COMEDY GENIUS JANE FONDA ANIMATION 2018 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
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DEC 2018
BFI SOUTHBANK
COMEDY GENIUS
JANE FONDA
ANIMATION 2018
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
ORIGINAL VINTAGE POSTERS
• Wide variety of posters from
around the world:
• Travel
• Sports incl. Ski Posters
• War and Propaganda
• Advertising
• Film Posters
• Poster Restoration
• Poster Auctions
AntikBar – Original Vintage Posters
404 King’s Road, London SW10 0LJ
Tel: 020 7352 9309
WWW.ANTIKBAR.CO.UK
THIS MONTH AT BFI SOUTHBANK
Welcome to the home of great film and TV, with a world-class library, free exhibitions and Mediatheque and plenty of food and drink
SPECIAL FILMS & EVENTS NEW RELEASES SEASONS
Dates for your cultural diary, from DVD/Blu-ray The best new cinema for you to enjoy, with plenty of screening Carefully curated collections of film
launches to weekenders, film summits and festivals dates to choose from and TV, which showcase an influential
genre, theme or talent
Morecambe and Wise
Missing Believed Wiped (p45)
Sorry to Bother You (p13)
Coming Home (p33)
BOOKING DATES IN PERSON & PREVIEWS 6 REGULAR PROGRAMME
MEMBER EXCLUSIVES 11 WOMAN WITH A 46
PATRONS AND CHAMPIONS bfi.org.uk/whatson MOVIE CAMERA,
NEW RELEASES 12 TERROR VISION
Mon 5 Nov (from 11:30)
020 7928 3232
MEMBERS RE-RELEASES 17 BFI FLARE, 47
11:30 – 20:30 daily
Tue 6 Nov (from 11:30) AFRICAN ODYSSEYS
In person SEASONS
PUBLIC BFI FAMILIES 48
Tue 13 Nov (from 11:30) 11:00 – 20:30 daily COMEDY GENIUS 18
FUTURE FILM 49
JANE FONDA 32
BFI PLAYER 50
ANIMATION 2018 36
JOIN TODAY FOR PRIORITY BOOKING AND DISCOUNTS: BFI.ORG.UK/JOIN LIBRARY, MEDIATHEQUE, 52
BIG SCREEN CLASSICS 38 MEZZANINE GALLERY
The BFI is proud to screen on film where possible, showcasing restorations SPECIAL FILMS & EVENTS 44 SHOP, BFI IMAX 56
and sourcing archive prints from our partners.
Look out for 16mm, 35mm or 70mm in the film credits.
Cover: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (p37)
Nish Kumar (p20) The League of Gentlemen (p19) Nick Helm (p20) Paul McGann (p25)
Check p18 onwards for some very special
guests and a few of our regular events –
all part
of the BFI’s Comedy Genius season, which runs
from October to the end of January
Everybody comes to Rick’s...
.........FRANK SINATRA, ELLA FITZGERALD, NAT ‘KING’ COLE and MILES DAVIS........also BILLIE HOLIDAY,
HOAGY CARMICHAEL, TONY BENNETT and DINAH WASHINGTON and more........
RICK, ILSA and SAM are present too, of course...........on Ena Records’ auspicious first release.......
PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM
- An Evening at Rick’s - “Splendidly entertaining. A perfect
stocking-filler.” Award-winning
BBC broadcaster PAUL BARNES
“A novel approach carried out with
imagination and meticulous care”
Ron Simpson, THE JAZZ RAG
“Cool,melancholy magic”
www.jumborecords.co.uk
“Check out this collection!”
CLARE TEAL, BBC Radio 2
“PLAY IT!”
RICK BLAINE
D
on C
Only CD1
ENA
Talent Q&As and rare appearances,
plus a chance for you to catch the
latest film and TV before anyone else
IN PERSON & PREVIEWS
DOC
Preview: RBG + Q&A
USA 2018. Dirs Betsy West, Julie Cohen.
97min. Digital. PG. Courtesy of Dogwoof
This new documentary follows
the impressive life of US Supreme
Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,
from her legal career to her becoming
Preview: The Image Book an unexpected pop-culture icon
Le livre d’image (nicknamed the ‘Notorious RBG’).
Switzerland-France 2018. Dir Jean-Luc Godard. 84min. Digital. EST. Cert tbc. Courtesy of MUBI Bader Ginsburg’s career spans several
Fully divorced from his New Wave Fans of Godard’s work will recognise decades, and she single-handedly
‘JOHN MALKOVICH roots, Godard revisits his dizzying
remix of film, collage and video
familiar themes – film history,
otherness and the Holocaust – in this
changed the legal framework for
women in the United States. This is
STARS AS essays in this collaboration with new, kinetic piece of work from one a fantastically inspiring film about
HERCULE POIROT Fabrice Aragno, Jean-Paul Battaggia
and Nicole Brenez.
of the living masters of cinema.
Tickets £15, concs £12 (Members pay £2 less)
a real-life superwoman.
Tickets £15, concs £12 (Members pay £2 less)
IN SARAH PHELPS’
LATEST EXCITING
AGATHA CHRISTIE
ADAPTATION’
MARCUS PRINCE,
TV PROGRAMMER
SUN 2 DEC MON 3 DEC
The ABC Murders (p8) 17:50 NFT3 18:10 NFT1
book online at bfi.org.uk
DOC
Preview: Mug Twarz TV Preview: Sound of Movie Musicals + Q&A with Neil Brand
IN PERSON & PREVIEWS
Poland 2018. Dir Małgorzata Szumowska. With Mateusz Kościukiewicz, Agnieszka Podsiadlik. BBC-Zinc Media 2018. Dir Ian Macmillan. Ep1 90min
91min. Digital. EST. Cert tbc. Courtesy of Bulldog Distribution In his new series, presenter-musician luminaries such as Mel Brooks and
Jacek (Kościukiewicz) lives in a small, While trying to deal with the Neil Brand explores the first golden Matthew Bourne, and by uncovering
stuffy town. He loves his dog, his trappings of fame, Jacek struggles age of the film musical – from 1920s a secret history of musical film in
girlfriend Dagmara and heavy metal. with his identity as he can no longer Hollywood, Josephine Baker, Astaire 1930s USSR.
After suffering a terrible accident recognise himself in the mirror. and Rogers to the groundbreaking We will be adding more guests to join the Q&A,
that completely disfigures his face, Tickets £15, concs £12 (Members pay £2 less) animation Snow White. Brand will please check bfi.org.uk for updates
Jacek gains unwilling national show how the movie musical helped
notoriety in Poland. kick-start cinema as he talks to
WED 5 DEC SAT 8 DEC
20:50 NFT1 15:30 NFT3
@BFI 7
KERMODE LIVE IN 3D
Let’s talk about film...
