Celebrating Films of the 1960s & 1970s

THE BATTLE TO SAVE 35MM FILM

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:17:00 -0500

Will the 35mm projector go the way of uniformed movie theater ushers and 25 cent popcorn?

In a major article for LA Weekly, writer Gendy Alimurung takes a sobering look at the future of cinema and it isn't pretty, at least if you're a purist who values 35mm film. The mad rush to go to all digital projection is being driven by the major studios because it saves them a fortune in terms of producing prints and shipping them to theaters. With digital, those costs are reduced to a trickle as the "print" is basically a lightweight unit that plugs into a projection system. Picture perfect quality is also an upside- unless you're a film director like Christopher Nolan, who shot his forthcoming Batman epic The Dark Knight Rises on traditional 35mm film. Nolan is among those filmmakers who think that the alleged purity of digital pales in comparison to 35mm. These die hard adherents to traditional film also point out some of the other downsides of digital: the data costs more to store and is very vulnerable to destruction. (An accidental touch of a "delete" button almost erased the master copy of Toy Story 2 for all eternity.) Additionally, theaters are less-than-happy about digital, especially smaller, independent establishments. It can cost up to $150,000 for a theater to convert to digital. Studios are helping to subsidize the cost, but only for a while. After that, procrastinators will have to front the entire expense themselves. The digital revolution will mean the end of many boutique, art house cinemas. They simply won't have product to play. Studios will no longer be investing in restoration of movies in 35mm format. Once the existing prints are deemed too worn out, a movie will no longer be available in 35mm. Additionally, it's clear that studios will not be investing in transferring mid-range and "B" movies to the digital format, meaning a lot of quirky films might not be available in any format once studios get out of renting 35mm prints. (Paramount has only one 35mm print of Breakfast at Tiffanys available for rental, as the studio is pushing its new digital, restored version.) To read the article click here

ADRIAN SMITH REVIEWS "DARK STAR" ON BLU-RAY

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:22:00 -0500

By Adrian Smith

For many people, having to do your college work is a chore. Assignments are dull and all you really want is to be out partying with your friends. Not John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon. Their assignment was to make a movie, using equipment provided by the University of Southern California film school, and dragging their friends and fellow classmates in for good measure. The result was a science fiction classic that would launch both of them into fully-fledged Hollywood careers. The original movie ran a little short to qualify as a feature, so a wily distributor encouraged them to shoot a further ten minutes. Both versions of the film, the original and extended editions, are available here.

Dark Star borrows heavily from such space-set classics as 2001 and Solaris in its presentation of space as a working environment. This is not the space of heroes like Buck Rodgers or Flash Gordon. It is a place of work, where astronauts are just ordinary guys just doing their jobs and counting the days, or years, until they can go home. Their mission,which appears to have lasted some three years, involves identifying and then destroying unstable planets with massive thermo-nuclear talking bombs. No particular reason is given as to why they are unstable, or indeed why they need to be destroyed, but it is something to do with the possible colonization of space. When problems develop with one particularly stubborn bomb, the crew are forced to take desperate measures if they want to survive.

Carpenter and O'Bannon wrote the screenplay together, and O'Bannon ended up taking a starring role as Sgt. Pinback, a member of the crew whose sole function appears to be to annoy everyone else on board. The rest of the cast are made up of friends from the film school, and they all sport impressive amounts of facial hair. Given its incredibly low-budget origins, Dark Star stands up remarkably well, thanks mostly to the wit of the script and the imaginative camera work. Yes the miniatures look like miniatures, and the sets look like cardboard, but the story and the performances are so enjoyably goofy and genuine that this simply does not matter.

The Blu-ray restoration gives the film a fresh look and the colours are remarkably vivid. The film has looked rather murky in previous DVD releases, and this is a significant improvement. The main extra available here is a new feature length documentary Let There Be Light: The Odyssey of Dark Star. It provides some fascinating background on the movie, and features interviews with some of the cast including an interview with Dan O'Bannon shot shortly before he died. Sadly the involvement of John Carpenter is minimal. He appears to have been interviewed over the phone, on a line so muffled that subtitles have to be displayed (including some spelling mistakes which are unforgivable!). However, this small gripe aside, it is a documentary with plenty to offer fans of the movie, and is probably the main reason for picking up this new release.

