll be the day’ is the favoured phrase of John Wayne’s troubled

wanderer Ethan Edwards; back again in the top ten this year, could The Searchers day have finally come?

*Introduced by Edward Buscombe

Tue 2 Oct 20:40 NFT3

Sat 6 Oct 15:00 NFT1*

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

USA 1927. Dir FW Murnau. With Janet Gaynor, George O’Brien, Margaret Livingston. 94min. U

The great revival of interest in silent cinema has been one of the most remarkable stories in cinema in recent years, with the success of The Artist and numerous silent cinema festivals across the world vouching for its new popularity. Murnau’s ground-breaking masterpiece reveals the silent film form at the apogee of its expression and sophistication, and yet surprisingly it didn’t feature in the critics’ poll top ten until 2002, when it ranked joint seventh. Could this be its year?

Mon 10 Sept 20:40 NFT2

Tue 18 Sept 18:10 NFT2

Tokyo Story Tokyo Monogatari

Japan 1953. Di Yasujiro Ozu. With Chishu Ryu, Chiyeko Higashiyama, Setsuko Hara. 136min. EST. 15

Ozu’s piercingly moving film didn’t appear in the critics’ poll top ten until 1992, when it came third, before slipping to fifth in 2002. Japanese cinema had been represented by Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu Monogatari in earlier Sight & Sound critics’ polls, but critical consensus now seems to have moved firmly behind Ozu. With many of Ozu’s previously more obscure films now readily available on DVD, will the Ozu vote be spread this year, or will Tokyo Story’s stock only have risen still higher?

Sat 29 Sept 20:15 NFT1

Fri 5 Oct 18:00 NFT3

Mon 8 Oct 18:10 NFT2

Vertigo

USA 1957. Dir Alfred Hitchcock. With James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore. 128min. Digital. PG

Received lukewarmly by many critics and audiences on its first release in 1958, Hitchcock’s deeply personal and endlessly mysterious puzzle-box of a film has grown steadily in stature ever since. It didn’t appear in the top ten of the critics’ poll until 1982, when it came joint seventh, before climbing to fourth in 1992 and second only to Citizen Kane in 2002. Could 2012 be the year it finally triumphs?

Introduced by Charles Barr on Wed 12 Sept 18:00 NFT2

Fri 7 - Thu 27 Sept