​ On we go to week 3 – we hope that you all continue to be safe and well. There are more thrillers than usual this week, but such things are usually just a quirk of the scheduling. Anyway we hope you enjoy the selection.
 
24 APRIL – l MAY 2020
THE ATOMIC CITY (1952) Saturday 25 April 7.45-9.30pm Talking Pictures (Channel 81)
Gene Barry’s debut as a leading man. He’s a scientist whose son is kidnapped; Lee Aaker (the son) was in Hondo the next year with John Wayne then did 164 episodes of The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.  
LOVE ON THE DOLE (1941) Sunday 26 April 4.00-6.00pm Talking Pictures (Channel 81)
Deborah Kerr was a star from this film on – and deservedly so. Director John Baxter was the Ken Loach of his day and he captures perfectly the hardship, and hope, of life in Manchester.
OPEN RANGE (2002) Sunday 26 April 6.20-9.00pm Paramount (Channel 31)
Kevin Costner directs, and stars in, probably the best western of the last 20 years. Robert Duvall and Annette Bening join him in the fight against Michael Gambon’s land baron.
THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980) Sunday 26 April 10.30pm-12.30am BBC 1
One of the best, and most moving, British films ever made. John Hurt, in the title role, is supported by an excellent cast that includes Anthony Hopkins.
THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (1968) Monday 27 April 12.55-2.50pm Channel 71
Hammer’s adaptation of Dennis Wheatley’s black magic novel with Christopher Lee. Popular enough to be supporting Suspiria 10 years later, its critical reputation is stronger now than back then.
CHARADE (1963) Monday 27 April 2.40-4.55pm Film Four
A super gossamer-light romantic confection (with thrills), starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, that will have you thinking Hitchcock was at the helm (he wasn’t; Stanley Donen was).
NOTORIOUS (1946) Tuesday 28 April 7.00-9.00pm Talking Pictures (Channel 81)
A hugely convenient showing of Hitchcock’s South American-set espionage thriller, teaming Cary Grant with Ingrid Bergman. You could compare notes with Charade and write an essay!
CAPRICORN ONE (1978) Anytime on My5 (free to view)
Did the moon landing take place or was it a fake? I saw this in the cinema in 1979. My recollection is that it is an exciting, well-made story with a strong cast (Elliot Gould, James Brolin, Telly Savalas).
 
HIGHLY DANGEROUS (1950) Wednesday 29 April 7.15-9.00pm Talking Pictures (Channel 81)
Scripted by Eric Ambler. Margaret Lockwood is a scientist and Dane Clark a reporter who team up on a mission behind the Iron Curtain.
RAMROD (1947) Thursday 30 April 12 noon-2.pm Paramount (Channel 31)
Interesting films are in short supply today! A noirish western starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake and directed by André de Toth; not the best work of any of them, but diverting enough.
TALK OF THE TOWN (1942) Friday 1 May 2.30-5.00pm Talking Pictures (Channel 81)
Quite a week for Cary Grant fans; this time, he’s a fugitive from a fake murder charge who hides out with Jean Arthur and Ronald Colman. But, hey, it’s witty, intelligent and rather good.
ORANGES AND SUNSHINE (2010) Friday 1 May 11.20pm-1.00am BBC 2
A well-received Silver Screen at the Regent 10 years ago – Emily Watson plays the social worker who uncovered the scandal that the children of unwed mothers had been deported to Australia.

 On we go to week 2 – thank you for your kind comments. Incidentally, I haven’t included Sony Action (Channel 40) and Sony Classics (Channel 50). The former shows the same films frequently (but there are some good ones!); in the case of the latter, not all areas receive the signal.
 
