SECOND RUN SUNDAY: Central European Cinema Classics (SCALARAMA)
A Horse Hospital Fundraising event
admission by necessary 'PAY WHAT YOU CAN' donation
Doors 1.15pm for 1.30pm
Presenting some of the most distinctive titles from the 1960s and '70s of three of the great European national cinemas, this unique day of cinematic gems rescued from obscurity and the archives showcases the amazing restoration work of pioneering world cinema DVD label Second Run. Visionary realms abound in these richly imagined celluloid masterpieces. Come for the whole day or drop in for one or two titles. Entry is by (necessary) donation: £5 or as much as you care to give. All monies go to the Horse Hospital's fundraising campaign. Curated by Gareth Evans and Mehelli Modi. Second Run DVDS will be on sale throughout the day. With warm thanks to Second Run DVD.
1.30 – 2.45: Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
dir. Jaromil Jireš / Czechoslovakia 1970, 73 mins
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders mixes horror, fairytale, surrealism and Freudian symbolism to depict the fantastical world inhabited by a young girl on the threshold of adulthood. Haunting and dreamlike, beguiling and magical, the film is a work of pure imagination, and has become a cult classic.
With its stunning visuals and remarkable score, Valerie casts a powerful spell and is one of the most enduring and influential fantasies ever made
3.00 – 4.30: Szindbád
dir. Zoltán Huszárik / Hungary 1971, 90 mins
Considered a great ‘lost masterpiece’ of international cinema, Szindbád was chosen by Hungarian writers and filmmakers as one of the three best Hungarian films of all time. Based on the stories of surrealist writer Gyula Krúdy, this iconic film is a lush and sensuous depiction of the life, loves and memories of serial seducer Szindbád (Zoltán Latinovits).
As Szindbád contemplates his life of hedonism and romance, the film powerfully evokes the passage of time and the exploration of memory through extraordinarily beautiful imagery. An erotic elegy, at once lyrical and surreal, Szindbád is a work of intoxicating, almost overwhelming physical beauty – a unique experience unlike any other in modern cinema.
The DVD is presented in a brand new anamorphic digital transfer with restored picture and sound, and extras include a filmed appreciation of the film by filmmaker Peter Strickland, and an expansive new essay by writer and film historian Michael Brooke.
4.45 – 6.30: Mother Joan of the Angels
dir. Jerzy Kawalerowicz / Poland 1960, 105 mins
A celebrated landmark of Polish cinema, the award-winning Mother Joan of the Angels has been restored from its original materials and is presented in a new high-definition transfer.
Taking the infamous and documented 'demonic possession' of a group of nuns in Loudun, France in 1634 as his starting point (events subsequently also adapted by Ken Russell for his notorious film The Devils), director Jerzy Kawalerowicz created an intensely provocative and visually astonishing film. Aided by an extraordinary performance by Lucyna Winnicka as Mother Joan, the possessed Mother Superior of the convent, and Mieczysław Voit as the troubled priest Father Józef Suryn, Kawalerowicz's masterpiece is a profoundly disturbing exploration of faith, repression, fanaticism and sexuality.
The DVD features the film presented from a new high-definition restoration of the film, supervised by the film's cinematographer
Jerzy Wójcik, plus an exclusive new filmed appreciation by writer and film historian Michael Brooke and new essay by Dr David Sorfa.
7.00 – 8.45: The Third Part of the Night
dir. Andrzej Żuławski / Poland 1971, 102 mins
Andrzej Żuławski is one of the true mavericks of European cinema and his wild, imaginative and unique films have won awards at many international film festivals over the years. A nightmarish and surreal masterpiece, The Third Part of the Night is his highly influential debut feature film. Set during the time of the Nazi-occupation of Poland and rich with multilayered symbolism and apocalyptic imagery, it shows one of Europe's most uncompromising and visionary directors at his best.
Considered to be one of the best Polish films of the 1970s, this is its first-ever release on DVD anywhere in the world.
9.15 – 10.45: Ikarie XB1
dir. Jindřich Polák / Czechoslovakia 1963, 83 mins
Jindřich Polák’s pioneering and much-imitated feature Ikarie XB 1 is one of the cornerstones of contemporary sci-fi cinema. It predates Star Trek and Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and was clearly an influence on both, as well as on almost every other science-fiction work that followed.
Adapted from Stanisław Lem's 1955 novel The Magellanic Cloud, the film is set in 2163 and follows a mission deep into space in search of alien life. During their perilous journey the crew confront the effects of a malignant dark star, the destructive legacy of the 20th century and, ultimately, the limits of their own sanity. With outstanding design and cinematography, Ikarie XB 1 is imbued with a seriousness, intelligence and attention to detail rarely seen in science-fiction cinema of the period.
The DVD is presented in a superb new anamorphic digital transfer with restored picture and sound and features a newly filmed appreciation by author and critic Kim Newman and a new essay on the film by author Michael Brooke.
Second Run are delighted to present this seminal work of fantasy cinema in its complete and original form for the first time ever in the English-speaking world.