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FRIDAY NIGHT
* Le Placard (The Closet) is a French film which interweaves sexual and office politics in a comedy of manners. The plot is simple. Daniel Autueil plays an accountant facing the sack. When a neighbour suggests he pretends to be gay to see if that improves his chances of keeping his job, Auteuil encounters unforeseen complications. One of these is Gerard Depardieu as the company's boorish homophobic personnel director.
The Closet, Certificate 15, opens in cinemas across the country on Friday 17 May.
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* According to a study published today, Britain's most famous living architects are Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and Christopher Wren (who died in 1723). In the survey only 16 per cent were confident they could name a living architect. Less than a third could match a building with an architect. Best known was Lord Foster's Millennium Bridge. Front Row asked Will Alsop, architect of the award-winning Peckham Library, and one of the highest profile of contemporary architects, does it matter?
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* Van Morrison has produced around 40 titles since his first hit single, Baby Please Don't Go in 1965. The latest is called Down the Road and it's rich in references to his native Ireland and to the past 35 years or so. Has Van the Man has come up with anything new or is this one for the fans?
Down The Road is out now on the Exile label.
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* Like some architects, documentary maker Nick Broomfield tries to reveal the inner workings of his subject. A latter-day Candide, he uses a shambling Englishman persona and a faux naivety at odds with the fame or power of his interviewees to get them to reveal more of themselves than they would otherwise. His latest film centres on the murders of American rap superstars Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls between September 1996 and March 1997. Their deaths were attributed to escalating hostilities between rival east and west coast record labels but no-one has ever been charged. Broomfield's documentary links the gangsta killings with more than a suspicion of police corruption. Front Row asked him what the the spur was to make him examine these cases.
Biggie and Tupac is in London cinemas from 24 May and around the country from 7 June, Certificate 15. It will be shown on Channel 4 this autumn.
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* In a dramatic move to attract a younger audience, the Halle Orchestra in Manchester is considering stripping. Stripping its players of their traditional evening dress, that is, as part of a general review of presentation. Front Row spoke to Andrew Ryans, marketing director of the Halle, and music critic David Ward. Did they think it was a good idea to abandon evening dress?
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ON NEXT WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
The re-opened Manchester City art gallery, a review of Madonna's performance on the London stage in Up For Grabs and Sir Paul McCartney's paintings.
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RELATED LINKS
Van Morrison - fan site
Nick Broomfield - official website
The Halle Orchestra - website relaunching 21 May
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