FILM SOCIETY - from Phoenix 68 [published November 1968]

President: Dr. Evans

General Secretary: Miss Cracknell

Membership Secretary: Miss Snow

Treasurer: Miss Bracken

House Manager: Mr. Grant

Assistant Manager: John Fenn

Publicity: Norton Asbury, Julie Henshail

Projection: Richard Curtis, Martin Hewitt, Peter Durrans

Recorded Music: John Blackwell, Jonathan Jones

Refreshments: Marilyn Essam, Linda Mayhew

Committee Members: Mrs. Cowgill, Mr. Pilcher

Representatives of forms 3 to 6

Even this long list does not name everyone who has helped to make our two short experimental seasons enjoyable and successful. We are pleased to report an increasing interest in film and a secure financial position, which encourage us to plan a longer season for next year.

J. C.

The Film Society began its second season in February with ‘The Guns of Navarone”. This war film, which cost £2 million to make, tells the story of a desperate attempt by a team of six British soldiers to silence the German guns on the island off Turkey. The group suffers many difficulties, including capture by the Germans, until their mission is finallyaccomplished. The cast includes Gregory Peck and David Niven. Carl Foreman, who produced and scripted the film, attempted to suggest that war is intolerable, and he examined the questions of courage and responsibility in war. The film seemed all the more impressive when seen on the larger screen, which we now have in the school hall.

Pierre Etaix’s film “Le Soupirant” (The Suitor), was chosen as the second film, and despite the unfortunate lack of sound for the first part, the film still conveyed much of Etaix’ s wit and charm. The film tells of a serious student, who at the suggestion of his parents, begins to look for a wife. After failing with the Swedish au pair girl, he copies other men s methods with amusing results. After seeing this film, a parent wrote: “A really funny film, charming and gay, with several nice absurdities. Pierre Etaix etait en effet un Pierrot tres admirable!"

“Le Soupirant’, made in 1963 on a budget of only £70, 000, had a nineteen week premiere run in Paris, and was soon sold throughout the world for many times its cost. Shown in the same programme we s another French film, “Histoire d’un Poisson Rouge” (The Golden Fish).

The third main film shown was “The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner”, produced and directed by Tony Richardson, and starring Tom Courtenay as Colin Smith, a character who has a very strong dislike for all forms of discipline and authority. The film seems to suggest that Colin’s amoral attitude is a family characteristic, for his father refuses to take pills, or to go to hospital, even when he is on his deathbed, and his mother is abusive to the detective, and to the factory manager even when he is giving her £500. Although Colin shares his parents’ aggressive attitude towards authority, he is more cunning. Tom Courtenay’s performance is most convincing, and he succeeds in portraying Colin as a real, complex person. About half the time of the film is taken up with flashbacks which illustrate Colin’s life before his arrival at Ruxton Towers, and with photography by Walter Lessaily, using several original techniques (e.g. the whirling camera to illustrate a sense of freedom when Cohn is out on his first run) the film proved to be very entertaining and memorable.

Shown with the above film was a cartoon film “Love Me, Love Me, Love Me”, by Dick Willaims, and a French film “La Cloche” (The Bell), directed by Jean L’Hote.

“Richard III” was the fourth main film of the season, produced and directed by, and starring Sir Laurence Olivier, as Richard, John Gielgud as Clarence, and Ralph Richardson as Buckingham. This film was made in Britain in 1955, and was the third Shakespeare film which Olivier Produced, directed and starred in, the other two being “Henry V’ in 1944, and “Hamlet” in 1946.

The film begins with the coronation of Edward IV, Richard’s brother, which is actually the last scene of Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 3. Some characters were eliminated, some scenes interchanged, and a few parts rewritten, yet this adaption is still acceptable Shakespeare, and is justified in order to make a satisfactory transfer from the stage play to the screen, and to give the film a logical and balanced framework.

The film for the fifth meeting was “1984”. adapted from Orwell’s novel and directed by Michael Anderson in Britain, in 1955. The film credits claim that "1984” has been “freely adapted” from Orwell’s book, but the main lines of the novel have been faithfully followed, the adaptation consisting mainly of simplification and condensation. Edmond O’Brlen plays the part of Winston Smith, Orwell’s “hero” of the novel, and Jan Sterling plays Julia, his lover. Other parts are played by Michael Redgrave and Michael Kossoff. Shown with “1984” was the Yugoslavian film “Substitute", directed by Dusan Vukotlc.

The sixth and last film of the season was “The Mouse That Roared”, made in Britain In 1959. This film, directed by Jack Arnold, and produced by Walter Shenson, pokes fun at the foreign policies of the Great Powers, and had Its first showing at the Geneva Conference for Foreign Ministers where it was much appreciated. The film was also well received In the United States, and introduced Peter Sellers to American audiences.

The film tells how the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, the smallest country In the world, ruled by Glorlana, is on the verge of bankruptcy. Prime Minister Mountjoy decides to declare war on the United States - a war which Grand Fenwlck would inevitably lose, and thus benefit from the generous financial help which the United States always gives to defeated nations. A small force is thus sent to attack New York, with unexpected results. Peter Sellers Is the main actor in the film, playing the parts of Prime Minister Mountjoy, Glorlana, and Tully, the leader of the force sent to attack New York.

The Russian film “The Lions Holiday”, directed by Fedor Khitzuk, was shown in the same programme, a charming cartoon film which won the Grand Prix at the International Festival at Miami In 1966. A parent who attended all the meetings wrote: “My congratulations and thanks to the committee for the variety of the six meetings. My previous comments have been on the main films, but some of the shorts have been delightful; “The Lion’s Holiday” was a happy choice."

The season has, I believe, been well-balanced, and most of the films thoroughly enjoyable. The school owes much to all those responsible, especially to Miss Cracknell and Mr. Grant, for enabling such a wide selection of films to be shown this season by the Film Society.

Peter Durrans L61