Mar 26th
The Song of Bernadette***

(US 1943)

The asthmatic eldest daughter of an impoverished Lourdes family sees a vision of the Virgin Mary in a cave, and draws in the rest of the baffled townspeople towards the nearby water spring for its healing properties.
Long but almost perfectly paced religious drama which never allows the piety of its subject to take over and spoke very strongly to the secular worries of a wartime audience, made in a compellingly matter-of-fact style (akin to Schindler's List) and set in a perfectly realised French town, only occasionally spoilt by the occasional Hollywood accent and the visions of the Virgin herself, that look a little tacked on.

Written by: George Seaton, from the novel by Franz Werfel.
Producer: William Perlberg.
Director: Henry King.
Starring: Jennifer Jones, Charles Bickford, Gladys Cooper, Vincent Price, Lee J. Cobb, Anne Revere, Roman Bohnen, William Eythe, Sig Rumann, Aubrey Morris, Charles Dingle, Marcel Dalio.
Photography: Arthur C. Miller.
Music: Alfred Newman.
Art Direction: James Basevi, William Darling.

+ the Virgin Mary was played by an uncredited Linda Darnell

++ opening statement: "For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe in God, no explanation is possible."

Mar 25th  
The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery

(GB 1966)      

Train robbers stash their loot on the site of the new St. Trinian's school.
Broadly comic rehash of the original Belles of St. Trinian's with some lively initial moments but very few laughs, and increasing in silliness (and even racism) come the train chase finale.

Written by: Frank Launder, Ivor Herbert.
Producer: Leslie Gilliat.
Directors: Frank Launder. Sidney Gilliat.
Starring: Dora Bryan, Frankie Howerd, George Cole, Reg Varney, Raymond Huntley, Richard Wattis, Peter Gilmore, Stratford Johns (voice only).
Photography: Ken Hodges, Bert Mason.
Music: Malcolm Arnold.

Mar 18th
Murder by Death*   

(US 1976)                  

An eccentric millionaire invites the five most famous detectives to his house on a wager to decide who is the greatest crime solver of them all.
Variable all-star spoof mystery with only some decent comic moments from an author who is clearly enjoying himself too much in referencing all the famous detectives. A good deal of the rest of the entertainment comes from the skill of the performances.

Written by: Neil Simon.
Producer: Ray Stark.
Director: Robert Moore.
Starring (in no particular order): Peter Sellers (Charlie Chan), David Niven (The Thin Man), Maggie Smith, Alec Guinness, Peter Falk (Sam Spade), James Coco (Poirot), Elsa Lanchester (Miss Marple), Truman Capote, Eileen Brennan, Estelle Winwood, Richard Narita, James Cromwell, Nancy Walker.
Photography: David M. Walsh.
Music: Dave Grusin.

+ it was during the making of this film, on one of his rare filming sessions in Hollywood, that Alec Guinness was first offered the script of Star Wars

Preceded by:
Grandma's Reading Glass*
(GB 1900. 1m. bw. silent; Interesting early visual use of the extreme close-up.; d: G.A. Smith.)

Mar 7th  
Looper*                     

(US 2012)

A hitman is hired to assassinate victims sent back from the future, until he is required to kill his future self.
Intriguing but unattractive crime thriller set in the increasingly fashionable "gritty" near-future. It plays around with its scenario and paints a convincing world, but doesn't really satisfy with its characterisation.

Written and Directed by: Rian Johnson.
Producers: Ron Bergman, James D. Stern.
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Piper Perabo, Jeff Daniels, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Summer Qing.
Photography: Steve Yedlin.
Music: Nathan Johnson.

Preceded by:
La Natation par Jean Taris*
(Swimming by Jean Taris)
(FRA 1931. 10m. bw; d: Jean Vigo; ph: Boris Kaufman.)

Mar 6th
The Tommy Steele Story*

(GB 1957)

The early years in the career of Tommy Steele from learning to play the guitar in hospital to singing in cafes and clubs, climaxing with a celebration concert.
A slice of the 50s again with this self-promotional biopic, one of scores made at the time to promote some occasionally decent songs, before the days of pop videos. Quite engaging at times, with a Calypso chorus, if totally undemanding as drama.

Written by: Norman Hudis.
Producer: Herbert Smith.
Director: Gerard Bryant.
Starring: Tommy Steele, Hilda Greenacre, Charles Lamb, Patrick Westwood, Lisa Daniely, John Boxer, Peter Lewiston, Tommy Eytle Calypso Band, Chris O'Brien's Caribbeans, Humphrey Lyttelton and his band, Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group.
Songs: Tommy Steele, Lionel Bart, Michael Pratt, and others.
Photography: Peter Hennessy.

Mar 2nd  
The Natural**      

(US 1984)                          

A gifted baseball player leaves his farm to pursue his detiny, but the road to the Major league is an unexpectedly long one.
Semi-allegorical sports fantasy in evocative post-Depression America, with heavy hints of Arthurian legend and a bevy of sporting cliches. Beautiful to look at, although glossing over many of the plot's shortcomings.

Written by: Roger Towne, Phil Dusenberry, from the novel by Bernard Malamud.
Producer: Mark Johnson.
Director: Barry Levinson.
Starring: Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley, Richard Farnsworth, Darren McGavin, Barbara Hershey, Joe Don Baker, Robert Prosky, Michael Madsen.
Photography: Caleb Deschanel.
Music: Randy Newman.
Production Design: Angelo Graham, Mel Bourne.

Preceded by:
The Kiss in the Tunnel 
(GB 1899. 1m. bw. silent; d: G.A. Smith.)