An (Odd) Day in the Dark
David Underdown
Corrie Film Club is repeating its Day in the Dark (held in the last two years) on Saturday 2nd February. It’s effectively a mini-film festival – an all day programme of films chosen partly thematically and partly with the idea that they are films that you might not otherwise have a chance to see – for absolutely no charge.
This year’s theme is ‘eccentricity’. The morning programme starts with Chaplin’s Modern Times, made in 1936 when the world was struggling with the economic woes of the Depression. This wry protest at the puzzles and indignities of modern life is as fresh and relevant as ever. It is followed by a small gem, La Vida Util Useful Life), a recent film by the Uruguayan director Federico Veiroj. It is a docu-fictional account of a crumbling arthouse cinema in Montevideo, coupled with an unlikely love affair.
After a break for lunch (home made soup provided) the afternoon commences with a twinkly British documentary called Ping-pong, about the world over-eighties table tennis championships in Inner Mongolia (well, they said it would be eccentric!). This film from Britdoc’s Hugh Hartford follows aspiring veteran ping-pong champions – from Yorkshire, Sweden, China and the USA – in their hilarious quest for sporting glory. Very funny and strangely heartwarming. It is followed by Derek Jarman’s 1979 idiosyncratic adaptation of Shakespeare’s Tempest with Toyah Wilcox as Miranda. Forget any notions of worthiness – this film challenges the idea of ‘faithful’ literary adaptation and celebrates the visual magic of cinema as thoroughly as the magical arts of Prospero.
The meatiest offering of the day is probably Michael Haneke’s 2005 film Caché (Hidden), with superb performances by Juliette Binoche and Daniel Auteuil. This psychological thriller about a television presenter who starts to receive menacing surveillance videos of himself and his family has been described as ‘one of the great films of the past decade’. Hidden examines the denial and guilt built into the foundations of Western prosperity.
After a break for supper (baked potatoes provided but bring a filling or something else to share) the programme returns to something more celebratory. Latcho Drom by the French director Tony Gatlif is the story of Romany people in a year-long journey, told through their music and dance. Part of a trilogy of films about Gypsy people Latcho Drom is by turns touching, sad and joyous.
As with all Corrie Film Club events, you don’t have to be a member to come to the Day in the Dark (though a small donation towards the costs of heating etc will be welcome.) There is no need to commit the whole day, unless the idea appeals to you. The programming builds in gaps between films, and people can come for as much or as little of the day as they wish – or pop out for a stretch and return later. Provisional film times are as follows but check nearer the time for precise details.
- 10:00am - 10:30am Coffee
- 10:30am - 12:00pm Modern Times
- 12:05pm - 1:10pm Soup lunch
- 1:45pm - 3:05pm Ping Pong
- 3:15pm - 4:45pm The Tempest
- 4:45pm - 5:15pm Tea break
- 5:15pm - 7:00pm Hidden
- 7:00pm - 8:00pm Supper
- 8:00pm - 9:45pm Latcho Drom
