Alhambra Centenary Film

Lights, Camera.... Alhambra! was commissioned to mark the centenary of Keswick’s Alhambra Cinema and made by Cockermouth film-maker, Joel Baker. Research for the film discovered a host of local people with memories of the cinema, dating back to the days of silent films and the first talkie – Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer.

Joel met and filmed those who had worked there, courted on the back row there and those who had misbehaved there, usually during the Saturday morning matinees.

The film also featured an interview with Nick Simpson, son of Jack who owned the cinema during the 40’s, 50’s and early 60’s. Nick, who effectively grew up in and around the Alhambra, gave an insight into the way in which his father ran the cinema and created programmes around local bus timetables and a sure knowledge of what played well in the town. One of his perks was to choose the film to be screened on his birthday – it was always a cowboy movie!

The Film is available to view on vimeo: https://vimeo.com/98131753

To obtain the password contact info@keswickfilmclub.org or try the name of the cinema where Keswick Film Club holds its Sunday Screenings.

Frank at Keswick Festival - Sunday 29th June 5:30pm

In case you hadn't seen the adverts around the town, the Keswick Festival is happening from 22 to 29 June. The idea is to show off as many of Keswick's clubs and events as possible and we have agreed to put on a film to tie in with the week.

Our slot will be Sunday 29th June at 5.30 and the film we are showing is 'Frank'. 'Frank' is a comedy based on the real life character Chris Sievey who made 'his' name by becoming Frank Sidebottom in what we can only call a musical cabaret; the point of his act was that he wore an enormous papier-mache head!

To make this film version stranger, Frank is played by the great Michael Fassbender ('Hunger', 'Shame', '12 years a Slave'), but we never see his face. The film has had a great reception from critics and audiences alike; I hope you will like it too!

Fanny - Sunday 30th March 5pm

Sadly, we reach our last film for this season. We finish with Part Two of Daniel Auteuil's trilogy - 'Fanny'. In Part One, 'Marius', we met the lovers in Marseille, with Marius not sure whether his love for Fanny was stronger than his desire to go to sea. In Part Two, he has gone to sea and left Fanny alone to face the consequences of their romance. Will he come back and marry her, or should she give way to the wooing by Panisse, the much older friend of her father's, who is in love with her too? The mix of love, drama and comedy started in 'Marius' continues here; you will have to come along to find out what Fanny decides to do...

The Patrol - Sunday 23rd March 5pm

This week's film - 'The Patrol' - is a war film, but with a different slant to the 'normal'; based around a Platoon of British soldiers in the front line Afghanistan in 2006, we are taken into their minds as they deal with lack of equipment, bad decisions by their officers and, possibly the worst, lack of faith in their politicians; why are they there at all? Why should they risk their lives for someone else's battle?  Written and directed by Tom Petch,  who is himself a former soldier, the film won the Jury prize for  'film of the festival' at last year's Raindance Festival in London, no mean feat for a new director.

Michael Kohlhaas - Sunday 16th March 5pm

We welcome back Mads Mikkelsen this weekend, playing the title role in 'Michael Kohlhaas'. We last saw him in 'A Royal Affair' and 'The Hunt', now he takes on the very different role of a  Robin Hood-like legend.  Michael Kohlhaas, a well-to-do horse dealer in 16th century France, is cheated of two horses by a local baron and his attempts to right this wrong grow steadily out of control. How far can a fight for justice be justified? Is right always right? Set against the modern wars in the Middle East and the political arguments in Ukraine, this moral dilemma seems to go on for ever...Let's see how Mikkelsen takes on the problems!