Jan 18th   
Front Page Story**    
(GB 1953)  
British Lion. 99m. bw

A newspaper editor forsakes his wife on a busy news day.
Solidly proficient depiction of journalistic practices on a national daily, generally more interesting and moving in its sub-plots than in its central drama, which nowadays looks staid and archaic.

Written by: Jack Howells, Jay Lewis, from the novel "Final Night" by Robert Graves.
Producer: Jay Lewis. 
Director: Gordon Parry.
Starring: Jack Hawkins, Elizabeth Allan, Derek Farr, Michael Goodliffe, Eva Bartok, Walter Fitzgerald, Martin Miller, Patricia Marmont, Joseph Tomelty, Helen Haye, Ronald Adam. 
Photography: Gilbert Taylor.
Music: Jackie Brown.

Preceded by: 
Opening of the Kiel Canal
(GB 1895. 14sec. bw. silent; p: Birt Acres, Robert W. Paul; d/ph: Birt Acres.)

Movietonews (1978)
[National Toy Fair at Birmingham NEC plus Star Wars exhibition at Oxford Street]

Jan 4th    
Conclave**  (12A)     
(King Street Cinema, Ipswich)

(GB/US 2024)      
FilmNation/House Productions/Indian Paintbrush. 120m. ws

The Pope dies suddenly, and his Dean of the Vatican has the reluctant task of organising the secret conclave to elect a successor, amid several internal crises.
Consistently interesting stylisation of the Papal election process, following a familiar thriller formula of page-turning every twist in the tale, and only partly authentic in its depiction of clerical politics. Lacks a certain amount of reverence or spirituality, which only some of the actors bring to it, whilst other characters are decidedly one-dimensional.

Written by: Peter Straughan, from the novel by Robert Harris.
Producers: Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Michael Jackman, Alice Dawson, Robert Harris.
Director: Edward Berger.
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini, Sergio Castellitto, Lucien Msamati, Carlos Diehz, Brian F. O'Byrne.

Photography: Stephane Fontaine.
Music: Volker Bertelmann,
Production Design: Suzie Davies.