TALK
Mark Kermode Live in 3D at the BFI TV Preview: The ABC Murders + Q&A with director Alex Gabassi,
IN PERSON & PREVIEWS
TRT 90min James Prichard CEO of Agatha Christie Ltd, screenwriter Sarah Phelps
Mark Kermode Live in 3D at the BFI his or his guests’ cinematic guilty and actors Rupert Grint and Tara Fitzgerald
is a monthly conversation between pleasures. Get involved by tweeting BBC-Mammoth Screen 2018. Dir Alex Gabassi. With John Malkovich, Rupert Grint,
your questions in advance to Tara Fitzgerald, Andrew Buchan. Ep1 60min
you (the audience) and one of the
nation’s favourite and most respected @KermodeMovie #MK3D. Screenwriter Sarah Phelps (And Then ABC Railway Guide at the scene of
film critics. With the help of surprise £16.50, concs £13.20 (Members pay £2 less) There Were None, The Witness for the each of the murders. As Poirot
guests from the industry, Kermode Prosecution) adapts another of Agatha (Malkovich) attempts to investigate,
will explore, critique and dissect Christie’s most compelling novels. he’s thwarted on every front. If he is
movies past and present and reveal It’s 1933 and a killer travels the to match his most cunning nemesis,
length and breadth of Britain via the everything about him will be called
ominous rumble of the train tracks. into question; his authority, his
The killer strikes in a methodical integrity, his past and his identity.
pattern, leaving a copy of the
MON 10 DEC THU 13 DEC
18:30 NFT1 18:15 NFT1
8 book online at bfi.org.uk
TV Preview: The Midnight Gang TV Preview: Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special
IN PERSON & PREVIEWS
+ Q&A with David Walliams and actor Alan Davies + Q&A with actors Brendan O’Carroll, Jennifer Gibney, Paddy Houlihan
BBC-King Bert Productions 2018. Dir Eliot Hegarty. With Alan Davies, David Walliams, and Danny O’Carroll
Harish Patel. c65min BBC Studios-RTÉ-BOXPIX 2018. Dir Ben Kellett. With Brendan O’Carroll, Jennifer Gibney,
When the clock strikes midnight After the huge success of last year’s Paddy Houlihan, Danny O’Carroll. Eps 1 & 2 60min
most children are fast asleep, but for Grandpa’s Great Escape screening, Watched by upwards of nine million ‘We are excited that 2018 will see
the Midnight Gang the journey is just we’re delighted to preview another viewers, Mrs Brown’s Boys returns party time at the Browns’ house
beginning. This extraordinary story story from the creative mind of for a much-anticipated Christmas again.’ Get in the Christmas mood
of five children in an unusual David Walliams. special. Brendan O’Carroll’s unique by joining O’Carroll and the cast for
hospital setting is the basis for an David Walliams will be signing copies of mix of mayhem and heart-warming this special preview screening.
incredible late-night adventure. his books after this event for ticket holders sentiment has made the series one
only (time permitting)
of the comedy sensations of recent Part of (p18)
See p48 for our families programme
times; writer-actor O’Carroll says,
SUN 16 DEC WED 19 DEC
11:00 NFT1 18:15 NFT1
@BFI 9
THE NOBLE COLLECTION COVENT GARDEN SHOP
26-28 NEAL STREET, LONDON, WC2H 9PS • 020 3795 6298
HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros.
Entertainment Inc. WB SHIELD: © & ™ WBEI. WIZARDING WORLD trademark
www.noblecollection.co.uk
and logo © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR.
(s18)MEMBER EXCLUSIVES
These events are exclusive to BFI Members and their guests.
Join today at bfi.org.uk/join
FREE
Festive Evening Member Picks
MEMBER EXCLUSIVES
Join us for this popular annual This event is free and there’s no For a chance to see one of your favourite films on the big screen,
evening to thank you for all your need to book, so just swing by share your choice with us at bfi.org.uk/memberpicks
support over the last year. the main foyer at BFI Southbank,
Grab a drink and other seasonal any time between 17:00 and 21:00 Die Hard
treats, enjoy our film quiz and – you’re welcome to bring your USA 1988. Dir John McTiernan. With Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia,
get Christmas sorted with friends along too! Alexander Godunov. 132min. Digital 4K. 15
20% off (plus other special offers) It’s Christmas, and Hans Gruber, ‘As well being a seminal action film,
in the BFI Shop. a terrorist looking to empty a vault it's also one of the best Christmas
of a fortune in bonds, has taken a movies of all time’
number of hostages in an office block Steve Summers, BFI Member
WED 5 DEC
siege. But Gruber hadn’t reckoned
17:00-21:00 FOYER
on facing NYPD cop John McClane,
who has his mind set on reconciling
All Member exclusive tickets are just £6 unless otherwise stated. Champions with his estranged wife and enjoying
and Members can book as soon as their priority booking opens and tickets Christmas with his family.
will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Remaining tickets will be
released to the public, as a taster of the benefits of Membership, once public
WED 5 DEC
booking opens.
20:30 NFT3
@BFI 11The best new cinema for you Disobedience
to enjoy, with plenty of screening USA-UK-Ireland 2017. Dir Sebastián Lelio.
dates to choose from With Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams,
Alessandro Nivola. 114min. Digital. 15.
(see pull-out calendar)
A Curzon Artificial Eye release
In Lelio’s first English-language feature,
the acclaimed Chilean director peers
inside a strict Orthodox Jewish community
Photographer Ronit (Weisz) returns
to London after her father, a Rabbi
in an Orthodox Jewish congregation,
passes away. Estranged from her
father and shunned by her community
after she left for New York many
years ago, Ronit reunites with her
friend Dovid (Nivola) and his wife
Esti (McAdams). Ronit and Esti’s
reunion stirs up past feelings, and
they rekindle the affair they once
had as teenagers. Based on the novel
NEW RELEASES
by Naomi Alderman, Disobedience
explores queerness and religion via
an eloquent, and never judgemental,
love triangle.
‘WITNESS A Anna Bogutskaya, Events Programmer
POWERFUL TALK
ROMANTIC
TRIANGLE SET Critics’ Salon: Disobedience
TRT 60min
IN A STRICT Join us to discuss one of the
NORTH LONDON most talked about new releases,
Disobedience, from the acclaimed
ORTHODOX Chilean director Sebastián Lelio.
JEWISH Free to ticket holders of Disobedience
on Wed 5 Dec 18:00 (must be booked
COMMUNITY’ in advance due to capacity), otherwise £6.50
ANNA BOGUTSKAYA,
EVENTS PROGRAMMER WED 5 DEC 20:10 BLUE ROOM CONTINUES FROM FRI 30 NOV
Disobedience (see adjacent)
book online at bfi.org.ukSorry to Bother You
USA 2018. Dir Boots Riley.
With Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson,
Armie Hammer, Jermaine Fowler.
111min. Digital. Cert tbc. Courtesy of
Universal Pictures
Writer-director Boots Riley’s breathlessly
inventive satire is bursting with wit
and panache
Mild-mannered call-centre employee
Cassius (Stanfield) discovers he has
a talent to adopt a ‘white voice’ –
an ability which promptly lets him
climb the corporate ladder. But as he
draws closer to disturbed entrepreneur
Steve (Hammer), there might be
more at stake than just his career,
friendships with his co-workers and
his relationship with his activist
girlfriend Detroit (Thompson). In his
dark satirical debut, Boots Riley firmly
establishes himself as a powerful
NEW RELEASES
new voice in contemporary cinema.
We can only hope the Trump era
heralds more socialist comedy-
horrors like this.
Gaylene Gould,
Head of Cinema and Events
Previews on Mon 3 Dec 20:45 NFT1
Tickets £15, concs £12
(Members pay £2 less)
Audio description available
Hearing-impaired subtitles available:
Sat 29 Dec 15:50 NFT3;
Sun 30 Dec 18:00 Studio
OPENS FRI 28 DEC
@BFI 13Free Solo + Q&A*
USA 2018. Dirs Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi,
Jimmy Chin. 100min. Digital. Cert tbc.
