abfilms.org.uk

Set against the 1800’s war in Sudan, this tale of derring-do and mistaken identity is a classic Korda Brothers production, with the jingoism and racism typical of 1930s Britain evident. A British army officer takes a momentous decision to resign on the eve of his regiment setting off for war. His fellow officers are outraged and he is sent a package containing three feathers, to which he adds a fourth when his fiancée withholds her support. He later regrets his decision and departs for Egypt to try and restore his good reputation. (Cert U)
Dir: Zoltan Korda 110 mins UK 1939

There will be a discussion after this screening.

Stoical cop, Erlendur, investigates the murder of a local lowlife, suspecting links to the 1974 death of a little girl. He discovers a father hacking into the national DNA database, who is seeking answers about his own daughter’s death. The many strands are woven together in grainy detail to expose ‘the messiness of crime’. “The country is a small town over a big area, murder is rare, everybody seems to know everyone else, and although the motives are basic, the nature of it is at once modern and anachronistic. Those contrasts, that sense of place, make Jar City.” (eyeforfilm.co.uk) (Cert 15)
Dir: Baltasar Kormakur 93 mins Iceland 2006

Carné is one of the great French filmmakers, and this is one of his finest. For Quai des Brumes he had two of the most glittering French stars, Jean Gabin and Michèle Morgan. Gabin plays a deserter in Le Havre, trying to make good. But the Morgan character has another suitor, a menacing criminal. This is proto-film noir and an exercise in poetic realism. (Cert PG)
Dirs: Marcel Carné 86 mins France 1938

Tonight we welcome Ann Miller of the Leicester University French Department to introduce a Francophone film for the 14th time.

An atmospheric and poetic observation of life in 1960’s Rome and the final part in Antonioni’s celebrated 1960s trilogy. Beautifully photographed by Gianni Di Venanzo, it has powerful performances from Monica Vitti and Alain Delon, as a translator and stockbroker who meet when Vittoria (Vitti) breaks up with her lover. The film follows the course of this new relationship in a slow-paced minimal style, but the feeling is evident. (Cert PG)
Dir: Michelangelo Antonioni 118 mins Italy 1962

The 7th January screening has been cancelled as the venue is closed owing to snow. We hope we may be able to show the film at a later date.