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| Oh my god - it's full of stars! Photo: Jassy Earl |
Day seven of the Glasgow Film Festival began with classic film noir The Big Sleep, starring Humphrey Bogart as detective Philip Marlowe pitched against Lauren Bacall’s sultry femme fatale. There was a chance to catch up with films that had proved a hit with audiences earlier in the festival, such as Demolition and The Pearl Button, before the evening introduced an older classic. Part of the festival’s retrospective look at the work of Jules Duvivier, Panique, which features a superb performance by Michel Simon as the misfit made a scapegoat after a murder is committed, and which would go on to inspire Patrice Leconte’s much admired Monsieur Hire, proved a hit with cineastes and the curious alike. The print isn’t in great condition these days but it’s still a stunning film and its final action sequence seemed to take a lot of viewers by surprise – perhaps we’re all too used to older films that keep their feet planted firmly on the ground.
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| Mark Cousins talks I Am Belfast Photo: Ingrid Mur |
There were also plenty of new films to enjoy, including Mark Cousins’ meandering documentary I Am Belfast, in which he imagines his hometown as a woman telling a thousand year old tale. Also exploring the past and its bearing on the present was Hamish, the story of poet, soldier and songwriter Hamish Henderson, which was warmly welcomed by an audience or whom it sparked and memories. Half the audience sand along to its closing chorus of Freedom Come All Ye, after which there was a standing ovation. One woman stood up to say that she had known Hamish and that, though he wouldn’t have been impressed by things like Facebook and modern notions of celebrity, she felt that the film was exactly what he would have wanted. Another gently challenged its assertion that Hamish’s work had been blacklisted by the BBC, saying he’d played his songs on the radio in Aberdeen in the Seventies, but there were still cynics in the audience, one of whom asked bluntly “Are they gonnae show it on the fucking BBC?”
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| Talking of Hamish Photo: Max Crawford |
The big hit of the evening was Green Room, the violent tale of a punk band who find themselves in trouble after witnessing a murder committed by neo-Nazis. attendees seemed to universally love its combination of tension and judiciously applied gore. Equally brutal but more divisive was That Demon Within, Dante Lam’s blend of high octane thriller and noirish journey into the mind of a cop whose mental health is disintegrating. Viewers admired its stylish visuals but some felt it was too confused and uneven to reach the heights they’d hoped for. Everybody loved Winter, however, if that’s the right term for a film which sees a young man struggling with his bereaved, alcoholic father and a younger brother in state care. Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival programmer Richard Warden led an discussion afterwards.
For those still looking into the past – or dreaming of the future – the Glasgow Planetarium offered an experience that was out of this world. Following a dazzling display of the sort of stars you won’t usually see at a film festival, it hosted a 40th anniversary screening of The Man Who Fell To Earth. Scheduled before the death of David Bowie, it was nevertheless welcomed as a tribute by fans, several of whom had enjoyed watching Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars earlier in the festival.
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| Rab Florence embarks on a different kind of Glasgow project Photo: Max Crawford |
Also running that night was the ever-popular Rab’s Videogame Empty, this time hosted in the city’s famous Art School whose library was restored with the help of Peter Capaldi and Brad Pitt after a fire. Presenter Rab Florence had a slate of new (old) games he wanted people to try, including Ikaruga and Bushido Blade, though fans insisted he also give them the chance to see Fuck Man on the big screen, a 16 bit challenge based around sexual conquest which Rab said was proof that misogyny in the industry is nothing new and which doesn’t seem likely to have enhanced anyone’s prospects in real life. The most popular game of the night was Super Hexagon, which has been played on and off at these events for years but which finally saw a breakthrough on this occasion, with winner Michael Douglas (no relation) managing to stay alive in it for over a minute. “I was nervous and excited, and scared I’d fuck it up,” he said, “but it was amazing to get it right.”
The following day was a great one for documentaries. There was a second chance to see Hamish and Where You’re Meant To Be, plus a screening of Speed Sisters, whose depiction of young Palestinian women aiming for success in motor racing was very popular with viewers. Also showing was Love And Peace, the best slapstick tragicomedy kawaii kaiju rock n’ roll odyssey Christmas Film this year, which viewers variously described as “Bonkers” and “Bananas”, though everyone fell in love with its cute animatronic turtle star.
The evening focused on families facing challenges with Californian indie Weepah Way For Now, impressive Czech debut Home Care, and Bridgend, a fictionalised telling of the real life story of a suicide epidemic in the titular Welsh town, which viewers described as hard to watch but undeniably important, and which was followed by an intense Q&A.
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| Arcade action Photo: Max Crawford |
It was also time for a festival event that always sells out even though nobody knows what to expect – the Surprise Film. A huge queue snaked up to the entrance to see it and attendees were very excited. Would it be Eddie The Eagle? Or Midnight Special? Or even 10 Cloverfield Lane? No, it wouldn’t. “You might not like it but it’s always good,” said festival director Allison Gardner, thanking the audience for trusting her. Up came the titles. “Aw, whit?!?” asked a loud voice at the back, getting the first laugh of the evening. It was, in fact, a Whit Stillman film, Love & Friendship, based on the little-known Jane Austen novella Lady Susan. Only a handful of people left – rather fewer than usual – and though some of those who stayed said they would normally consider anything connected to Austen antithetical to their idea of entertainment, a good number of them were pleasantly surprised and said they found it very funny. Overall it was one of the most popular Surprise Film choices for years.
The evening’s other event was the IGN Podcast, an award winning show which visited Drygate with its unique take on geek culture and which certainly seemed to deliver what fans had been hoping for. An hour of chat and music from Jimmy Jammin’ was followed by a screening of Man Vs Snake: The Long And Twisted Tale Of Nibbler, the true story of an ordinary farm boy who became a hero through his unprecedented mastery of n obscure arcade game. Impressively, the organisers of the event had managed to secure an actual Nibbler arcade machine so that attendees could try it for themselves (most already knew roughly what to do as it’s a variant of Snake). Several other classic machines were available along with new games not yet on the market, which thrilled fans. The event was another big success for a festival that just keeps on coming up with the goods.