Courtesy of Dogwoof
A nail-biting documentary from
award-winning filmmaker Elizabeth
Chai Vasarhelyi and world-renowed
photographer and mountaineer
Jimmy Chin
This poignant, in-depth portrait of
noted American rock climber Alex
Honnold follows him as he attempts
to become the first person to ever
free solo climb Yosemite’s 3,000ft
high El Capitan Wall – with no ropes
or safety gear. This is a thrilling,
edge-of-your-seat experience, filmed
with vertigo-inducing camerawork
that looks into the life and motivation
of an athlete determined to push
himself to the extreme in his quest
to achieve the perfect climb.
NEW RELEASES
Honnold challenges not only his
body but his beliefs, especially when
the unexpected twist of falling in
love threatens his focus...
Anna Bogutskaya, Events Programmer
*Preview + Q&A Tue 11 Dec 18:15 NFT1
Tickets £15, concs £12
(Members pay £2 less)
DOC OPENS FRI 28 DEC
14 book online at bfi.org.uk @BFION A MISSION to find and support new filmmakers Find out more at network.org.uk Anemone Dir. Amrou Al-Kadhi @bfinetwork
BLu-RAY GIFTS FOR FILM LOVERS
ORDER NOW FROM
Red, White and Zero © 2018 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. BFI MEMBERS ENJOY 15% OFFWe’ve selected these key It’s a Wonderful Life
classics (many newly restored) USA 1946. Dir Frank Capra. With James Stewart,
for you to enjoy, with plenty of Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore. 129min.
screening dates to choose from Digital 4K. U. A Park Circus Release
(see pull-out calendar) One of the most popular Christmas
films of all time returns in a new 4K
digital print
George Bailey is a small-town family
man who’s having a rough time
dealing with all of his problems.
When a guardian angel appears he
shows George how his good deeds
have had a positive influence on the
lives of those around him, and tries
to steer him back to happiness.
The film’s scenes depicting banker
Mr Potter as the miserly villain of
the piece caused the FBI to issue
an internal memo suggesting a
communist agenda might be at play.
Either way, this beautifully crafted
and wonderfully acted film is now
RE-RELEASES
RE-RELEASES
considered to be one of the best
Christmas films of all times.
‘WATCHING Justin Johnson, Lead Programmer
FRANK CAPRA’S See p38 for Big Screen Classics, and p26 for
our festive comedies
IT’S A WONDERFUL
LIFE IS AS
MUCH A PART
OF CHRISTMAS
AS TINSEL
AND TURKEY’
JUSTIN JOHNSON,
LEAD PROGRAMMER
It’s a Wonderful Life FROM FRI 14 DEC
(see adjacent)
@BFI 17Carefully curated collections of
film and TV, which showcase an
influential genre, theme or talent
‘A BARREL OF
LAUGHS AWAITS,
BRIMFUL OF
CHRISTMAS
SEASONS
CRACKERS,
ENGLISH
ECCENTRICS
AND COMEDY
CLASSICS’
RHIDIAN DAVIS,
CULTURAL PROGRAMME
MANAGER
Comedy Genius season Side-splitting film & TV‘YOU’LL SEE IT’S ALL A SHOW
KEEP ‘EM LAUGHING AS YOU
GO, JUST REMEMBER THAT
THE LAST LAUGH IS ON YOU...’
MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN
We shouldn’t underestimate the power of laughter,
writes BFI Cultural Programme Manager Rhidian Davis
Photo: Matt Crockett
‘How can you make jokes about Hitler?’ Mel Brooks
was asked on release of his film The Producers in 1967.
He said he wanted ‘to rob Hitler of his posthumous
power and myths.’ Charlie Chaplin and Ernst Lubitsch
courted controversy much earlier, using comedy
to lampoon the führer at the height of his power #RIPVINE AN AUDIENCE WITH THE
in films which have since been accorded classic status. TRT 100min LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN
Vine is dead, long live Vine! Join us TRT 90min
Laughter isn’t just a little light relief in serious times, to pay tribute to the six-second The League of Gentlemen reunited for
it can be a political strategy and expression of freedom. icons that have given so much joy their anniversary specials last
to millions the world over. From the December and a recent tour of the
funny, to the crazy and the plain UK. To coincide with the release of
weird, this relentlessly hilarious the DVD The League of Gentlemen –
COMEDY GENIUS
compilation represents a deep dive Live Again! (BBC Studios), we’re
into the eclectic insanity of Vine thrilled to bring them together
talent. This event is perfect for those once more to talk about writing the
who’ve looped these Vines a million new show, being back on the road,
times and those who missed out on and their comedy influences.
the phenomenon first time around. The League of Gentlemen will be signing
Curated by Pilot Light TV Festival copies of their new DVD before the event
and Live Cinema UK. AB from 7-8pm at the BFI Shop. They will only
sign copies of the new DVD, which will
be available from the shop on the night.
WANT MORE? Please note that this signing will run on
See p9 for a preview of Mrs Brown’s Boys a first-come first-served basis.
Christmas Special, p49 for Future Film
recommends, and p55 for a free exhibition
in the Mezzanine
Coming in Jan: a season of Laurel and Hardy,
and more Comedy Genius across the UK
SAT 1 DEC THU 6 DEC
18:30 NFT3 20:40 NFT1
@BFI 19TALK
TV’S NEW WAVE
OF SATIRE WITH
NISH KUMAR
+ SPECIAL GUESTS
TRT 100min
Where next for satire on TV in the
age of Trump? The Mash Report’s
SCREEN EPIPHANY: Nish Kumar looks back at great COMEDIANS CINEMA CLUB PRESENT
COMEDY GENIUS
NICK HELM INTRODUCES satirical shows such as Spitting Image, GROUNDHOG DAY + LIVE PERFORMANCE
THE NAKED GUN Time Trumpet and Brass Eye and USA 1993. Dir Harold Ramis. With Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott. 101min. Digital. PG
USA 1988. Dir David Zucker. With Leslie addresses how they have influenced Pretentious and self-absorbed Comedians Cinema Club create
Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy. weatherman Phil Connors (Murray) hilarious improvised versions of your
85min. Format tbc. 15
current satirical shows from
The Thick of It and Veep to Charlie gets stuck in a time loop in favourite movies as you’ve never seen
Writer and actor Nick Helm Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and them before, with the help of the
Brooker’s Screen Wipe, The Last Leg,
(Uncle, Loaded) introduces his is forced to relive the same day. UK’s best comedians. They have no
and Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest show
comedy screen epiphany; a film by Pretentious and self-absorbed scripts, very little prep and a massive
Who Is America? Check BFI website
David Zucker (Airplane, Top Secret), weatherman Phil Connors (Murray) love for what they do. As they take
for final guest confirmations. MP
which spawned a couple of hugely gets stuck in a time loop in on this cult classic expect chaos,
successful sequels. Police Detective Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and insanity and a lot of laughter. AB
Frank Drebin (Nielsen) uncovers a is forced to relive the same day.
plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth
II, involving a hypnotic device
that turns ordinary people
into murderers. JJ
TUE 4 DEC SAT 8 DEC FRI 14 DEC
18:15 NFT1 18:15 NFT1 20:30 NFT3
20 book online at bfi.org.uk/comedy-geniusTALK FREE
ALTERNATIVE COMEDY: THE EARLY YEARS BFI FUTURE FILM & BBC PANEL DISCUSSION:
+ INTRO BY PAUL JACKSON COMEDY PRESENT A SITCOM PRODUCTION
TRT 100min SITCOM WORKSHOP For 16 to 25-year-olds
The Comedy revolution of the 1980s Boom Boom Out Go the Lights For 16 to 25-year-olds TRT 90min
mirrored the punk music revolution BBC 1980. Dir Paul Jackson. With Rik Mayall, BFI Future Film have teamed up In this panel discussion and Q&A
of the previous decade – in that a new Keith Allen, Alexei Sayle. 30min with BBC Comedy commissioning for the team from BBC Comedy will
wave of brash young talents arrived The first TV exposure for many this unique opportunity to explore illuminate the process of writing,
on the scene determined to rejuvenate alternative comedy acts. the art of the multi-camera sitcom. directing and shooting multi-camera
COMEDY GENIUS
a culture they perceived as sexist, + The Entertainers: Come along for a hands-on experience comedy and will answer your
racist and outdated. They introduced French and Saunders and learn the tricks of the trade by questions about how to pursue
a vibrant, and in many cases political, ITV 1983. Dir Paul Jackson. 30min signing up as either a cast or a crew a TV comedy career.
