To celebrate the return of the big screen in Buxton we’ve organised some exciting events – we hope you can join us.
A weekend of very special film events 26th-27th June
We’re very excited to announce that some special guests will introduce Kes on Saturday, and a Marcel Pagnol double bill: Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources on Sunday.
Saturday 26th June, Programme begins at 2pm
Kes [1969 PG 110mins]
By the time Ken Loach came to make Kes he had considerable experience of directing TV plays behind him and he had an approach to storytelling that has been a constant in a career that has lasted nearly 60 years. His films invariably focus on aspects of social justice and strive for an authentic, realistic narrative. Kes was adapted by Barry Hines from his novel about Billy Casper (David Bradley) a 15-year-old working-class lad from Barnsley. Hines borrowed from some experiences of his brother Richard who caught and trained kestrels and Richard worked on the film teaching David Bradley how to fly the birds. We are very grateful to Richard Hines who will introduce the film sharing stories about what remains a landmark in British film history.
Saturday 26th June, 7.30pm
Minari [2020 12A 115mins]
Water celery is a herb used often in Asian cooking to give a bit of lift to a dish. In Korea it is called minari. In this semi-autobiographical film director Lee Isaac Chung tells of how a Korean family came to settle in Arkansas in the 1980s. Theirs is not an easy life. The parents, Monica and Jacob, work in a poultry unit sexing chickens as well as trying to grow vegetables on a small farm. They battle to create a new life and the struggle tests their marriage. David, a 7 year-old son, has a heart condition and grandmother who is newly arrived from Korea can be outspoken and embarrassing. Minari is full of riches: compellingly acted, beautifully filmed and with an evocative score. It has won dozens of awards and it is easy to see why.
Two lovely films on Sunday 27th will be introduced by the award-winning writer and naturalist Mark Cocker, a passionate advocate of Pagnol’s work.
2.30pm – Introduction to Jean de Florette [1986 PG 121mins] – film will start around 3pm
7pm – Introduction to Manon des Sources [1986 PG 113mins] – film will start around 7.30pm
French writer and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol made a 4 hour version of his own story Manon des Sources in 1952. It proved to be unwieldy and Pagnol was unhappy with a severely edited version that found its way into cinemas. He went some way to putting the record straight by publishing the full story as a pair of novels in 1963.
Claude Berri adapted the novels and filmed them over a period of 7 months in Provence. The whole story is a desperate family tragedy. César Soubeyran (Yves Montand) is an ageing patriarch of a distinguished family that is dying out. His one relative is a nephew, Ugolin (Daniel Auteuil) who is loyal but not all that bright. Jean Cadoret (Gérard Depardieu) arrives from the city with his young family with plans to make a success of life in a rural setting. The films won awards for the acting and cinematography and are regarded as amongst the greatest post-war French films.