18 – 24 APRIL 2020
THE SENSE OF AN ENDING (2017) Saturday 18 April 9.15-11pm BBC 2
The freeview première for this adaptation of Julian Barnes’s Booker-winning novel. Jim Broadbent heads the cast and it is directed by Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox scored 85% 2015-2016 season).
THE CONVERSATION (1974) Saturday 18 April 11pm-12.50am BBC 2
Brilliant psychological thriller, directed by Francis Ford Coppola; Gene Hackman is a surveillance expert who thinks that a young couple is about to be murdered. Harrison Ford has a small role.
THE SOUND BARRIER (1952) Saturday 18 April 12.50-3.10pm Talking Pictures (Channel 81)
As in ‘the breaking of’ . . . this has a very good performance from Ralph Richardson, but is not as familiar to most people as David Lean’s great epics.
THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD (1965) Saturday 18 April 8.45-11.00pm Channel 81
Richard Burton is in great form as a jaded Cold War spy; adapted from John le Carré’s novel.
COWBOY (1958) Sunday 19 April 5.10-7.05pm Paramount (Channel 31)
Enjoyable western that stars Glenn Ford as the trail boss and Jack Lemmon as the tenderfoot who joins the drive. Followed by the all-time classic HIGH NOON (1952). DOUBLE BILL OF THE WEEK!
THE COURT JESTER (1956) Sunday 19 April 12.35-2.40pm Talking Pictures (Channel 81)
Danny Kaye’s finest hour is a brilliant comedy. And don’t forget: the pellet with the poison’s in the vessel with the pestle.
NEXT OF KIN (1942) Monday 20 April 8.50-11am Talking Pictures (Channel 81)
This is a very good wartime propaganda drama in which Mervyn Johns is a Nazi infiltrator looking to take advantage of any careless talk.
TREMORS (1990) Tuesday 21 April 9.00-10.55pm Channel 70
This was the best creature feature seen in years. It has a great use of locations, good pacing, acting and effects, as giant worms menace a small desert town. The Radio Times 5 star rating is justified!
THE ROAD (2009) Tuesday 21 April 9.00-11.15pm Channel 32
Absorbing, very effective (but very bleak), adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic novel.
 
ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS (1955) Wednesday 22 April 3.00-4.50pm Film Four
It’s time to wallow in a lush Technicolor romance between a widow (Jane Wyman) and her gardener (Rock Hudson). We showed the update, Far from Heaven, in 2003 (73%).
HEAVEN KNOWS, MR ALLISON (1957) Thursday 23 April 11.00am-1.15pm Film Four
John Huston’s superb two-hander, starring Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr as a marine and a nun who are trapped on a Japanese-held island.
CABARET (1972) Thursday 23 April 10.pm-12.30am Talking Pictures (Channel 81)
Well known for sure, but it is just so good! What makes the film such a rewarding watch is that its historical detail is just as impressive as the acting and the songs. 
ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS (1964) Friday 24 April 11.00am-1.15pm Film Four
Stop sniggering – you’re confusing this film with the same year’s Santa Claus Conquers the Martians! It is a very clever reworking of a classic novel – and rather good. SLEEPER OF THE WEEK
GET OUT (2017) Friday 24 April 9.00-1105pm Film Four
Suburban satire, racial drama, thriller, horror film – take your pick, or conclude that it is all of them. One of the biggest hits (critically and commercially) of its year.
FINALLY this week, it’s worth checking out BBC i player from time to time. Currently, for example, there is Ghost Stories, a very nice resurrection of the classic portmanteau horror films of the early 1970s such as The House That Dripped Blood and Tales From the Crypt. This one stars Martin Freeman. 

Presenting our weekly guide to the most interesting films on the freeview channels. For the most part, we will not be highlighting the major successes everyone has seen (Skyfall, Pretty Woman), but a selection of those that are less well known yet make for rewarding viewing.
 
