The Turin Horse: Audience Score 66%

Well a fantastic experience tonight! Bela Tarr will certainly be missed by Keswick Film Club if the reaction to 'The Turin Horse' is anything to go by. One visitor to Keswick told me 'this was the first art film I have seen. It wasn't what I am used to, but it was beautiful'. Another written comment was ' Bela Tarr challenges our assumption about what a film should be - very refreshing, Thank you for showing it!' Were you there? What did you think? Go on to Facebook now and tell us.

The Turin Horse - Sunday 14th October 5pm

We have ... and experience for you this week! The Turin Horse, directed by Bela Tarr.  To set the mood, here's a quote from (an admittedly little known) critic - Jeffery M Anderson (Combustible Celluloid) -

'The good news is that a new Bela Tarr movie is here. The bad news is that Tarr, who is easily one of the greatest film makers alive today -- and perhaps of all time -- has announced that The Turin Horse will be his last' .

Bela Tarr is a grandmaster of film direction, specialising in long takes to pull you into the film (his first film had only two takes...and it was 'Macbeth'!). For this film, he takes us to the end of the world..or is he re-running the beginning of the world, but backwards...?

The Monk - Sunday 30th September 5pm

The Monk's director, Dominik Moll, has been nominated for the Palme D'Or at Cannes for his last two films so it has been a long wait since his last one (2005). The Monk tells the story of a baby left outside a monastery who grows up to become a popular preacher. All is going well for him, until temptation drags him from the path of righteousness.

The original book this is taken from, an English Gothic novel in 1776, was a best seller, but caused quite a scandal due to its 'lascivious' content. Moll has not been tempted to create a new version of 'The Devils', instead he strips it right back to produce a 'sultry romantic horror... every bit as overblown, dense and utterly immersive as the novel' - Paul Bradshaw, Little White Lies.

This film was nominated by one of our members and I, for one, am looking forward to seeing it!

Vaughan

Monsieur Lazhar - Sunday 23rd September 5pm

Thus far, we've found nothing bad written about Monsieur Lazhar, our film for this Sunday. Rotten Tomatoes had an aggregate rating around 96% and below is a couple of extracts from the reviews.

It’s a gorgeous film too: the wintry palette of greys, browns and pale pastels, and the cold, indirect sunlight illuminate the story perfectly. Algerian-French comedian, Mohamed Fellag, carries the film with dignity, his expressive features betraying a well of emotion. We never question how unrealistic it is that an asylum seeker could show up out of nowhere to make a difference in kids’ lives – Monsieur Lazhar never pretends to be anything but a grown-up fable, and it’s a captivating one.

Film Ink.

"Monsieur Lazhar" is a moving film about teachers, but it’s not a rah-rah kind of film where classroom superheroes serve as educator, father, best friend, stand-up comedian and inspiration for their students. Instead, like the French drama "The Class" or the wonderful French documentary "To Be and To Have," the film understands the complex bond between teachers and students, and how the classroom is a sacred space they share for a short time before moving on.

Rob Thomas 77 Square

Autumn Programme: A Royal Affair - Sunday 16th 5pm

Hopefully you've now all had a good look at the new programme and agree there is another great selection of films to take us up to Christmas.

It all starts again on Sunday with A Royal Affair "Gripping, smart, well-acted - everything you want in a period drama." As always we'd like to invite you to a pre-season drink and catch up from 4:15pm at the Alhambra.