alternative to the established stars, An early TV appearance of the member. BBC professionals will take Tickets to this discussion are free but must
before going on to establish themselves you on a whirlwind trip through the be booked in advance due to capacity
comedy duo.
as the next generation of TV comedy. production process, culminating in See p49 for more Future Film
+ The Entertainers:
Stomping on the Cat a live taping and screening of a script
ITV 1983. Dir Paul Jackson. 30min
specially created by the winner of
the BBC’s Felix Dexter Bursary, and
Enjoy these early appearances
a panel discussion (see right).
from Ben Elton, Helen Lederer,
Tickets £10 (spaces are limited,
Jenny Lecoat and others. DF so booking essential)
SAT 8 DEC MON 17 DEC MON 17 DEC
20:20 NFT3 11:00-15:00 NFT3 15:30 NFT3
@BFI 21STONER SATURDAYS SCREWBALL SUNDAYS
Kick back and enjoy late-night classics It’s a whip-smart battle of the sexes
preceded by 10 minutes of stand-up comedy ( All films will be preceded by a classic comedy clip or short film )
SUPERBAD MY MAN GODFREY EASY LIVING
USA 2007. Dir Greg Mottola. With Michael Cera, USA 1936. Dir Gregory La Cava. USA 1937. Dir Mitchell Leisen. With
Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, With Carole Lombard, William Powell, Jean Arthur, Edward Arnold, Ray Milland,
Emma Stone. 113min. Digital. 15 Gail Patrick, Eugene Pallette. 93min. Franklin Pangborn. 88min. 35mm PG
On the eve of graduating, high-school Digital 4K restoration. U With its inventive script by Preston
seniors Seth (Hill) and Evan (Cera) When beautiful socialite Irene Sturges, this comic fairy tale sees
lament their outsider (and virginal) (Lombard) ‘adopts’ a homeless victim impoverished Mary Smith (Arthur)
STIR CRAZY status, but their plans to join the of the Depression (Powell) as her living in luxury after an incident
butler, his behaviour and intelligence
COMEDY GENIUS
USA 1980. Dir Sidney Poitier. cool parties soon descend into chaos. involving the coat of a tycoon’s wife
With Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, first shock then provoke reflection that has everyone assume she’s his
111min. 35mm 15 long-time friends and collaborators among her family and friends. mistress... but then she falls for an
Unemployed Hollywood buds, – and the real-life basis for the As with most Hollywood films, the apparently penniless man (Milland).
screenwriter Skip (Wilder) and characters – scripted this raunchy- script is highly ambivalent about Leisen, a former art director, revels
actor Harry (Pryor), are forced to as-hell coming-of-age film that puts wealth, power and social inequality, in the sumptuous sets and unravels
serve 125-year jail sentences after the nerds centre stage. AB but La Cava’s sharp direction and the tangle of sex, money and class
being framed for a bank robbery. the performances of a marvellous with an admirably light touch. GA
This was the second film starring cast work comedic wonders. GA
the hugely successful Wilder-Pryor Also available on
partnership (after Silver Streak),
one of the most acclaimed comedy
duos in cinema history. AB
FRI 7 DEC SAT 8 DEC SAT 15 DEC FRI 21 DEC SUN 2 DEC TUE 4 DEC FRI 7 DEC SUN 9 DEC SAT 15 DEC
18:00 NFT2 23:00 NFT1 23:00 NFT1 20:40 NFT2 15:40 NFT1 18:00 NFT2 20:40 NFT3 15:15 NFT2 15:50 NFT3
22 book online at bfi.org.uk/comedy-geniusSLAPSTICK
Sensationally silly films for all the family
The General
Easy Street
THE COURT JESTER BUSTER KEATON BFI BLU-RAY LAUNCH: CHARLIE CHAPLIN
USA 1955. Dirs Melvin Frank, Norman DOUBLE-BILL: ONE WEEK ATOLL K (AKA UTOPIA) SILENT SHORTS
Panama. With Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, USA 1920. Dirs Edward F Cline, Buster Keaton. + DISCUSSION TRT 75min. With live piano accompaniment. U
Basil Rathbone. 102min. Digital. U With Buster Keaton, Sybil Seely, Joe Roberts. France-Italy 1951. Dir Léo Joannon. We celebrate the comic genius of
Hubert Hawkins (Kaye), minstrel 25min. Digital. With Carl Davis score. U With Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Suzy Delair. Charlie Chaplin by playing four silent
to the Black Fox and his band of Two newlyweds are given a DIY house, 98min. Digital (remastered 2K scan). U
short films. Audiences first met his
outlaws, infiltrates the royal castle but when the parts are intentionally Laurel and Hardy’s final film sees iconic ‘Tramp’ character in Henry
by passing himself off as the new numbered incorrectly they find it Laurel inherit a yacht and a private Lehrman’s Kid Auto Races at Venice
COMEDY GENIUS
court jester. With more than a nod collapsing around them. island in the South Seas from his (1914). In One A.M. (1916) we follow
to Robin Hood, this comic adventure uncle. Our duo set off, but become
+ THE GENERAL an inebriated man arriving home
has it all: a usurped rightful king, shipwrecked and land on an island
USA 1926. Dirs Clyde Bruckman, late, in Easy Street (1917) our hero
jousting knights and some great Buster Keaton. With Buster Keaton, that they name Crusoeland. Atoll K becomes a policeman, and in
comedy set-pieces that show off Marion Mack, Glen Cavender. 75min. Digital. is a rare opportunity to see comedy’s A Dog’s Life (1918) the Tramp saves
Kaye’s talents to the full. JJ With Carl Davis score. U finest pairing on their last adventure, a stray dog named Scraps. JJ
See p48 for our families programme In Keaton’s comedy classic he plays proving that, even with lesser material, See p29 for Silent Cinema
an engine driver caught up in they both display true comic genius. JJ
the American civil war, forced
to chase his locomotive across
country when it’s captured by
the enemy – with his sweetheart
on board! JJ
Also available on
*Seniors' matinee: Wed 12 Dec 14:00 NFT3
MON 10 DEC SUN 16 DEC SUN 2 DEC WED 12 DEC SAT 1 DEC SUN 16 DEC SAT 22 DEC
18:10 NFT3 15:10 NFT2 13:15 NFT1 14:00 NFT3* 15:45 NFT3 15:15 NFT3 13:20 NFT1
@BFI 23LAMPOONING THE FÜHRER
Taking down the regime one joke at a time
( All films will be preceded by a classic comedy clip )
TALK
THE PRODUCERS TO BE OR NOT TO BE PHILOSOPHICAL
USA 1967. Dir Mel Brooks. With Zero Mostel, USA 1942. Dir Ernst Lubitsch. SCREENS: THE ETHICS
Gene Wilder, Kenneth Mars. 88min. Digital. PG With Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, OF HUMOUR IN ‘TO BE OR
Robert Stack. 99min. 35mm U
Greedy Broadway impresario Max NOT TO BE’
Bialystock (Mostel) teams up with In pre-WWII Poland, a Warsaw
TRT 60min
timid and hyper-sensitive accountant theatre company prepares to perform
Gestapo, which satirises Nazi The latest event in our popular
Leo Bloom (Wilder) to defraud his discussion series exploring cinema
elderly investors by overselling THE GREAT DICTATOR Germany. With the imminent threat
through a philosophical lens will
COMEDY GENIUS
shares in what needs to be the worst + INTRO BY COMEDIAN of invasion looming, the troupe find
themselves performing for their lives examine the ethics of humour.
