05 Apr - 02 May - Filmhouse Cinema Edinburgh

Introduction
3
NEIGHBOURING SOUNDS LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED A LATE QUARTET
ON THE WATERFRONT
If you see only one film this month... you’ll miss a whole load of great cinema.
I am occasionally, in the course of my duties here at Filmhouse, asked to meet students on related courses to talk to them about my
job, how we work, the film industry and all that stuff. Hopefully, they get something out of it – I know I do, for there’s nothing I like
more than talking about myself for an hour... Anyway, the other day I was asked how many films I watch in the course of a year, and
I’d no idea of the number. So, I’ve let my OCD take over for a while and have decided to keep a note of all films I watch (I once knew
someone who kept ALL his ticket stubs...), for both business and pleasure, as it were, for a year from 1 March 2013; and, at the risk
of appearing self-absorbed, will report back as the year progresses – if I remember to. I’ve no doubt some of you watch more films
than I do, though you may struggle to keep up once the festivals I attend come around – gauntlet duly thrown down! I’m on eight
so far (it’s 11 March today) which have included catching up on Zombieland (great fun), Iron Man 2 (I think I’ve had it with Hollywood
blockbusters) and, top of the pile, the Brazilian Neighbouring Sounds, which can be seen at a cinema near you (ie. this one!) in April.
Ah yes, April... A Late Quartet is an old-fashioned, beautifully performed gem – very much in the Woody Allen mould sans the
comedy – set in the rarified world of a NYC string quartet, as one of their number (Christopher Walken as you may not have seen him
before) announces his retirement. Cue the surfacing of previously buried resentments... Susanne Bier’s Love Is All You Need stars Pierce
Brosnan (as a fruit and veg tycoon living in Denmark!) in an irresistible, beautiful, mostly Sorrento-set romantic comedy set around
the wedding of an unlikely couple’s son and daughter... And, getting serious, if I may, for a minute, the revelatory documentary The
Gatekeepers is the fascinating story of the Israeli internal security service (Shin Bet) as told by the men who ran it from 1948 to the
present day. Incredible stuff.
The Italian Film Festival returns for its 20th edition and features the best new Italian cinema plus two restorations of Roberto Rossellini/
Ingrid Bergman collaborations, Stromboli and Journey to Italy; also celebrating its 20th anniversary is the weekend-long celebration
of all things horror, Dead by Dawn. Daniel Day-Lewis gets a small/perfectly-formed Drambuie®-sponsored retrospective of his finest
performances (including his three Oscar®-winning ones). There’s a few digital restorations rating a mention too: Max Ophuls’ elegant
Madame de..., Pasolini’s mysterious Theorem, and Elia Kazan’s masterful On the Waterfront, simply one of the best American films ever
made, and featuring Marlon Brando at the absolute peak of his considerable power. And if you fancy a bit of good old 35mm, a brand
new print of John Boorman’s awesome Point Blank will be with us shortly after its debut at the BFI Southbank...
Rod White, Head of Filmhouse