AdrianTurner

Every year Bradford's National Museum of Photography hosts a film festival and as part of that there is a Widescreen Weekend in the Pictureville Cinema, the only place in Europe where one can see Cinerama in its original format. The Festival runs this year from 8-10 March and includes a very rare screening of Michael Powell's Honeymoon. I've never seen it - indeed I'm only dimly aware of this sort of Spanish travelogue, sort of romantic comedy, sort of flamenco-ballet movie, sort of probable turkey.

The film was shown once at the 1959 Cannes, was politely allowed back into the vaults, then cut by 20 minutes and shown briefly in London in full Technirama. It stars Anthony Steel and has recently been restored by Powell aficionado Martin Scorsese.

For Powell's army of fans, this might be worth enduring Bradford's singular charms for a night or two. There's also 2001 in Cinerama and a new 70mm print of Robert Wise's Star!

Freddie Freeloader

Ah.....Bradford.

And don't forget....it's only fifteen minutes drive to Cleckheaton.

kelp

That wouldn't be "Cleckheaton Gateway To The South"....would it?

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR...YOU MAY GET IT!

penfold

It's an odd'un, and no mistake...I have only seen it once, and I must confess to being a greater fan of wartime PnP than to the post-war Arty PnP, but it does have stunning sequences featuring the flamenco, ballet and hybrid flamenco/ballet that really rival The Red Shoes or Tales of Hoffman. It doesn't hang together in my view, and that is largely down to the presence of Anthony Steel....my mother has an antique sideboard that is less wooden....and possibly down to MP, IMHO, being in love with the dancing - which shows - and couldn't really care less about the linking story - ditto. It would be nice to see it again though....

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

Steve Crook

Great news. Many people have only seen it in the cut-down format that was all that was available for some time. And as most of the cuts were to the dancing it left it as little more than a travelogue.

Even that is of some interest because it was filmed at the end of Franco's reign in Spain and before the tourist hotels took over everywhere.

As penfold said, the restored version is worth seeing. The dancing is a combination of some classical ballet, some pure flamenco and some which is a combination of the two. The flamenco in the farmhouse near the beginning is the sexiest dancing I've ever seen on screen.

I wrote a review/report about it after I saw the newly restored print at San Sebastian in 2002 - with one of the leading Spanish dancers.

And Charles Doble, who did the restoration, wrote a critique explaining some of what he had to do to restore it.

But although it is well worth seeing in its restored form, it's still not exactly at masterpiece level like The Red Shoes or even The Tales of Hoffmann. One certainly does wonder why Anthony Steel bothered to show up. Apart from a bad attempt at a drunken outburst of jealousy and a brief moment of artistic feeling, he just drinks pespi cola and reads books about breeding livestock.

Steve

penfold

If both Steve and I give mildly lukewarm reaction to a Powell film, you know that it's possibly for completists only.....

....but the dance sequences, if they're your thing, are spectacular.

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

Fellwanderer

OK - I'll settle for a weekend in June and the festival Bradford is hosting then

All the best
FELL

A signature is no substitute for a life

penfold

Like you were going to miss that one for anything else.....

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

Steve Crook

That flamenco between Carmen & Antonia in the farmhouse still gives me the shivers every time I see it. I know he was as camp as a row of tents but some people have called dancing a vertical expression of a horizontal desire - and that one had desire, promise and everything else all the way through. I even felt like having a cigarette after watching it

Steve

Peer Lawther

Hi all - noticed this thread while perusing the forums; I work for the National Media Museum so I'm in midst of promoting this very festival at the moment.

Honeymoon is showing on Sunday 9th March at 6pm (tickets available to buy now) and I think it might be one of the curio treats of the festival, certainly something I'll try and come along to (if I can persuade a reluctant wife!).

penfold

Love to, but that's the weekend before Cheltenham Races, and I'll need all my energy for that...

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

Rob Compton

Well, we need some tips, penfold, if you have any!

stevie boy

LOL, bravo

Steve Crook

Or even - Olé!

Steve