Jul 5th  
Akenfield**

(GB 1974)                  

Memories of a Suffolk farmer on the day of his funeral while his grandson considers leaving the village and the old way of life.
Beautifully arable drama documentary with the director deliberately using non-actors to capture the native Suffolk tongue; plodding as drama, but also quite moving in its depiction of a fading era.

Written by: Ronald Blythe, from his novel.
Producers: Rex Pyke, Peter Hall.
Director: Peter Hall.
Starring: Garrow Shand, Peggy Cole, Barbara Tilney, voice of Peter Tuddenham; and others.
Photography: Ivan Strasberg, John Metcalfe, Peter Ormrod.
Music: Michael Tippett.
Art Direction: Ian Whittaker, Roger Christian.

+ Peter Hall on Akenfield

Preceded by:
The Defence of Sevastopol**
(Russia 1911. 38m(original running time 100m). bw. silent; Extracts still remaining from one of the first feature length, and probably the first semi-propaganda documentary epic reconstructing one of the major battles of the Crimean War, with static cameras and staged battles in long shot, but paving the way for the likes of Griffith, Eisenstein and others, with a touching postscript where the veterans of all sides stand before the camera.; w, d: Alexandr Khanzhankov, Vasily Goncharov.)