Stephanie gives us a topical vote idea, recommends some excellent lockdown reading and tells us about some of her favourite films. You can follow Stephanie on Twitter @___stph___
What was the first film you saw at film club?
People on Sunday, the German silent film by Robert Siodmak & Edgar G. Ulmer.
What’s been your favourite film at film club?
It has to be Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I've seen it a hundred times before but never with an audience. The collective laughter made it a particularly enjoyable watch and the jokes are timeless. Also loved the eerie mystique of the low-budget smoke machine.
What’s a favourite film of yours you’d love to see at film club?
Mike Leigh’s Secrets and Lies. It’s one of my favourite films by one of my favourite directors. It tells the story of a woman who recently lost her adoptive parents and sets out to find her biological mother. It’s an incredibly nuanced depiction of family struggles with complex and well-developed characters. I love the way Leigh manages to balance humour and emotion in an entirely naturalistic manner. Set primarily in North and East London it portrays ‘Britishness’ in a raw and mundane way that I think would resonate with the film club audience.
Tell us a theme and three choices you’d put up for the vote.
A topical contribution during the current climate - ‘doctors’: The Testament of Dr Mabuse, Spellbound and M*A*S*H.
Is there a book about film that you’d recommend to other members?
Molly Haskell's From Reverence to Rape which is an incredibly insightful and comprehensive book about the role of women in film. It taught me a lot, especially how potent film was (and still is) in setting standards of women in wider American society (standards mainly set by men). I think it’s an important read for everyone. It also covers some great films that I have subsequently seen with a new and informed perspective.
What’s your earliest memory of going to the cinema?
I remember going to see Goodnight Mr Tom at Stamford Arts Centre. I must have been about 6 or 7. The cinema was completely empty apart from my sister, my mum and me; I think we went with the intention of seeing another film but it was sold out. In all honesty, I can't remember what I thought of the film.
What’s your most memorable cinematic experience?
Abel Gance's Napoleon (1927) at BFI Southbank. It’s a film about the life of Napoleon Bonaparte in three parts over five and half hours. It was memorable for a number of reasons, if not for the sheer length, the craft and storytelling was exceptional. We saw the restoration made by Kevin Brownlow in the 80s (he wrote an amazing book about the original film and his personal relationship with it, his first meeting with Abel Gance was a really touching and funny anecdote). However, the thing that struck me most during the film was the use of colour filters, particularly at the end during the triptych sequence of the French flag. The incredible score by Carl Davis and the epic battle scenes were truly spectacular - it was like going to the opera or something. Completely different but entirely immersive.
What was the last film you saw outside film club and would you recommend it?
Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo on DVD. Yes, absolutely would recommend. It tells the true story of a rubber merchant played by Klaus Kinski who dreams of bringing opera to the Peruvian Amazon during the early 20th century. In doing so he achieves the enormous feat of lifting a ship over a mountain. It’s Apocalypse Now mixed with the Odyssey plus a sprinkling of Caruso. Apparently there’s a really great documentary about the making of the film called Burden of Dreams but I’m yet to watch it.
If you’d like to take part in our Meet the Members series, here are the questions. Answer as many as you like and email them to us and one day… you too could be our star of the week.
