Francine Stock and star guests on the latest cinema releases, DVDs and films on TV. Friday 4.30pm - 5pm
This week
Friday 2 February 2007
Film historian Matthew Sweet assesses Alfred Hitchcocks’s early films, as a new box set is released, including Blackmail, Britain’s first ever talkie, and The Ring, Hitchcock’s celebrated silent feature. MORE DETAILS…
Alfred Hitchcock Film historian Matthew Sweet assesses Alfred Hitchcock’s early films –as a new box set is released - including Britain’s very first talkie Blackmail (with Anny Ondra), Murder (starring Herbert Marshall) and his first silent feature “The Ring” set in and around a boxing ring. His experimental use of sound predates the work of the avant garde, and provide a striking comparison with his own later work, including notable performances from Anny Ondra and Lillian Hall-Davis.
Bamako Actor Danny Glover (Dream Girls, Lethal Weapon) turns producer on Bamako. Set in the capital of Mali – Bamako – the film is set in a courtyard around which people live and in the centre of which a mock trial of the World Bank and the IMF takes place. As we hear the testimonies of the city’s inhabitants, the film addresses the themes of thirld world poverty and debt.
Art house versus blockbuster What chance do films like Bamako have of reaching as wide an audience as say Lethal Weapon? Editor of Screen International Michael Gubbins talks to Francine Stock about the crucial issue of marketing and distribution for art house film, and the role the critic plays in determing what we chose to see.
Competition Nominate your own film, block buster or art house movie, which opened your eyes to the power of cinema. Francine’s own nomination is Akira Kurosawa’ Throne of Blood – the important thing is that the film and the context in which you saw it alerted you to the particular magic of the movies. Send your nomination to [email protected] or by post to The Film Programme, BBC Broadcasting House, London W1A 1AA and you could win a box set of Alfred Hitchcock’s early silent films.
A Guide to Recognising Your Saints Based on his own memoir about his experience of growing up in Queens, New York, Dito Montiel talks about his first feature. He had never made a film before, when Robert Downey Junior, who plays Dito in the film, saw some of his video work, and introduced him to Trudy Styler, later to become his producer.
Television Picks “I Robot” – Channel 4 Sunday 4th March 9pm “Once Upon A Time in America” Film Four Tuesday 6th March 9pm “For Whom The Bell Tolls” 12.30 Thursday 8th March Channel 4