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BLU-RAY REVIEW: "THE WOMAN IN BLACK": HAMMER HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:27:19 -0500

By Lee Pfeiffer

After several false starts and weak efforts, the much-promised revival of Hammer horror films has finally come to fruition with the release of The Woman in Black, an old-fashioned ghost story that ranks with the finest achievements of the legendary British production company. The story is set in the early 1900s. Daniel Radcliffe gives an excellent performance as Arthur Kipps, a young London-based lawyer who is already a widower, his beloved wife having died while giving birth to their son. Kipps tries his best to juggle being a single parent with the demands of his profession, but his unrelenting grief prevents him from fulfilling his duties at the office. His boss gives him one last chance to redeem himself by sending him to a remote village to investigate a complicated insurance situation relating to a recently deceased person. Arriving in the village, Kipps discovers that the relatively mundane task is fraught with intrigue. He suspects that the person he has to deal with is concealing vital paperwork concerning insurance claims. He decides to secretly act as detective and investigate the matter in a thorough manner. The trail leads to an abandoned mansion in a rural area where he locates a stash of relevant paperwork. While examining this mountain of evidence, Kipps glances out the window and catches a glimpse of a veiled woman clad in black standing in the overgrown garden. Soon, he finds himself terrorized by mysterious noises and apparitions and learns that the ghostly figure he has observed is somehow tied to a series of gruesome deaths among the children of the village. To say any more would divulge too much. Suffice it to say that, in the long Hammer tradition, the local villagers are paranoid about strangers and seem to be hiding a very dark secret. Kipps' only ally is Daily (Ciaran Hinds) who shares his determination to get to the bottom of the mystery, even while he cares for his wife (Janet McAteer) who is coping with a mental illness brought about by the tragic death of their own child.

The film was directed by James Watkins, an impressive new talent who wisely eschews special effects in favor of the theory that what you don't see can be more terrifying than what you do see. Watkins remains reverent to the early Hammer productions and manages to evoke quite a number of moments that will have you jump out of your seat. He benefits from an outstanding cast of supporting actors who have been chosen on the basis of their talents, not because they look like models. Both Ciaran Hinds and Janet McAteer are particularly excellent. Praise must also go to production designer Kave Quinn for her outstanding work on the old mansion set, aided immeasurably by the appropriately gloomy cinematography of Tim Maurice-Jones and the atmospheric score by Marco Beltrami. Screenwriter Jane Goldman, working from the source novel by Susan Hill, keeps the dialogue literate and intelligent and the character of Kipps sympathetic and completely believable. He is no super hero. Yes, he doesn't shirk from investigating things that go bump in the night, but he looks pretty petrified while doing so. The film comes to a climax that is quite chilling and most unexpected. Suffice it to say, The Woman in Black recalls the best of the haunted house genre that comprises of such films as the original version of The Haunting, The Innocents and The Others.

Sony has released the film as a Blu-ray edition with commentary by James Watkins and Jane Goldman. The disc contains two bonus features: Inside the Perfect Thriller, which examines the overall making of the movie through cast and crew interviews and No Fear: Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps, wherein the actor shares insights about the inspirations for his performance. (Curiously, the film's trailer is not included, though trailers for other releases are). One of the great delights is seeing a dynamic new Hammer logo at the beginning of the film that utilizes classic movie poster art from the golden age of the company. The Woman in Black bodes well for Hammer's comeback. If they can keep up the quality of the productions, they can play a major factor in revitalizing the sorrowful state of the horror film genre, which has largely deteriorated into mindless slasher films. One tip: if you watch the film alone, make sure you keep the lights on.