show of all time: Spring Time for Hitler: JOHN BISHOP* Should there be any topics off limits
A Gay Romp with Adolf and Eva at USA 1940. Dir Charlie Chaplin.
when the inevitable happens and art
imitates life. Both highly comic and for the comedy genre? If so, on what
Berchtesgaden. Surely this exercise With Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard,
basis, and who can decide what
in extreme bad taste will keep the Jack Oakie. 125min. Digital. PG tensely dramatic, To Be or Not to Be
doesn’t shy away from the hard we should and shouldn’t laugh at?
audiences away? JJ The Great Dictator was written,
truths of the time, and proves to be Join our regular film philosophers
produced and directed by Chaplin,
as funny as it is compelling. JJ Lucy Bolton and John Ó Maoilearca
who had just made the move from
for this timely discussion. ABa
silent to sound films. Here he plays
Free to ticket holders of To Be or Not to Be
both a brutal dictator and a Jewish on Tue 11 Dec (must be booked in advance
barber under persecution from a due to capacity), otherwise £6.50
shocking regime. One of the greatest
satirical comedies of all time, it's a
bittersweet affair that demonstrates
how all subjects can be a source of
MON 3 DEC WED 12 DEC SAT 15 DEC
comedy in the right hands. JJ
20:50 NFT3 20:45 NFT2 18:10 NFT2
THU 27 DEC TUE 4 DEC SUN 9 DEC TUE 18 DEC TUE 11 DEC THU 20 DEC SAT 22 DEC TUE 11 DEC
21:00 NFT1 20:30 NFT1* 17:25 NFT1 18:00 NFT3 18:20 NFT2 20:45 NFT2 15:40 NFT2 20:10 BLUE ROOM
24 book online at bfi.org.uk/comedy-geniusENGLISH ECCENTRICS
Keep calm and chuckle on
KIND HEARTS AND THE BELLES OF
CORONETS ST. TRINIAN’S + INTRO BY
UK 1949. Dir Robert Hamer. With Alec Guinness, ACTOR STEVE NALLON*
Valerie Hobson, Dennis Price. 106min. UK 1954. Dir Frank Launder. With Alastair Sim,
Digital. U Joyce Grenfell, George Cole. 91min. Digital. U
The son of a disgraced aristocrat who The unruly girls of St Trinian’s school
married beneath her station decides are a law unto themselves, which is
to kill off the family members who hardly surprising when their adult
COMEDY GENIUS
stand between him and his rightful role models are so lacking. Inspired
title. This gloriously dark Ealing by Ronald Searle’s cartoons, The Belles
comedy provides the opportunity for of St. Trinian’s features the inimitable
Guinness to shine as he plays each Alastair Sim in dual roles as both
member of the family in all their headmistress Millicent Fritton
eccentric splendour. Plus we screen and her brother Clarence. The film
WITHNAIL & I + INTRO BY ACTOR PAUL MCGANN* Dora Bryan in The Psychiatrist Sketch sparked a successful British comedy
AND INTRO BY ACTOR MATHEW BAYNTON** (BBC 1967, 7min). JJ franchise, spawning three sequels
UK 1987. Dir Bruce Robinson. With Richard E Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths. 108min. and a reboot over 50 years later. JJ
Digital. 15
Two ‘resting’ actors from London find tour de force with a witty, beautifully
themselves on a country retreat at observed script from Bruce Robinson
eccentric Uncle Monty’s cottage, and and outstanding performances from
partake in a cocktail of booze, pills the leads. JJ
and cigarettes just to get through the Also available on
experience. Withnail & I is a comic
WED 5 DEC FRI 14 DEC FRI 28 DEC SAT 8 DEC TUE 11 DEC SUN 23 DEC SAT 8 DEC MON 17 DEC WED 19 DEC
18:10 NFT1* 18:00 NFT3** 20:40 NFT3 20:40 NFT2 20:40 NFT2 15:40 NFT3 13:00 NFT1* 18:15 NFT3 20:40 NFT2
@BFI 25CHRISTMAS COMEDIES
Festive Ho Ho Ho's
TRADING PLACES
+ INTRO BY ACTORS
JIM HOWICK AND
BEN WILLBOND*
USA 1983. Dir John Landis. With Eddie Murphy,
Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis. 116min.
Digital. 15
MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN In this modern-day The Prince and ELF
COMEDY GENIUS
+ INTRO BY ACTOR DAVID SCHNEIDER* the Pauper, a couple of aged siblings USA 2003. Dir Jon Favreau. With Will Ferrell,
UK 1979. Dir Terry Jones. With Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, with a huge commodities portfolio Zooey Deschanel, Peter Dinklage, James
Terry Jones, Michael Palin. 93min. Digital. 15 Caan. 96min. Digital. PG
enter a wager where they swap the
‘He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very religious satire constantly tops lives of their well-educated MD After years of living with Santa as
naughty boy’: Brian Cohen spends his comedy film polls, and it’s easy to with a street hustler in order to see an elf, Buddy discovers that he’s
life being mistaken for the Messiah see why with its endlessly quotable what this reversal of fortune brings. a human and that his real father lives
due to a series of coincidences that lines, irreverence aplenty and This award-winning comedy was the in New York City. When he sets out
are seized upon by a fanatical group a sing-along-a-crucifixion that first pairing of Landis and Murphy, to track him down, Buddy finds
of followers. This controversial you’ll never forget. JJ and it's as funny as it is festive. JJ this new world difficult to adjust
to. Fifteen years on, and already
an established family favourite,
Elf is the comedy present that keeps
on giving. JJ
SAT 1 DEC SAT 15 DEC MON 17 DEC SAT 22 DEC THU 13 DEC SAT 22 DEC SAT 29 DEC THU 20 DEC SUN 23 DEC
20:50 NFT3 20:30 NFT1* 18:10 NFT2 20:40 NFT1 20:30 NFT1* 18:00 NFT2 20:40 NFT2 20:50 NFT3 13:20 NFT3
26 book online at bfi.org.uk/comedy-geniusTHE APARTMENT HOME ALONE
+ INTRO BY JONATHAN USA 1990. Dir Chris Columbus.