11 – 17 APRIL 2020
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (1965) Saturday 11 April 12.00 noon-3.05pm BBC 2
All-star cast led by the late Max von Sydow (The Ox, 1993-94 season, 86%) as Jesus, and a famous cameo in the role of ‘centurion at the foot of the cross’.....
THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951) Saturday 11 April 2.00-3.45pm Channel 70
The original classic with James Arness as the alien thawed from a block of ice. And remember – ‘WATCH THE SKIES!’
THIS ISLAND EARTH (1955) Saturday 11 April 5.20-7.10pm Channel 70
A scientist is whisked away (in Technicolor) to save a dying planet. The film still holds up very well – why not text the grandchildren about it?
FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL (1994) Saturday 11 April 9.00-11.20pm Film Four
Okay, it is very well known, but these are troubling times and it might bring a smile to your face.
CARRY ON UP THE KHYBER (1969) Sunday 12 April 3.05-4.50pm ITV 3 (Channel 10)
Most of the Carry On films are shown in rotation at holiday times – and this is the best. The dinner party scene is a priceless bit of British comedy. Let’s hear it for Private Widdle!
BEACH RED (1967) Sunday 12 April 1.55-4.00pm (also Friday) Paramount (Channel 31)
Cornel Wilde directs and stars in a hard-edged war film set in the South Pacific. One of several he made in the 1960s and 70s that have a deserved cult following.
THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957) Sunday 12 April 3.30-5.10pm Channel 70
Thinking person’s sci-fi that some regard as the best of the decade.
RED RIVER (1948) Monday 13 April 3.10-5.50pm ITV 4 (Channel 24)
This should also be well known, but as it is my no. 2 western . . . . epic in scale, rousing score, fine performances. Shame that Cary Grant declined the role of Cherry Valance (from Valverde way).
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY (2007) Monday 13 April 10.45pm-1.05am Film Four
If you missed it on release at the Regent, catch up with it now. Mike Leigh directs Sally Hawkins in her breakout role as the teacher always looking to spread good cheer.
THE GIRL WITH GREEN EYES (1963) Tuesday 14 April 10.00pm-12am Talking Pictures (Channel 81)
A young farm girl moves to Dublin and falls in love with a writer. Great performances by Rita Tushingham, Peter Finch and Lynn Redgrave.
THE VIKINGS (1958) Wednesday 15 April 3.20-5.15pm BBC 2
Kirk Douglas in his physical prime plus Tony Curtis and Ernest Borgnine; there is also a fine score and gorgeous colour cinematography (in Technirama) by Jack Cardiff.
THE STRANGER (1946) Wednesday 15 April 7.05-9.00pm Talking Pictures (Channel 81)
Orson Welles directs and stars as a Nazi war criminal hiding in a small American town; Edward G. Robinson is the federal agent trying to catch him. A very atmospheric production.
FARGO (1996) Thursday 16 April 10.40pm-12.45am ITV 4 (Channel 24)
For most people a modern classic from the Coen brothers. Should you ever go to the town’s visitor centre, you can now have your photo taken next to the woodchipper!
THE WITCH (2015) Thursday 16 April 11.20pm-1.15am Film Four
A horror film set in New England in the 1630s, with a promising new talent (Robert Eggers, whose new film is The Lighthouse) at the helm.
CORRIDOR OF MIRRORS (1948) Thursday 16 April 7.00-9.00pm Talking Pictures (Channel 81)
An early work of director Terence Young (Dr No etc) which Leonard Maltin describes as having “stunning sets, photography and musical score.” SLEEPER OF THE WEEK
THE SAPPHIRES (2012) Friday 17 April 11.55pm-1.35am BBC1
Our final film of the 2013-14 season topped the ratings with 91%. Australia 1968 and four Aboriginal singers hit the road on a tour that is soon heading for Vietnam.
WHEN THE WHALES CAME (1989) Friday 17 April 9.00-11.00am Talking Pictures (Channel 81)
Paul Scofield and Helen Mirren star in this delicate drama set in 1914; filmed in the Scilly Isles.
FINALLY this week, whilst not a film, BBC 4 is repeated Wolf Hall over three nights starting Easter Day at 10pm.

​OBITUARIES
Deborah Watling (69): English actor – Take Me High with Cliff Richard and a regular in Doctor Who.
Hywel Bennett (73): Welsh actor big in The Virgin Soldiers, bigger in Percy; popular on TV as Shelley.
Robert Hardy (91): All Creatures Great and Small and a very fine Churchill.
Jeanne Moreau (89): so many great performances, including in Jules et Jim.
Ty Hardin (87): moderately successful in supporting roles (Battle of the Bulge); most fondly remembered as the star of Bronco.
Glen Campbell (81): talented musician who co-starred in 1969’s True Grit.
Richard Gordon (95): author of the popular Doctor books, adapted for film and television.
Jerry Lewis (91): humanitarian and hugely successful star with or without Dean Martin. Of most interest to film buffs, is his 1971 project The Day the Clown Cried which he locked in a vault and refused to release. Rumours have circulated for a couple of years now that he would permit it after his death, but not before 2024 at the earliest.
Tobe Hooper (74): director who changed the horror genre forever with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Helli Stehle (109): Swiss actress and radio presenter.
Richard Anderson (91): very familiar face (Paths of Glory) who guest starred in just about every American TV series of note between 1959 and 1979; a regular in The Six Million Dollar Man.
 