Click here to watch original trailer

Click here to watch behind the scenes clips

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OUT OF THE PAST: WATCH THE ORIGINAL TRAILER FOR DICK CLARK IN "BECAUSE THEY'RE YOUNG" (1960)

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:12:00 -0500

Here's a look at entertainment icon Dick Clark's first dramatic movie role as a high school teacher in the 1960 hit Because They're Young, co-starring fellow up-and-comers Tuesday Weld, James Darren, Michael Callan and Doug McClure. The trailer is a hoot, with typical over-the-top narration and sex starved teens trying to get it on without damaging their reputations. The film is largely forgotten today, but it did produce a smash hit instrumental theme song by Duane Eddy, who made an appearance in the movie. Click here to view

FRIGHTON BRIGHTON HORROR FILM FESTIVAL, AUGUST 2012, UK

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:02:00 -0500

Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

Saturday 11TH August 2012

Special Guest: Emily Booth

Venue: The Komedia

From the brains behind the Classic Horror Campaign, Cyberschizoid and Scare Sarah present Brighton’s newest annual movie event the FRIGHTEN BRIGHTON CLASSIC HORROR FILM FESTIVAL! Held at Brighton’s premier entertainment venue and new Picturehouse cinema partner, The Komedia, join us for a day of celebrating horror films through the decades – from the terrifying story of obsession in Mad Love right through to the gory insanity of Phantasm!

Look out for exclusive prizes and film merchandise from Hemlock Books and meet our very special guest - presenter of the Horror Channel and star of cult horror films Cradle of Fear and Evil Aliens, the lovely Emily Booth! There will also be an opportunity to network after the films until 11pm at the bar. Check out the Frighten Brighton website for more exciting news and updates!

So join us for the whole day or just the individual films, but whatever you do, be there and be scared!

Ages: 18 + all shows. £15 all day pass or £5 per film.

Running Times
12pm - Doors open
Mad Love(68mins) 12:30pm - 1:48pm
Cat People(73mins) 2pm - 3:28pm
Them!(94mins) 3:40pm -5:24pm
Plague of the Zombies(90mins) 5:45pm – 7:25pm
Phantasm(88mins) 7:50pm – 9:28pm

Email: frightenbrighton@yahoo.co.uk Phone: 07791022427
Tickets: http://komediabrighton.ticketsolve.com/shows/126525115/events
Website: http://frightenbrighton.wordpress.com/

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RYAN O'NEAL CONCERNED ABOUT FAMILY FALLOUT FROM NEW BOOK

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:18:00 -0500

Happier times for O"Neal: with long time love Farrah Fawcett.

Ryan O'Neal has a new book about his experiences during his lover Farrah Fawcett's final days. After spending decades trying to patch up contentious relationships with his three children, he sent them advance copies of the manuscript so they did not get blindsided by the stories he related. One son has not read it (he's in rehab) and the response from the other two offspring, including Tatum O'Neal, was decidedly unenthusiastic. O'Neal, who is battling stage 4 prostate cancer, says he is doing all he can to repair the long history of family feuds but is concerned he may have been too candid in the book regarding personal matters. For more click here

"FANTASTIC FILMS WEEKEND" JUNE15-17, BRADFORD, ENGLAND

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:19:00 -0500

The National Media Museum in Bradford presents the 11^th Fantastic Films Weekend (FFW), giving horror, fantasy and sci-fi fans their annual fix of thrills and spills, from 15 - 17 June 2012.

This year the festival will focus on schlock, women in horror and sci-fi, and feature a FFW-first – a Cinerama screening of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm. Other highlights will include an evening of giallo treats new and old, family fun with Coraline 3D and live make-up demos, and a Hammer strand packed with rare and premiere Hammer screenings.

Special guests will include Renée Glynne who worked for many years as continuity/script supervisor for Hammer before going freelance. Her work includes The Nanny, Legend of the Golden Vampire and The Quatermass Xperiment, the HD premiere of which will be screened following her screentalk. She will be in conversation with Hammer archivist, Robert J.E. Simpson (Friday 15 June 7.30pm).

Harley Cokeliss will be on hand on Saturday to introduce his lost classic Battletruck (Warlords of the 21^st Century) and discuss his genre career including second unit directorial duties on The Empire Strikes Back. On Sunday, new heir to the giallo crown, Andreas Marschall, will attend a preview screening of his movie Masks, followed by a screening of a rare archive print of Master of Giallo, Dario Argento’s Four Flies on Grey Velvet.

Highlights from the vaults include a very rare re-edited print of Grindhouse classic I Drink Your Blood which is in the UK for a very limited time from the US, and screenings of some of Hammer’s seldom screened Gothic delights, curated by Robert J.E. Simpson, including The Man in Black, Captain Clegg and The Shadow of the Cat.

