FILM – BEHIND THE SCREEN, SOMERSET HOUSE
by Chris Vernon
Somerset House and BAFTA conjure an image so British that it’s surprising that Richard Curtis didn’t sneak a subplot including them into Love Actually. Having played host to various centres for the Arts over the years, the neoclassical buildings and courtyard of Somerset House have not escaped the attention of the silver screen.
Recently, scenes from The Duchess were shot here, and most recently Guy Ritchie used the location for his ‘Sherlock Holmes: a proper London geezer’ film. The outdoor movies screened here are an annual treat that have very much made an impact on the city’s cultural programme. And now there is BAFTA. BAFTA encourages thoughts of sir Ben Kingsley and Dame Judy Dench, overacting, Hamlet, queuing and bad weather all at once. Over two weeks, BAFTA will be on site at Somerset House to give those who want it a little more insight into the movie industry.
Preceding the outdoor screenings will be talks from the industry’s finest writers, critics, directors, editors and producers. Kicking off the season on the 31st July is a look into the murky world of horror. Rough Guide to Horror author Alan Jones and novelists Chris Fowler and Anne Billson speak about how they fell in love with the genre. This is quickly followed by a double-bill of Alien and Poltergeist. Other highlights include a revisiting of the films of Wim Wenders, New German Cinema lynchpin and winner of the 1984 Palme D’or for Paris Texas. Nic Roeg will also be speaking about his career preceding a screening of his masterpiece Don’t Look Now.
Film4 have put together a series of shorts by the next generation of filmmakers and perhaps most relevant is a talk by Chris Dickens, oscar-winning editor of the overachieving Slumdog Millionaire. All this, and it is a mere £5 for a ticket to each event. If you’ve secured a second date, and you mentioned how much you liked cinema at the first one, Y Tu Mama Tambien in particular, then this is the perfect event to follow up your studiously constructed academic interest in cinema and hopefully bag yourself a culture vulture.
