07 Nov Drama, Horror, Comedy and Thunderbirds are go! at Chelmsford Picture House
This November the Chelmsford Picture House will be screening the very best of Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy films plus a German horror classic, feminist fiction, live theatre screenings and vintage Thunderbirds!
‘Born In Flames’ (15) is a 1983 feminist fiction film, shot in the documentary style, that explores racism, sexism, sexuality and everything else in between. Lizzie Borden’s film was made on a shoestring budget and features mainly non-professional actors. The plot revolves around two New York City feminist groups which both air their concerns on pirate radio and portrays proactive women making a stand in a world full of violence and government oppression. The film is part of the Women 100 season and will be screened on Monday 5 November.
A double bill of Charlie Chaplin films will be shown on Friday 9 November to mark the centenary of World War One. ‘Shoulder Arms’ (U) was released in 1918 and sees Charlie in France during WWI. Charlie is placed in the ‘awkward squad’ and goes ‘over the top’ and captures 13 Germans, the Kaiser and the Crown Prince. He is rewarded by a ticker tape parade in New York, but was it all a dream? Charlie plays his classic character, The Tramp in ‘A Dog’s Life’ (U) and co-stars Scraps the Dog.
‘The Cabinet of Dr Caligari’ (U) is a classic 1920 German horror movie directed by Robert Weine and is the peak of German Expressionist cinema, due to its incredible dark and striking visual design. The film revolves around a hypnotist who uses a sleepwalker to commit murders. Catch it if you dare on Tuesday 13 November.
Some of the classic Laurel and Hardy short films will be celebrated on Thursday 15 November when five movies from their time at the Hal Roach Studio will be screened as part of ‘The Hal Roach Years’ (U). The films that will be screened are; ‘Busy Bodies’, ‘Dirty Work’, ‘Towed in a Hole’, ‘The Chimp’ and ‘The Music Box’. Come and witness the comic genius of Stan and Ollie at the peak of their powers.
Thunderbirds are go when ‘Thunderbirds’ (U) is shown on the big screen on Tuesday 20 November. Featuring two one-hour episodes of the brilliant 1960s series that followed the adventures of International Rescue. The two episodes have been shown some digital tenderness and have been digitally restored to HD and will look out of this world!
‘Battleship Potemkin’ (PG) is the landmark 1925 Soviet film directed by Sergei Eisenstein. The film is the dramatization of the real-life 1905 mutiny of the Imperial Russian battleship which lead to the later Russian revolution. The film is a stone-cold classic, its imagery has been copied countless times and it is often in the higher ends of the greatest films of all-time lists. The film has been fully restored, including a brand-new score, and you can watch the drama on the deck on Wednesday 21 November.
‘The Company of Strangers’ (PG) has an all-female cast of senior citizens who recall their real-life stories from their lives when a coach that they are all travelling on breaks down in Quebec, Canada. A feel-good film that considers themes such as ageing, love, marriage, racism and more. The film is part of the Women 100 season and is shown on Friday 23 November.
The cinema has two live theatre screenings in November. The ballet ‘La Sylphide’ will be shown live from the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow on Sunday 11 November at 3pm, whilst ‘Troilus and Cressida’ will be shown pre-recorded at the Royal Shakespeare Company on Friday 30 November at 7.15pm.
All of the Chelmsford Picture House films, apart from live theatre screenings start at 7.30pm.