Red Sonja, Vamp and Barbarella put women centre screen, while a Troma triple-bill of Class of Nuke ‘Em High, Troma’s War and The Toxic Avenger contribute to the schlock-fest. With a weekend in the company of every doctor in the TV Heaven Dr Who takeover, and a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in which dressing up will be positively encouraged, every possible (bad) taste is catered for.

“We are thrilled that this year the Fantastic Films Weekend spotlight will fall on the themes of schlock and the much-undervalued role of women in horror and fantasy cinema. We’ll also be treating Fantastic Films Weekenders to a first – the premiere FFW screening of a Cinerama film, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm. Combine that with an evening of giallo treats new and old, a Hammer strand packed with rare screenings and premieres, and three diverse and exciting guests, and the weekend should hold a host of horrorific treats for the brave of heart (and some less scary fun for the young at heart!)” said Sarah Crowther, Director of Fantastic Films Weekend.

For festival passes, day passes or individual tickets visit www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/fantastic or call the Museum box office on 0844 856 3797.

Weekend pass £60 / (£50 concs), day pass £25 (£20 concs). Passes do not include IMAX titles. Single tickets £7.50 (£5.50 concs), Premium Events £10 (£8 concs).

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY FROM CINEMA RETRO!

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sun, 13 May 2012 12:35:11 -0500

8 CLASSIC TV SHOWS THAT PROPHESIED MODERN TECHNOLOGIES

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sun, 13 May 2012 05:10:00 -0500

If your mother used to chastise you for wasting your time watching Lost in Space instead of Learn to Draw with John Gnagy, you can take satisfaction in the fact that it turns out there was some educational value to the shows you were enthralled with. The web site Cable TV Providers takes a brief look at how some classic series ended up predicting real-life scientific achievements. Click here to view

CLASSIC RAY HARRYHAUSEN MAGAZINES TO BE REPRINTED AS LIMITED EDITION BOOK

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:38:00 -0500

FXRH was the magazine published between 1971 and 1974 and devoted entirely to the film legacy of special effects genius Ray Harryhausen. Now Archive Editions is publishing all of these rare issues, along with new supplementary materials, in the form of a limited edition book. Click here for details and to pre-order.

WHY TODAY'S BLOCKBUSTERS ARE NOT AS BIG AS THOSE OF YESTERYEAR

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sat, 12 May 2012 05:09:00 -0500

The 1939 classic Gone With the Wind remains the most popular movie of all time in terms of the number of admission tickets sold.

The Hunger Games is the latest Hollywood blockbuster, pulling in hundreds of millions of dollars in a relatively short period. Impressive under any circumstances. However, critic Richard Roeper points out the film still has a ways to go to top the 1960s Disney hit Swiss Family Robinson. What? How can that be? The Hunger Games has grossed far more than the Disney flick, you say. However, the real test of how popular a film is relates to the number of admission tickets sold. Because today's ticket prices are astronomically higher than they were decades ago, the fact remains that the number of people who paid to see those classics of yesteryear far exceeds many of the so-called blockbusters of today. Using that theory, Roeper says, Gone With the Wind still ranks as the most popular movie of all time. For more click here

REVIEW : "THE WICKER TREE" COMES TO DVD AND BLU-RAY

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Sat, 12 May 2012 05:09:00 -0500

By Adrian Smith

A sequel to The Wicker Man was first proposed in the mid-1980s by Anthony Schaffer, writer of the original. Titled “The Loathsome Lambton Worm”, it began as soon as the first film ended, as Sergeant Howie is rescued from his fiery fate by police from the mainland. He seeks justice and revenge and goes back to Summerisle, ostensibly to arrest those responsible for his near martyrdom, but instead becomes embroiled in a series of challenges, pitting the old gods against his own Christian faith. The film was to end with Howie fighting a fire-breathing dragon and then plunging willingly to his death from a cliff whilst tied to two large eagles. It would have been terrible.