THE FAR HORIZONS
I know what you are thinking . . . ‘ah yes, Charlton Heston and Fred MacMurray, 1955, directed by Rudolph Maté’ . . . sorry to disappoint you all, but it just seemed an appropriate heading as we peer into our crystal ball and see what wonderful films we can look forward to. All things considered it has been a pretty poor summer for good films (not unusual – it’s family blockbuster time), but the United States has also seen its poorest box office returns for about 10 years, in regard to the more commercial fare. Fear not, however, there are some good films on the way as autumn approaches and events such as the London Film Festival, and regional and national viewing sessions, get under way. So, what can Cinema for All and film society members look forward to?
By the time you read this article, you will be aware of the new Stephen Frears film Victoria and Abdul, starring Judy Dench; if you miss it on first release don’t worry, as it is likely to be playing in community cinemas and village halls for many months after! Equally, don’t overlook Wind River which has had very good reviews. If you are off to see Goodbye Christopher Robin at the end of September, make it the perfect evening out and play the Kenny Loggins song House at Pooh Corner on your in-car music system as you travel to the cinema. October sees the release of The Mountain Between Us with Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, from the director of Omar; Marshall, the story of the first African-American Supreme Court Justice; and Armando Iannucci’s new film The Death of Stalin. More modest releases, of particular interest to us, are I Am Not a Witch a satirical fairy tale set in Zambia; Buena Vista Social Club: Adios; The Square, a much anticipated release from ICO; and the new Sally Potter film The Party, a satire on the British political elite which boasts a phenomenal cast.
Several of the films being shown at October’s LFF are due to be released in November. These include Andy Serkis’s directorial debut Breathe (starring Andrew Garfield, most recently in 99 Homes and Hacksaw Ridge) – the Opening Night Gala; Battle of the Sexes (remember the Billy Jean King/Bobby Riggs challenge match?); and The Killing of the Sacred Deer, from the director of The Lobster. Arguably even more interesting are the Italian-set coming-of-age drama Call Me by Your Name (quite a change of pace for Armie Hammer) and the wonderfully titled Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool. This stars Annette Bening, Jamie Bell and Julie Walters, and is the story of Hollywood siren Gloria Grahame’s theatrical visit to the UK in the early 1980s. Then there is the not-so-small matter of Takashi Miike’s new film Blade of the Immortal; the 45 minute battle sequence in 13 Assassins still resonates with this viewer some seven years on!
As we get to December and Christmas, if the big commercial releases due are not quite your cup of tea, fear not. Look to catch Michael Haneke’s Happy End (released 1 December) and wait for January 2018. Then there will be Benedict Cumberbatch in The Current War (with, no doubt, timely DVD releases of Mickey Rooney’s Young Tom Edison and Spencer Tracy in Edison the Man); Frances McDormand and an Oscar®-buzz Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (the LFF’s Closing Night Gala) and On Chesil Beach. The same day (19 January) sees the release of Steven Spielberg’s The Post – commercial perhaps, but politically the timing is just about perfect! It does, however, look like a February release for the new Journey’s End.
There will be other releases of interest, of course. At least two westerns - Brimstone and Christian Bale’s latest Hostiles - and Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here, but not all of them have UK release dates as yet. The film Tulip Fever has still to appear, although it has been released in the US. Similarly, a very promising award-winning Norwegian film The King’s Choice was shown at the DC Film Festival earlier this year but, at the time of writing, doesn’t appear to be on British schedules. There are also some welcome re-releases due, including a 4K digital print of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Coen brothers’ Blood Simple (through the combined efforts of Studio Canal and the ICO), Hitchcock’s North by North West and, unsurprisingly, two of Gloria Grahame’s best, In a Lonely Place and The Big Heat. Finally, whilst it is very difficult to predict which of the new films will have that something extra that will eventually see them compared with these classics, here are three to look out for – the racial tension drama Mudbound, del Toro’s intoxicating The Shape of Water and Lucky. This has the great Harry Dean Stanton in what some are declaring is his best performance since Paris, Texas; James Darren, a long way from The Time Tunnel, makes a welcome appearance in support.
The key issue, for those of us in the south west NOT in a sizeable urban area, is – will we have an opportunity to see them? Just a few days ago I checked out local cinemas looking for a ‘good film’ and it’s not an exaggeration to say that they were all running the same few titles – the new Tom Cruise; Logan Lucky; the new Ryan Reynolds; and now It. No surprises if I say that It isn’t the 1927 delight in which Clara Bow created a whole new style! So, and to conclude, it might just be down to all of us to ensure that these films get the audiences they deserve.