An archive of the Film Appreciation Close-Ups that have been held during 2017
CITIES ON SCREEN: AN EVENING IN SAN FRANCISCO
Hitchcock explored its twists and turns in Vertigo, Steve McQueen chases baddies down the same streets in Bullitt and Sean Penn as Harvey Milk tried to change the world while even Woody Allen left his beloved New York to shoot Blue Jasmine in San Francisco. Come along and see what all the fuss is about!
VISUAL MAGIC IN THE MUSICALS
Forget futuristic cities and giant apes — the true pioneers of visual effects in the movies were the musicals. In the glory days of the studio system Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly were involved in an artistic arms race to put the most ingenious dance routines on screen. Join writer, teacher and composer Christopher Budd for an appreciation of blue screens, rotating stages and two extraordinarily talented men.
LOCATION! LOCATION! EAST ANGLIA ON SCREEN
East Anglia has always been an attractive area for film-makers and in this Day School we will explore why this is the case via a wide selection of feature films shot on location in this region from the 1920s to the present day. There will also be a consideration of the differences between location shooting and studio shooting and the difficult choices film-makers face whatever their decision. We will also investigate the fascinating and controversial issues surrounding location shooting and its impact on tourism as well as taking into account the effect of location shooting on local communities.
RIPPER FILMS
With his iconic top hat, cape, Gladstone bag and swirling fog Jack the Ripper is an instantly recognisable figure on film. But how true is this depiction? In this talk I will look at who the Ripper is on screen, what his costume means and ask what the constructed image of the Ripper conveys to an audience. We will consider films that range from classics of directors such as Alfred Hitchcock to those that depict a female Ripper and even a 1970s Swedish sex comedy!
CITIES ON SCREEN:
AN EVENING IN TOKYO
A chance to explore Tokyo, a city of contrasts, destroyed by both a catastrophic earthquake and extensive bombing in the 20th century it has risen to become a global contender. Meet the artists of the floating world, gangsters and policemen, traditional and dysfunctional families, modern salaryman, Tokyo’s homeless and discover the phenomenon of hikikomori.
SPIVS, GANGSTERS & WIDE BOYS
During WWII a new figure emerged, ready to supply any hard-to-get goods — the spiv! The British film industry soon latched onto this figure, producing a spate of films between 1944 and 1950 known as ‘the spiv cycle’. This talk will look at the figure of the spiv, and how he was represented on the screen in films such as Brighton Rock, They Made Me a Fugitive, Good Time Girl and Night and the City, with lots of clips from these films and others such as Appointment with Crime, Noose, Dancing with Crime, It Always Rains on Sunday and Waterloo Road.