However that film, with its witches on broomsticks and reliance on magical special effects, would have probably been far better than this extremely belated follow-up. Thirty-nine years is a long time to wait for a sequel, in which time Anthony Schaffer has died and Christopher Lee has aged beyond the point of being able to take a major starring role in a movie. Robin Hardy, director of The Wicker Man, proposed his own sequel several years ago, originally titled “The Riding of the Laddie”. Unable to find funding he wrote it into a novel, retitled “Cowboys for Christ”. In 2008 a press release announced the imminent filming of this official The Wicker Man sequel, starring Christopher Lee and Joan Collins as leaders of a sinister cult. Funding collapsed a mere two weeks before shooting began. Two years and one major casting change later (due to Sir Christopher’s ill health and advanced years), The Wicker Tree finally went into production. It has taken a further two years for the film to find distribution, which is always a worrying sign. Although Sir Christopher is somewhat frail, he does play an unidentified old man who pops in for one flashback scene to intone something about old religions. His reason for being there makes no narrative sense, and is clearly just meant as a nod to fans of the first film.

The plot follows the “Cowboys for Christ” novel fairly closely. A former US country pop star has seen the light and become converted to evangelical Christianity. Along with her reformed gambler boyfriend, she decides that the most effective way to spread the good news is to spend two years knocking on the doors of disinterested Scots. I would have thought it more likely that she would have recorded gospel albums and performed to sell out gigs. In some convoluted way that is never fully explained, the two of them end up as the guests of Sir Lachlan Morrison (a possible relation to Rowan Morrison, the missing girl from the original film?), in the distant Scottish village of Tressock. He runs his own nuclear power station, and apparently an accident ten years previously has rendered all the men in the village infertile. For this reason Morrison has encouraged the villagers to get into paganism in a big way, with the main focus being May Day, where they have a Laddie and a May Queen. He uses his vast wealth to search the world for suitably virginal candidates, and it doesn’t take a genius to guess the intended fate for his Texan guests. Why he doesn’t just spend some money on fertility treatment I don’t know. It would be much simpler.

Continue reading "REVIEW : "THE WICKER TREE" COMES TO DVD AND BLU-RAY"

JAMES BOND FILM FESTIVAL IN SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS: CINEMA RETRO'S HANK REINEKE REPORTS

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:44:00 -0500

(Photo courtesy of www.bondposters.com)

By Hank Reineke

As the eagerly anticipated premiere of Skyfall, the twenty-third James Bond film, counts down to its October 2012 release, Boston area fans of Britain’s favorite secret agent are being afforded the rare opportunity to revel in all that has come before. The staff of the Somerville Theater (located on Davis Square in the Boston suburb of Somerville, Massachusetts), are in the midst of celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Ian Fleming’s super-spy on the big screen in a big way; with an ambitious year long series-encompassing twenty-two film retrospective. The architect of screenings is Ian Judge, the theater’s Director of Programming. Judge has not only been managing the nearly one-hundred year old theater for the past ten years, but he has long shared a history with the venue having grown up only a few blocks away from its gilded entrance. Built in 1914 as a posh nine-hundred seat forum for vaudeville-era acts and stage plays, the theater began screening films right from the advent of the silent era. Though the intimate, wonderfully decorative auditorium retains its opulent splendor, the theater combines old world elegance with new world technology. Three years ago the venue’s grand balcony was completely refurbished and, perhaps more importantly, the theater was fit with a Dolby digital sound system and twin Norelco DP-70 projectors, the latter addition allowing the venue to be one of the few cinemas in New England to have the capability of presenting films in the 70mm format.

Judge, it’s not too surprising to learn, especially given his enthusiasm and the breadth of the 007 retrospective he’s programmed, has been a long-time fan of the James Bond series. Though his favorite Bond film is From Russia with Love (1963), as a self-described “child of the ‘80s,” Judge admits to a soft spot for Roger Moore’s swan song A View to a Kill (1985), principally due to Christopher Walken’s smooth portrayal of the genetically engineered psychotic industrialist Max Zorin.

Though nothing short of nirvana for some, the concept of screening, chronologically, every James Bond film from Dr. No (1962) through Quantum of Solace (2008) is, without doubt, something of a gamble. But although neighborhood repertory theaters are closing and/or having to devise methods to cope with a sluggish economy and studio pressure to move toward all-digital projection screenings, Judge was adamant that the James Bond films should be screened as they had been over the course of the last fifty years, in glorious 35mm. That’s one of the principle roles of the repertory theater, Judge contends, as “that’s what we’re here for – to show people the magic of the movies, and to make a profit doing so. Despite their availability on TV and DVD, the Bond films still draw a crowd.” There was never any consideration of cheating moviegoers by splashing the 007 back catalog onto the big screen via digital-projection. It was important that the Bond series be presented to fans in the most authentic manner possible outside use of a time-machine… by sourcing the best 35mm prints available. “There’s no question of not doing it on 35mm,” Judge explained, “It is the superior format for these films, and the format they were intended to be shown in. We’re intensely defensive of the 35mm and 70mm film formats. So long as there are prints for classic films, that is the way we intend to show them.”

