With Cumbria now in Tier 4 we must close the Film Club again. With the new strain of the virus appearing to spread throughout Britain, and the vaccine not yet in our arms to protect us, we are not expecting to re-open in the short term, but watch this space; we will let you know as soon as we know anything.
So once again the Club has been disrupted by this horrible pandemic. Please stay safe - wash your hands, wear your mask and keep your distance outside. We will see you again when we can.
Our 'on again, off again' season had now come to an end. There turned out to be a better selection of movies than we expected, despite Covid; we weren't forced to resort to reruns or old classics. We hope you have enjoyed the films we did find if you have been coming. We will be back on 10 January with some of the films we had to cancel in November plus more as we find them. Watch this space for news of a potential Festival too!
Meantime we hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year whether you are with your family or not; 2021 really has to be better..!
As soon as Mark Kermode stated that Patrick was "a Belgian nudist tragi-comedy", our ears pricked up; when the first clip had the man saying "Sometimes, to get what you want, you have to... not want what you want" we were hooked. We just had to find out why Patrick was so bothered about losing his hammer when all around him were... well… naked people.
Mark Kermode goes on to say, in the Guardian, "Anyone wanting a raunchy comedy with titillating displays of flesh definitely won’t get it… The fact that such sub-Shakespearean intrigue plays out in the nude is, remarkably, the least remarkable thing about this deadpan delight".
This one is for lovers of beauty, China and history; did I mention the beauty?
"In the court of Qianlong Emperor, the women serve as either wives or concubines while the men are mostly eunuchs or soldiers. There are, however, a few foreigners permitted to roam the palace grounds, including a couple of Jesuit priests whose religious practices are tolerated and whose artistic abilities are admired by Qianlong. One of them, the talented draftsman Attiret, is asked - or rather, commanded - by the emperor to paint the portrait of the latter's young bride Ulanara, who is still trying to find her place next to a powerful husband waging war throughout China...But the painting sessions prove difficult for both of them...Is he falling in love with her, tempted by such proximity to the female flesh? And is she unable to cope with the fact her husband is surrounded by subservient women, some of whom could be more attractive and worthy of the crown?" - Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter.
Lockdown over - check. Keswick not in Tier 3 - check. The Alhambra open on 3 December - check. We are free to start showing World Cinema again! For those of you who are happy to venture out again, the Keswick Film Club will be up and running again from Sunday 6 December at 5.00pm.
We are starting with Piano to Zanskar as previously promised, followed by the Chinese film The Lady in the Portrait on 13 December. see below for details.Both of these films are available to book on the Alhambra website so please book now! We are working on a 'Christmas film' for 20 December and will send you the details as soon as we have them.