WAKEHAM, CO-FOUNDER With Macaulay Culkin, Catherine O’Hara,
Joe Pesci. 102min. Digital. PG
OF LOCO LONDON
In the rush to leave for their
COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL*
Christmas holidays, the McCallister
USA 1960. Dir Billy Wilder. With Jack Lemmon,
Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray. 125min. family accidentally leave young
Digital 4K. PG BAD SANTA Kevin home alone. A couple of crooks
COMEDY GENIUS
Fresh from success with Some Like USA 2003. Dir Terry Zwigoff. With Billy Bob Thornton, Lauren Graham, Bernie Mac. 91min. target the family’s supposedly empty
It Hot, Wilder re-united with Lemmon Digital. 15 house – but haven’t reckoned on the
for this tale of a lonely, ambitious The real Santa would be horrified Thornton clearly has a lot of fun nasty welcome the youngster has in
insurance clerk who lets his bosses if he came across professional thief as this seriously bad Santa; sex store for them. Comedy genius John
use his flat for their clandestine affairs. Willie T Soke, who dresses up as obsessed and with an alcohol Hughes wrote and produced this
When he sparks up a relationship with St Nicholas and – with his sidekick problem to boot. If it’s an R-rated, comic powerhouse, which was the
the lift operator he’s unaware that Marcus as an elf – robs shopping hilarious Christmas you’re after highest grossing live-action comedy
she’s one of their regular visitors. malls. Things get complicated, then Bad Santa is a gift. JJ of all time on its release in the US. JJ
Perfectly balancing Wilder’s romantic however, when a lonely, toubled kid
and cynical sides, The Apartment takes a shine to the pair. Billy Bob
won Oscars® for Best Director,
Best Screenplay and Best Picture. JJ
SAT 1 DEC SUN 9 DEC SUN 16 DEC
14:00 NFT1* 20:00 NFT3 20:00 NFT1
THU 20 DEC SAT 29 DEC FRI 21 DEC SUN 23 DEC SUN 23 DEC SAT 29 DEC
18:10 NFT2 17:30 NFT1 18:10 NFT3 20:40 NFT2 17:50 NFT3 13:45 NFT3
@BFI 27PROJECTING THE ARCHIVE
A rare chance to see rediscovered British features from the BFI National Archive
TRAVELLER’S JOY+ INTRO
COMEDY GENIUS
BY BFI CURATOR JO BOTTING
UK 1950. Dir Ralph Thomas. With Googie Withers, John McCallum, Yolande Donlan. 78min.
35mm PG
Googie Withers was one of the most Adapted from a smash-hit West End
versatile actors in post-war Britain – play, the film was rushed into
chilling as a murderess in Pink String production but was shelved until
THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL and Sealing Wax and heart-rending the stage version finished its run.
USA 1992. Dir Brian Henson. With Michael Caine and the voices of Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, as a frustrated housewife in It Always The critics weren’t bowled over,
Jerry Nelson. 86min. Digital. U Rains on Sunday. In this film she shows but the film’s pace and energetic
On Christmas eve, mean miser Emily Cratchit and joyous songs her flair for comedy, as a wife reunited performances (including Dora Bryan
Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by some aplenty, this irresistible combination with her estranged husband (played as a Swedish maid) make up for
spirits who offer him the chance of Muppets and Charles Dickens by real-life spouse John McCallum) the slightness of the plot. JB
to change before it’s too late. is a festive, comic treat. JJ when they find themselves broke and
With Caine as Scrooge, Kermit the See p48 for our families programme in Sweden after the war.
Frog and Miss Piggy as Bob and
SUN 23 DEC TUE 11 DEC
16:00 NFT2 18:10 NFT3
28 book online at bfi.org.uk/comedy-geniusSILENT CINEMA SENIORS
Enjoy the best international restorations, often with a live musical accompaniment Free matinees and talks for the over-60s
Image: Paramount Pictures
FREE
OPEN ALL NIGHT (AKA ONE PARISIAN NIGHT) SENIORS’ FREE MATINEE: SAY IT WITH FLOWERS
COMEDY GENIUS
+ INTRO BY BFI CURATOR BRYONY DIXON + INTRO
USA 1924. Dir Paul Bern. With Viola Dana, Jetta Goudal, Adolphe Menjou, Gale Henry. UK 1934. Dir John Baxter. With Mary Clare, Ben Field, George Carney. 94min. Format tbc. U
63min. 35mm With live piano accompaniment. U Incorporating real comedy and + On the Twelfth Day…
This comedy of manners, set in Paris, aplomb by Menjou) finds his own musical acts from music hall, UK 1955. Dir Wendy Toye. 23min
features a dissatisfied wife (Dana) head turned... A six-day bicycle race this story follows a group of traders A Technicolor rendition of the evergreen
who makes the common error of offers a potential change for both, who hold a benefit concert to raise Christmas song from dancer-turned-
equating male rough treatment with and an excuse for perpetually money for a flower-seller who has director Wendy Toye, starring the
passion, while her mild-mannered sozzled bon vivant Igor (Raymond fallen sick. This warm-hearted film director herself, with charming set
husband (played with his usual Griffith) to supply the comedy – is a real treat on the big screen. design by Ronald Searle. DS
as always, he steals the show. BD Free for over-60s (booking by phone or in
See p23 for some Charlie Chaplin shorts person only), otherwise normal matinee price
See p23 for a seniors' matinee of a Buster
Keaton double-bill
SUN 9 DEC WED 5 DEC
13:30 NFT2 14:00 NFT1
@BFI 29EXPERIMENTA
Artist film and alternative moving-image culture;
works that break with convention
JAAAAAM AND MOOOOOORE
COMEDY GENIUS
TRT 120min
In this special programme, treated, day-old baby daughter. And when
remixed episodes of Chris Morris’ midnight sirens lead to blue-flash
dark, surreal, horror-comedy series road-mash, stretchers, covered
blend into and out of other uncanny heads, and slippy red macadam, and
experimental pieces in the manner of find you creeping 'neath the blankets,
Morris’ original radio show Blue Jam. to snuggle close a mangle bird,
Elf
‘When dancing, lost in techno trance, hoping soon you too will be freezer
arms flailing, gawky Bez; then find drawered. Then welcome... mmm...
you snagged on frowns, and slowly ooh, chemotherapy wig, welcome. CONTRIBUTORS:
dawns. You're jazzing to the bleep In Jam. Jaaaaam.’ WF
tone of a life support machine, that
marks the steady fading of your GA Geoff Andrew DF Dick Fiddy
ABa Aga Baranowska WF William Fowler
AB Anna Bogutskaya JJ Justin Johnson
JB Jo Botting MP Marcus Prince
BD Bryony Dixon
THU 13 DEC
20:35 NFT3
30 book online at bfi.org.uk/comedy-geniusPropmasters: 30th Anniversary Auction
Friday 15 November
To commemorate Propmasters 30th
Anniversary Ewbank’s are proud to present a
very special Live Auction featuring 350+ lots
solely drawn from their unique Movie and
Television archive, which spans from the
1930’s to present day.
Production made Darth
Vader Helmet.
Estimate:
£15,000-20,000‘I DON’T OWE ANYBODY ANYTHING,
I DID IT MYSELF’
BRENDA MOREL (FONDA) IN YOUTH
This month’s programme shows how deeply Fonda’s work
aligned with her personal values, writes Gaylene Gould,
BFI Head of Cinema and Events
Jane Fonda established IPC Films (named after the Indochina
Peace Campaign) in the 1970s to tell stories dear to her heart.
Three IPC productions feature in this concluding part of our
season. Coming Home reveals Fonda working to drive home
the anti-Vietnam War message; the tender storytelling
shows that her resistance came from a deep love of America.
The China Syndrome is a chilling glimpse into man-made
environmental disasters, a threat that continues to agitate
Fonda today. But it is perhaps On Golden Pond that was closest
to her heart – she hoped it would heal the relationship
with her father Henry Fonda. Committed, passionate and
funny, the octogenarian Fonda recently wrote on her blog,
‘I’m not old. I’m perennial.’ Yes indeed. These films prove that.
WANT MORE?
See p38 for our Big Screen Classics Film copy by Anna Bogutskaya, Maggi Hurt
and Justin Johnson
COMING OF AGEJulia
USA 1977. Dir Fred Zinnemann.
With Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave,
Tout va bien
Jason Robards. 117min. Digital. PG
A rare chance to see two great
actor-activists in this controversial
adaptation. Vanessa Redgrave plays
Tout va bien firebrand Julia, drawn into the Coming Home
JANE FONDA
France 1972. Dirs Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Gorin. With Yves Montand, Jane Fonda, anti-fascist movement in Berlin USA 1978. Dir Hal Ashby. With Jane Fonda,
Vittorio Caprioli, Elizabeth Chauvin. 95min. Digital. EST. 18 during WWII, while her childhood Jon Voight, Bruce Dern. 128min. 35mm 18
Representing the powerful voice + Letter to Jane: An Investigation friend Lillian (Fonda) climbs the This moving love story was the
of the star, Fonda was cast alongside About a Still US literary ladder. When Julia first from Fonda’s own production
Montand as an American correspondent France 1972. Dirs Jean-Luc Godard, asks her to smuggle money to the company, inspired by her experience
in France who ‘no longer corresponds Groupe Dziga Vertov. 52min 16mm resistance, Lillian’s courage is tested. in the anti-war movement and her
to anything.’ Godard’s sharp and witty The famous and very personal Off screen, the pair maintained friendship with Vietnam vet and
interrogation of the state of France, deconstruction of a news photo a life-long friendship, with Fonda Born on the Fourth of July author
consumer society and the film of Fonda in Hanoi. calling Redgrave the friend, idol and Ron Kovic. Fonda co-stars as Sally,
industry post-1968 went on to become mentor who ‘put starch in her spine.’ a conservative Vietnam military wife
a classic. Watch out for the scenes who befriends a paraplegic veteran
where She and He dissect their (Voight). Directed with Hal Ashby’s
sexual and working relationship. usual tender touch, Coming Home
sports a fantastic soundtrack and
packs an emotional punch.
SAT 1 DEC FRI 21 DEC SUN 9 DEC SAT 29 DEC SAT 8 DEC FRI 14 DEC
16:45 NFT1 20:10 NFT3 20:10 NFT1 18:10 NFT2 18:00 NFT2 20:35 NFT2
@BFI 33The China Syndrome Youth
USA 1979. Dir James Bridges. With Jane Fonda, Italy-France-UK-Switzerland 2015.
Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas. 122min. Dir Paolo Sorrentino. With Michael Caine,
Digital. PG Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Jane Fonda.
In this 70s disaster-movie classic, 124min. Digital. Some EST. 15
reporter Kimberly Wells (Fonda), Jane Fonda joins actors Michael Caine
cameraman Richard Adams (Douglas) and Harvey Keitel to explore ageing
and shift supervisor Jack Godell On Golden Pond and the transformative power of art.
She plays a diva invited to a Swiss
JANE FONDA
(Lemmon) lead a desperate attempt UK-USA 1981. Dir Mark Rydell. With Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda. 109min.
to expose a nuclear disaster cover-up Digital. PG spa to meet a filmmaker and retired
before it’s too late. The terror of an Jane Fonda wanted to produce this, burgeoning relationship with her composer as they work out their
environmental man-made threat as the screenplay carried significant stepson. Famously, co-star Hepburn place in a changed world. The cast
and the few good people who try to parallels to her own troubled helped Jane face her father in key (including Paloma Faith and Paul Dano)
pull society back from the brink are relationship with her father Henry. scenes. Such vulnerability makes is as quixotic as the cinematic style
captured perfectly by an all-star cast. Daughter Chelsea (Jane Fonda) finally this film an enduring weepie, employed by Sorrentino, suggesting
edges closer to her curmudgeonly helping Henry win his first and that growing old could never be dull.
father (Henry Fonda) thanks to his only competitive Oscar® aged 76. Also available on
SUN 16 DEC SAT 22 DEC SUN 30 DEC FRI 7 DEC MON 17 DEC SUN 30 DEC SUN 23 DEC THU 27 DEC
17:25 NFT2 20:35 NFT2 20:00 NFT3 18:15 NFT3 20:45 NFT2 14:30 NFT2 20:00 NFT3 18:00 NFT3
34 book online at bfi.org.ukOpen Monday-Saturday 10.00–23.00,
Open Monday-Friday 8.00-23.00 Sundays & Bank Holidays 10.00–22.30
stephenstreet@benugo.com bfi@benugo.com / 020 7401 9000
020 7636 8906
Book Christmas lunch with us
Complimentary glass of Prosecco and enjoy a complimentary
for all Christmas lunch bookings cocktail in the Lounge
Three courses £36 Two courses £32 /three courses £35‘YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS CHRISTMAS
THING IS NOT AS TRICKY AS IT SEEMS!’
JACK SKELLINGTON
We end the year of animation with some classic festive tales;
some will send a shiver down your spine but all will entertain you,
write season co-programmers Justin Johnson and Jez Stewart
We mark this festive month with a combination of Christmas
and Raymond Briggs. Animated films Father Christmas
and The Snowman have become synonymous with festive
British TV and we play them together, alongside a rarely
seen Oscar®-winning classic by Richard Williams, whose
85th birthday we celebrated last month. We don’t need any
reason to play The Nightmare Before Christmas – it’s a great
example of design, music and beautiful stop-motion from
the incredible mind of Tim Burton. We also celebrate
the life of Roger Mainwood by playing Ethel & Ernest.
WANT MORE?
See p48 for our families programme,
and p26 for some festive comedies
FES T I V E FA MI LY FAVO U R I T ESFather Christmas
The Christmas Short Films Ethel & Ernest – A Tribute to Tim Burton’s The Nightmare FUNDAY WORKSHOP:
+ Q&A with directors Dave Unwin Roger Mainwood Before Christmas TIM BURTON’S
and Richard Williams UK 2016. Dir Roger Mainwood. With the USA 1993. Dir Henry Selick. With the voices
THE NIGHTMARE
TRT 81min voices of Brenda Blethyn, Jim Broadbent, of Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara,
Luke Treadaway, Pam Ferris. 94min. Danny Elfman. 76min. Digital. PG BEFORE CHRISTMAS
We celebrate Christmas with three Digital. PG In Halloween Town, Jack Skellington Pop along to our arts and crafts
incredible animated films. Father This animated story, told in a series finds scaring people isn’t fun any area in the BFI Southbank foyer
Christmas (1991, Dir Dave Unwin), as of vignettes, follows the lives of more so he sets his sights on for some colourful festive fun
seen through the eyes of Raymond Ethel and Ernest from their marriage
ANIMATION 2018
Christmas Town; covered in snow as you and your little ones create
Briggs, is followed by his best-loved in the 1930s onwards. Based on and full of tinsel and joy. His festive Christmas characters pulled
creation The Snowman (1982, Raymond Briggs’ illustrated book attempts get lost in translation when right out of your imaginations!
Dir Dianne Jackson). We end with about his own parents, it was directed Father Christmas disappears and If you had to create a new Santa
a very rare opportunity to see by the hugely accomplished director instead of toys in their stockings what would he or she look like?
the darkly festive Oscar®-winner Roger Mainwood, who sadly died in children find rats and shrunken Would they be naughty or nice...?
A Christmas Carol (1971, Dir Richard September. We hope to have some heads. Surely this can’t mean the This is a drop-in workshop, free
Williams), which uses groundbreaking of his friends and family with us to ticket holders of The Nightmare
end of Christmas as we know it?
techniques, and was inspired by to help celebrate his career and Before Christmas
19th-century engraved illustrations. this extraordinary work.
