Francine Stock and star guests on the latest cinema releases, DVDs and films on TV. Friday 4.30pm - 5pm
This week
Friday 8th December 2006
Kate Winslet on romantic comedy The Holiday; director Kathryn Hardwicke on her film adaptation of the Nativity Story; the world's first feature film at 100; and Buster Keaton's early films.
On The Film Programme this week:
The Holiday Francine Stock meets Kate Winslet. Four times nominated for Academy Awards for films including Titanic and Iris, the actress now stars in the romantic comedy The Holiday. She talks to Francine about the film, the first time, surprisingly, she has played a contemporary Englishwoman.
The Holiday (12A) is out now.
The Story of the Kelly Gang The first ever feature film was released one hundred years ago, in December 1906. Only 16 minutes of The Story of the Kelly Gang survive, but it remains a cinematic landmark and one of Australia's great cultural artefacts. The film historian Ian Christie joins Francine from Australia, where celebrations to mark the centenary are in full swing, to discuss the film.
The Nativity Story The director Catherine Hardwicke's version of the Nativity Story is an apparently faithful adaptaton sticking closely to biblical texts. She explains to Francine why she chose to make it, and discusses unlikely similarities with her previous film, Thirteen, which dealt with the unruly behaviour of teenaged American girls.
The Nativity Story (PG) is out now.
Buster Keaton The film writer Matthew Sweet joins Francine to discuss the early short films of Buster Keaton. Made before his now familiar impassive face had become his stock-in-trade, these films combine high slapstick with spectacular and dangerous stunts.
Buster Keaton: The Complete Short Films 1917-1923 is out now as a DVD box set.
