Oct 27th 
Silence**  
(US/Taiwan/Mexico/GB/Ita/Jap 2016)                   
Stidio Canal UK/Ai Film/Sharp Sword Films/Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films/Catch Play/IM Global. 161m. ws

In 17th century Japan two Jesuit priests travel to rescue their colleague and mentor in a land where Christianity is forbidden.
Punishing but powerful Scorsese drama about suppressed faith, strongly reminiscent of his earlier work but made more as a slow solemnity than anything too vibrant cinematically, although beautiful to look at, with performances and characterisation that fight the good fight to the end.

Written by: Jay Cocks, Martin Scorsese, from the novel by Shusaku Endo.
Producers: Barbara De Fina, Martin Scorsse, Irwin Winkler, Randall Emmett, Vittorio Cecchi Gori, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Gaston Pavlovich.
Director: Martin Scorsese.
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Yosuke Kubosuka, Ciaran Hinds, Tadanobu Asaro, Issey Ogata, Shinya Tsukamoto, Bela Baptiste.
Photography: Rodrigo Prieto.
Music: Kim Allen Kluge, Kathryn Kluge.
Production Design: Dante Ferretti.

+ closing message: "For the Japanese Christians and their pastors: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam [For the greater glory of God]."

May 14th  
Conspiracy of Hearts**         
(GB 1960)

In occupied Italy in 1943, a convent endangers itself by assisting Jewish refugee children to escape the Nazis.
Easily sentimental but still surprisingly sharp ecclesiastical war drama, on British stiff upper-lip lines, but nicely filmed in scenic locations. Any potential harrowing moments are usually superseded by sentiment.

Written by: Robert Presnell Jnr, Adrian Scott.
Producer: Betty E. Box.
Director: Ralph Thomas.
Starring: Lilli Palmer, Yvonne Mitchell, Sylvia Syms, Ronald Lewis, Albert Lieven, Peter Arne, Nora Swinburne, Megs Jenkins, Michael Goodliffe, George Coulouris, David Kossoff.
Photography: Ernest Steward.
Music: Angelo Lavagnino.

Preceded by:
Tom and Jerry in 
Baby Puss*
(US 1946. 7m.; Tom is belittled for being treated like a baby. Cheerfully silly cartoon musical spoof, generally more in the style of the plotless Silly Symphonies or Looney Tunes than Tom and Jerry.; d: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera; p: Fred Quimby.)

Apr 8th   
To the Wonder*    
(US 2012)                           

An American has a tortuous love affair with a French single mother, and in between he also briefly rekindles his relationship with his boyhood sweetheart.
Another of this director's pretentious meditations on the fragility of life: a deeply personal and self-indulgent study of broken human beings hoping to find happiness (based on his second marriage), always beautiful to look at, with flashes of thoughtful scenes involving a Catholic priest struggling to keep his faith.

Written and Directed by: Terrence Malick.
Producers: Sarah Green, Nicolas Garcia.
Starring: Olga Kurylenko, Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdams, Tatiana Chiline.
Photography:Emmanuel Lubezki.
Music: Hanan Townshend, and others.
Editing: A.J. Edwards, Keith Fraase, Shane Hazen, Christopher Roldan, Mark Yoshikawa.