This Sunday it’s our Annual General Meeting, a great opportunity for members to find out what’s been happening with the Friends and the cinema over the last 12 months as well as our plans for the future.
The plan for the afternoon is as follows:
12.45 – Doors open
1pm – Annual General Meeting (view agenda)
2.30pm – Buffet
3.30pm – Film: Au Revoir Les Enfants
Friends of Hyde Park Picture House 
Many thanks to all concerned for a most informative AGM.
I have been pondering something that came up for me at the meeting, and more so after seeing the amazing Louis Malle film afterwards. I seem to remember that one of the committee members in the meeting had talked about the desirability sometimes of talking about films straight afterwards, rather than just walking off into the night (or the suddenly too bright daylight!)
I found “Au Revoir les Enfants” particularly powerful and ultimately gruelling and challenging. It brought to mind the message sometimes put at the end of TV programmes: ” viewers particularly affected by the content of this programme…” – and then a contact number. It also brought to mind going to see “Wild Tales” recently and only seeing the notice put up by the cinema management after I’d seen and been shocked by the first episode in the film. The management did the right thing here and it was my fault for not being observant enough.
Management obviously hold some limited responsibility for the contents of the material they show but individual films will affect different people in different ways and that can’t really be management’s problem. However I did wonder if it could be a role that the Friends could help fulfil. I’m not sure how it would best be implemented but I just wonder, especially in the long term, if the cinema’s development plans include more social space, a place could be designated where anyone who wanted to talk through a film could hang out for a few minutes in case there were others similarly affected. In the meantime, I wondered, could a simple placard be stored in the foyer, reading something like: “Would anyone like to discuss the film you’ve just seen”, which any Friend who’d been at the film and felt inclined (and willing to miss the last of the film credits!) could pick up and stand in the foyer with for 5 minutes? If others did congregate they would then have to decide where to go – such as a local pub or café… If no-one stopped to talk, the courageous Friend might feel even worse, but that would have to be understood as being part of the deal.
LikeLike
That’s not a bad idea and something we could look into. Would people be brave enough to take the placard?
I’ll also point you towards the Leeds Movie Meet Up group – http://www.meetup.com/movies-779/ they meet regularly and pick out specific screenings, there’s one for the 6pm screening of Pheonix tonight.
LikeLike
A good idea – but not during the credits!
Just to take one example, over a year ago we had a series of films from Austria, The three films all had ‘Paradise’ in the title, and the first one was ‘Love’. In fact one of the film discussion groups that precede ‘Meet-up’ was organised for after the screening. Only two of us sat through the end credits.
However, at the end of the credits there was a further short sequence, which [at least] raised issues about the representation in the film.You can read more at https://itpworld.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/paradise-love-i-faith-hope-libe-glaube-hoffnung/
This may only be an a occasional trope, but when it occurs it is usually important.
Anyway if you are so m stimulated by the film the end credits provide a ‘letting off’ period
LikeLike
I take your point, Keith. I nearly always stay to the end of the credits – most memorable was Tom Waits’ “Hoist that Rag”, played at the very end of “A Most Wanted Man”. Most of the audience had gone! Tragic.
On that basis the placard would have to be hoisted at the back of the auditorium whilst credits were rolling… 🙂
LikeLike
This conjures up wonderful images worthy of a silent movie.
LikeLike