Aug 23rd  
The Railway Children Return* (PG)
(Olympic Studios, Barnes)

(GB 2022)
Studio Canal/Junction Films. 95m.

In 1944 three Salford children are temporarily evacuated to a village in Yorkshire, and assist an underage black deserter from the US Army.
A ghost-cum-remake of the original rather than a sequel (although including Jenny Agutter in her original role of Roberta, now a youthful and energetic grandparent), rather rose-tinted and nostalgic in spite of the supposedly darker subject matter. No classic, but the original was, so it hardly seems fair to try and put it in the same league.

Written by: Danny Brocklehurst, Jemma Rodgers.
Producer: Jemma Rodgers.
Director: Morgan Matthews.
Starring: Jenny Agutter, Sheridan Smith, Beau Gadson, Austin Haynes, John Bradley, Tom Courtenay, Hugh Quarshie.
Photography: Kit Fraser.
Music: Edward Farmer, Martin Phipps.

Aug 16th  
Paint Your Wagon*   
(US 1969)                            
Paramont/Malpaso. 149m. Super Panavision 70

A drunken California gold prospector shares both his fortune and his Mormon wife with the young man who has inadvertently led him to the gold spring.
Unnecessarily expansive film adaptation of a more modest musical stage success, from the boom or bust era of the genre, mostly miscast with stars (although Marvin's rendition of "Wanderin' Star" became a surprise chart hit), and the two leads have endearing chemistry.

Written by: Paddy Chayefsky, Alan Jay Lerner, based on the stage musical by himself and Frederick Loewe.
Producer: Alan Jay Lerner.
Director: Joshua Logan.
Starring: Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, Jean Seberg, Harve Presnell, Ray Walston, John Mitchum, Tom Ligon.
Photography: William A. Fraker.
Music/Songs: Frederick Loewe, Alan Jay Lerner, Andre Previn.
Production Design: John Truscott.

Preceded by:

Film
(US 1965. 20m. bw; A dying old man in the city hides himself away from people and animals and even his younger memories. Practically soundless 20 minute experimental film, much more indicative of its author than of Buster Keaton.; w: Samuel Beckett; d: Alan Schneider; s: Buster Keaton.)

Aug 5th   
Smashing Time*
(GB 1967)
Paramount/Partisan/Selmir. 96m.

Two Northern girls travel to London to experience the trendy highs and lows.
Swinging Sixties satire with only occasionally amusing sketches (including imitation Laurel and Hardy slapstick), but uneven in characterisation of its two leads and almost unwatchable nowadays, but a fair snapshot of the time.

Written by: George Melly.
Producers: Ray Millichip, Carlo Ponti.
Director: Desmond Davis.
Starring: Lynn Redgrave, Rita Tushingham, Michael York, Ian Carmichael, Anna Quayle, Jeremy Lloyd, Peter Jones, Arthur Mullard, David Lodge.
Photography: Manny Wynn.
Music: John Addison, Skip Bifferty.

+ among those in cameos include Paul Danquah and Murray Melvin, Rita Tushingham's two co-stars in A Taste of Honey

Preceded by:
Ain't She Sweet?**
(US 1932. Paramount. 7m. bw; Enjoyable animated musical short with the additional filming of Lillian Roth performing the title number.; d: Dave Fleischer.)