The Sea.

Director:	Stephen Brown
Country:	Ireland, UK
Year:	2013
Running Time:	87 mins
Principle Cast:	Ciaran Hinds	Max Morden
	Charlotte Rampling	Miss Vavasour
	Natascha McElhone	Connie Grace
	Rufus Sewell	Carlo Grace
	Sinead Cusack	Ann Morden

Its not very often your have a Man Booker Prize Winner help introduce the world premiere of a film. John Banville, wrote The Sea in 2005 and adapted it for the big screen producing a script with which our other guest, the director Stephen Brown was to translate onto the big screen and what a good job he made of it.

Man Booker Prize Winner John Banville.

Described as ‘a journey back in time to a summer of turbulent emotions’. The summer in question is the early 1950’s and the place is Co Wexford located in the South East Region of Ireland in fact it was filmed on the same beaches where Spielberg shot Saving Private Ryan. Max Morden, a retired art historian, returns to where he and his family spent their summer holidays to reconcile himself with both the events of his youth, and the recent loss of his beloved wife Ann. He stays in a boarding house that was once the home of the Graces, a family that befriended him during this idyllic youthful period of his life, which in turn awakened his latent sexuality and subsequently involved him in a tragedy that was to have a marked effect on the remainder of his life including taking solace from copious amount of alcohol in an attempt to nullify his bad memories.

Basically Banvilles story is one of age, loneliness and the effect that death of a loved one can have upon a person and the ensuing grief that follows such a tragedy. Brown’s debut feature is a sensitive piece of filmmaking with a small ensemble cast of experienced actors that manage to convey the subtleties of the novel successfully to the big screen.  Ciaran Hinds is especially good with Charlotte Rampling still able to play the femme fatale with her oriental robe and cigarette holder. The film took only 25 days to film and both Stephen Brown and John Banville informed a sell out Filmhouse screening that they were very pleased with the end result as were the appreciative festival audience.

The Debt.

Directed by John Madden, who was responsible for the condescending The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), with a screen play part written my Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goodman, who had previously collaborated together on Stardust (2007) Kick Ass (2010) and X Men: First Class (2011) The Debt (2011) is based on an Israeli film of the same name. Both films centre on the Israeli Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations better known as Mossad, an organization that carries out covert operations all over the world, who in the 1960’s captured a notorious Nazi doctor who it is alleged carried out human experimentation in Nazi concentration camps. When the prisoner escapes its reported that he had been killed and his body disposed of. A great deal of kudos is given to the team for their work but in the late 1990’s it’s discovered that the ‘Surgeon of Birkenau’ (played with sinister realism by Jasper Christensen) could still be alive. 

Helen Mirren, Ciaran Hinds and Tom Wilkinson play the 1990’s version of the Mossad team far more convincingly that their 1965 counterparts Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas and a rather miscast Sam Worthington. This is a very straightforward thriller where everything is sign posted in advance and therefore lacks any real tension or suspense. Personally I referred Norman Jewison’s The Statement (2003) that covered a lot of the same ground and was far more entertaining.

The Woman in Black.

Ciaran Hinds.

If you judge a horror story by how many times it makes you jump, then the latest offering from the re-launched Hammer Film Productions really hits the spot. The Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre Film Club offering this week was The Women in Black (2012). James Pickering, one of the cinema’s young programmers, gave us a short but precise introduction the film. The cast included Daniel Radcliffe, in his first film since the Harry Potter franchise reached it inevitable conclusion, as central character Arthur Kipps, Ciaran Hinds, recently seen at the RBC in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), was local land owner Sam Daily and the screen and theatre actress Janet McTeer, who I have vivid memories of playing Vita Sackville West in the 1990 TV mini series Portrait of a Marriage, played his wife Elizabeth.  In the directors chair on this occasion was James Watkins whose previous film was the 2008 psychological British horror Eden Lake. James went on to tell us that the film was based on Susan Hill’s 1983 ghost story of the same name with the screenplay written Jane Goodman best known for writing Stardust (2007), Kick-Ass (2010) and Xmen 1^st Class (2011). The film relates a story about a young inexperienced Edwardian solicitor Arthur Kipps who, still mourning the death of his wife during childbirth, is dispatched to investigate the affairs of a Mrs Drablow a reclusive old lady recently departed. He has to travel to a rather strange and sinister village located amongst the Fens. The old lady’s isolated gothic mansion Eel March House can only be reached from a tidal causeway. Its not long before Arthur realises that there’s something sinister afoot! 

Daniel Radcliffe.

Janet McTeer.

A lively discussion followed where it was confirmed that the audience genuinely enjoyed their scary evenings entertainment but were divided on the ending i.e. was it a happy or sad ending? It was agreed that the film was full of traditional clichéd horror moments but they were done with such panache that it did not matter.  Like the Hammer films of the past it succeeded in making the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and caused one or two members of the audience to emit the odd scream. The only reservation was that Daniel Radcliffe looked a little young for his role but still managed to carry it off with a certain resolute determination that stands him in good stead for future roles. Originally to be shot in 3D, the sense of evil in the old house is cleverly evoked for which the movies art department warrant’s a special mention along with the cinematography, I personally could of done without the very creepy porcelain dolls and spooky clockwork toys!! Hammer has recently announced that it is to make a sequel to Monday night’s film titled The Woman in Black: Angels of Death.