In association with AMPAS
SAT 15 DEC
11:45 FOYER
SUN 9 DEC TUE 4 DEC SAT 15 DEC SAT 22 DEC
15:00 NFT1 18:05 NFT3 13:15 NFT1 18:10 NFT3
@BFI 37The timeless films we urge you
to see (for just £8), programmed
by theme
BIG SCREEN CLASSICS
Bicycle Thieves Ladri di biciclette
+ intro by Dr Silvia Angeli,
GOING DOWNHILL Nottingham Trent University*
Italy 1948. Dir Vittorio De Sica.
As last month, to complement With Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola,
our comedy season (see Lianella Carell. 89min. Digital. EST. U
Vittorio De Sica’s heartrending
p18), our daily screenings landmark of neorealism chronicles
of classic movies offer a the search undertaken by an
reminder that life isn’t always impoverished Roman and his
son for the stolen bike on which
a laughing matter; things the man’s job (and his family’s
can go suddenly, surprisingly well-being) depends. The pair’s
downhill. As viewers, exhausting odyssey through the
we’re at a safe distance sun-baked streets of the postwar Tokyo Story Tokyo monogatari
city – atmospherically captured Japan 1953. Dir Yasujirô Ozu. With Chishu Ryu, Setsuko Hara, Chieko Higashiyama, Sô Yamamura.
from events on screen, but by Carlo Montuori’s camera – 136min. Digital. EST. U
that doesn’t prevent our demonstrates the fragility of our An elderly country couple visit their for Tomorrow, Ozu created a rich,
getting emotionally involved grasp on everyday contentment various offspring in a Tokyo newly deeply affecting masterpiece about
and ethical ideals. rebuilt after the war; but the now the pitfalls of getting older and the
in them. Bad stuff happens: Also available on grown-up children have their own joys and consolations, tensions and
c’est la vie... lives to think about... Reworking the frustrations of family life.
GEOFF ANDREW, narrative of Leo McCarey’s Make Way Also available on
PROGRAMMER-AT-LARGE
SUN 2 DEC WED 5 DEC TUE 18 DEC SAT 8 DEC MON 10 DEC FRI 28 DEC
Tickets for these screenings are only £8 16:00 NFT3 18:20 NFT2* 20:45 NFT3 15:10 NFT1 20:20 NFT2 17:50 NFT3
book online at bfi.org.ukThe House of Mirth All That Heaven Allows + intro by Geoff Andrew, Programmer-at-large*
BIG SCREEN CLASSICS
UK-USA-France-Germany 2000. Dir Terence Davies. With Gillian Anderson, Eric Stoltz, USA 1955. Dir Douglas Sirk. With Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, Agnes Moorehead. 89min.
Dan Aykroyd, Laura Linney. 140min. 35mm PG Digital. U
Terence Davies’ magisterial An incisive study of social niceties A middle-class widow finds her stultifying conformism of the
adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel barely concealing savage snobbery, loneliness assuaged by the company American Dream; the precise
centres on a New York socialite arrogant hypocrisy and needless of her slightly younger, slightly visuals, the eloquent symbolism,
(a superb Anderson) whose life suffering, the film is at once bohemian gardener, but her children the nuanced performances and
takes a drastic downturn when elegant, incisive and raw in its and friends are scandalised at cruel ironies pack a surprisingly
she’s falsely suspected of an affair emotional honesty. the thought of any romance. powerful punch.
with a friend’s philandering husband. Sirk’s exquisitely subdued melodrama Also available on
offers a scathing attack on the
SUN 2 DEC MON 3 DEC THU 20 DEC THU 6 DEC WED 12 DEC SUN 16 DEC
19:50 NFT3 18:00 NFT3 18:00 NFT3 20:50 NFT3 18:10 NFT3* 20:10 NFT3
@BFI 39Citizen Kane
BIG SCREEN CLASSICS
USA 1941. Dir Orson Welles. With Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Everett Sloane,
Dorothy Comingore. 119min. 35mm U
A boy born into poverty Welles’ debut as director, co-writer
unexpectedly inherited a fortune; and star remains a cinematic miracle,
but when, as an ailing old man, and its ambiguities and many levels
he looks back over his life, he of dramatic, psychological and
wonders whether his wealth and philosophical meaning amply reward The Leopard Il gattopardo
power – or indeed anything – repeat viewings. Italy 1963. Dir Luchino Visconti. With Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon,
made him truly happy. Serge Reggiani. 188min. Digital. EST. PG
Burt Lancaster excels as Prince celebrated adaptation of Lampedusa’s
Salina, patriarch of a noble Sicilian novel is as one might expect from
dynasty, unsettled by the turmoil as a Marxist aristocrat: keenly analytical
Garibaldi battles the King’s forces yet unashamedly lavish, its political
and the family’s ancient privileges and ethical impulses accompanied by
come under threat... Visconti’s an elegiac, almost epic sense of loss.
SAT 15 DEC WED 19 DEC FRI 21 DEC SUN 30 DEC SUN 9 DEC SUN 23 DEC SUN 29 DEC
20:15 NFT2 18:05 NFT3 18:10 NFT2 17:35 NFT1 16:20 NFT3 16:10 NFT1 13:50 NFT1
40 book online at bfi.org.ukBrazil The Wages of Fear Le Salaire de la peur
BIG SCREEN CLASSICS
UK-USA 1985. Dir Terry Gilliam. With Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, France-Italy 1953. Dir Henri-Georges Clouzot. With Yves Montand, Charles Vanel,
Ian Holm. 142min. Digital. 15 Peter van Eyck. 147min. Digital. EST. 12A
Terry Gilliam’s brilliantly imaginative The visual invention is extraordinary; Henri-Georges Clouzot (cinema’s America. A thriller with substance
dystopian fable tells the 1984-style the cast – which also includes greatest misanthrope?) slowly and superlative performances, the
story of an employee at the Ministry Bob Hoskins, Ian Richardson, builds and brilliantly sustains film is more concerned with the
of Information who comes into perilous Michael Palin, Peter Vaughan and extraordinary tension as a quartet shifting parameters of masculine
conflict with the authorities through Kim Greist – shares the anarchic of expats, desperate for money, friendship and rivalry than with
a mixture of mildly rebellious fantasies mood with understandable gusto. drive a couple of trucks loaded explosive effects.
and sheer accident. with nitroglycerine on a long, Also available on
bumpy journey through Latin
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@BFI 41Image: Warner Bros.
Barry Lyndon
BIG SCREEN CLASSICS
UK-USA 1975. Dir Stanley Kubrick. With Ryan O’Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee,
Hardy Krüger. 184min. Digital. 12A
Arguably Kubrick’s finest film, this John Alcott’s painterly camerawork
is an exquisitely elegant, expertly perfectly complements the ironic,
measured adaptation of Thackeray’s distanced tone of the storytelling;
novel about the rise and decline of an the cool assessment of corruption
Meet Me in St. Louis opportunist Irish adventurer who and decay – both moral and physical
USA 1944. Dir Vincente Minnelli. With Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Leon Ames, Mary Astor. navigates his way into the aristocratic – is supremely persuasive.
113min. Digital. U society of 18th-century Europe.
For the Smith family – particularly Minnelli’s classic slice of Midwestern
the daughters – life in 1903 St Louis Americana is strangely melancholy
feels fine and dandy, especially with in places, a poignant reminder that
the World’s Fair coming up; but then youth, innocence and happiness are
father is offered a better job in New all transient – or, at best, cyclical.
York... For an MGM musical, See p17 for screenings of It’s a Wonderful Life
and p26 for our festive comedies
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42 book online at bfi.org.ukYou can also read