The retrospective was launched on the weekend of March 2-4 with screenings of the first five Sean Connery films and George Lazenby’s one-shot On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). The weekend of May 4-5 (which I attended with my daughter Sara, one of innumerable father and child units filling the seats) marked their second exclusive weekend of Bond films. The program featured such entries from the ‘70s as Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). The old-timers (present company included) instantly noted that the strikingly pristine prints featured the original and nostalgic “United Artists – A Trans-America Company” animation prior to the series’ iconic “gun barrel” opening.

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JAMES BOND 50TH ANNIVERSARY TO BE CELEBRATED AT CANNES

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Fri, 11 May 2012 05:30:00 -0500

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from MGM and Park Circus film distributors:

Glasgow, 1st May 2012. Park Circus and Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios are pleased to announce a special celebration at the 65th Cannes International Film Festival to mark the 50th Anniversary on the big screen of Ian Fleming’s James Bond.

Five James Bond films will screen in new digital versions as part of the Cinema de la Plage screenings.

The celebration will kick off with a 50th anniversary screening of DR NO directed by Terence Young and starring Sean Connery and Ursula Andress.

First released on 5th October 1962 Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli’s production of DR NO marked the first big screen appearance for Ian Fleming’s James Bond character.

DR NO will be followed by screenings of FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE and CASINO ROYALE.

This is the first time a James Bond film has screened during the festival.

The screenings in Cannes mark a year long celebration including a return to theatres worldwide of some of the classic Bond films. The celebration continues on the small screen with BOND 50, a collectible box-set featuring all 22 James Bond films on Blu-ray disc for the first time including the debut of nine James Bond films previously unavailable in high definition Blu-ray. Fans around the world can pre-order now with participating online retailers

"THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP": RESTORED VERSION COMING TO UK THEATERS 18 MAY

nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro) — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:51:00 -0500

Park Circus will distribute a restored version of director Michael Powell's classic The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp to select UK movie theatres on 18 May. Here is the official announcement.

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s epic wartime masterpiece forensically restored and back in cinemas from Friday 18 May.

Long singled out by Martin Scorsese, Stephen Fry and Wes Anderson as a personal favourite and one of the most singular, brilliant and influential films of the 20th century, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a masterwork beyond reproach. Part of a run of truly anarchic and idiosyncratic British wartime dramas by Powell and Pressburger (also known as The Archers) that led from the49th Parallel (1941) to A Matter of Life and Death (1946), The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is an examination of love, friendship, patriotism, war and aging like no other.

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1943 Technicolor satire details the experiences of a British officer, Clive Candy (Roger Livesey), through the trials and tribulations of his army career. During the Boer War, Candy is sent to Berlin to trap a spy. There he befriends a German Officer, Theo (Anton Walbrook), who marries Edith (Deborah Kerr), the girl Candy is in love with. During the First World War, Candy marries a girl who resembles her and helps Theo - now a POW - to get repatriated. He comes back in the Second World War as a Brigadier General and once again encounters Theo.

Based on David Low’s satirical comic strip, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is arguably the greatest of all films about what it means to be British. As Michael Powell noted ‘It’s a 100% British film but it's photographed by a Frenchman, it's written by a Hungarian, the musical score is by a German Jew, the director was English, the man who did the costumes was a Czech; in other words, it was the kind of film that I've always worked on with a mixed crew of every nationality, no frontiers of any kind.’

Painstakingly restored to digital by The Film Foundation, overseen by Scorsese and Powell’s widow Thelma Schoonmaker, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is the re-release of the year.

Blimp will rise again in cinemas in the UK and across the world from Friday 18 May.

Remember “War starts at midnight!”

Full screening details are available from: www.backincinemas.com