At our May class we discussed the film “Swimming with Men”.  This has been promoted as a Comedy, Drama, Romance.

Some of the group were a little dubious about how interesting the film would be, but everyone ended up enjoying the film.  A man who is suffering a mid-life crisis finds new meaning in his life as part of an all-male, middle-aged, amateur synchronised swimming team.  He had left his wife, believing she was having an affair and had rejected him.  As his relationship with the team evolved, he realised the problem was his own fear of growing old; his wife had not rejected him. 

The relationships within the team also evolved as they all learnt the value of working together and the importance of supporting each other in their different needs.  Our group did not see it as a romance in a traditional sense, but it does fit a wider definition of the term to include relationships and feelings.  There was an element of drama, and some humorous moments.

The film was reasonably light and enjoyable, with some thought-provoking moments.  Performances were good, including several actors who are more often seen in television series, including Ron Brydon (Would I lie to You, A Cock and Bull Story), Jim Carter (Downton Abbey), Nathaniel Parker (Inspector Lynley).

We rated it as 3.5 out of 5.

Our film for discussion at the 12 June class is “Top End Wedding” screening at BPACC from 30 May.  It is an Australian film set in the “Top End” of the country and looks to have some spectacular scenery from this area.
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Joy Shirley

For our April class we had a choice between “A Dog’s Way Home” and “Captain Marvel”.

“A Dog’s Way Home” is the story of Bella who is confused when sent away from the ones she loved – Lucas, his mother and Olivia.  She did not understand that this was only temporary and escaped to try to find her way back.  It was shown from the dog’s perspective of her adventures in finding her way back home.  She met many different animals as well as people on the way, but it was only Bella’s voice that was dubbed.  The story was lovely, with pleasant and believable characters and magnificent scenery.  We gave it a rating of 4 out of 5.

“Captain Marvel” was a totally different film.  Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.  There is an unexpected twist around the mid-point of the film which possibly makes it more interesting.  Performances by the stars were excellent, and the computer graphics is getting better as the technology evolves.  It led to discussions around the introduction of female super heroes (Marvel has done it before) and the comparison between super hero and science fiction films. Overall it was reasonably interesting, a typical Marvel story.  We rated it as 3.5 out of 5.

Our film for discussion at the May class is “Swimming with Men” 

​Joy Shirley

​Our film for discussion at our March class was “Green Book”.  Everyone enjoyed watching the film, with some strong reactions to the treatment of African-American people in the south of the USA in the 60s – and questions as to how much has or has not changed in the 50 years since.
This film was the winner of the Best Movie at the Academy Awards (although there was some controversy) and Mahershala Ali who played an African-American classical pianist won the award for Best Supporting Actor.  We agreed that it was a great film, and Ali’s performance was worthy of the award.

The film is based on a true story.  Tony Lip, a working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver for Dr Donald Shirley, the classical pianist, on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.  The title of the film comes from the Green Book that listed accommodation available for African-Americans.  The film was full of contrasts – Tony a racist Italian bouncer: Dr Shirley an African American; Tony with a close Italian family: Dr Shirley a lonely man; treatment of African-Americans in the north of the USA: treatment in the south.  It follows how both the men grow and appreciate the other’s strengths.  While there were some disturbing scenes as the men face the problems of an African-American in the south of the country, the film had a happy ending with the men becoming close friends until their death, both dying in 2013 within a few months of one another.

Reviews have compared the film with “Driving Miss Daisy” (friendship between an African-American driver with an upper-class employer), but we thought it was closer to “The Help” (showing the difficulties experienced by African-Americans).  A very enjoyable movie that we rated as around 3-4 out of 5.

It was decided to select two films for our April class – “Captain Marvel” and “A Dog’s Way Home”.  Everyone is invited to watch at least one of these movies for our April class on 10 April. 
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Possible discussion points could be around the use of the computer graphics in “Captain Marvel” or comparisons of “A Dog’s Way Home” with the lost animal films we have seen in the past.
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Joy Shirley

We are now watching movies at BPACC, then meeting on the 2nd Wednesday to discuss the movie. 

Our February movie was the remake of “Storm Boy”.  We met in the library to discuss the movie where we welcomed several new members to our Film and Literature group.  Some of our members had seen the earlier version filmed in 1976.

In general, people enjoyed the movie.  In comparison with the earlier release it was not as bleak.  The scenery was beautiful with more colour.  And Storm Boy’s father was not as distant as in the earlier release.  There were some changes to the original story, with Michael Kingley as a grandfather (Geoffrey Rush) telling his granddaughter (Morgan Davies) of his early life as Storm Boy.

Overall, it was a lovely story, with some good performances.  The sounds of the ocean and the storms were realistic.  Some good scenes showed the relationship between the grandfather and his granddaughter as he told the story of his life as Storm Boy.  A couple of outstanding scenes showed the grandfather sitting beside his younger self, both contemplating the water and birdlife around them.  The relationship with the aboriginal (Fingerbone) who helped Storm Boy nurture three pelicans was sensitively handled.

As with many films there is a message in the story – as Michael shows regret that he never forgave his father for sending him away to school, he is encouraging his granddaughter to talk with her father with whom she is in conflict.

Our movie for next month’s discussion is “Green Book”.  This film has had some good reviews and is based on a true story set in the still racially divided southern states of America in the 60s.  You can find out more about the movie on IMDb.  The opening screening is at 10:30 on Friday, 22 February, and the final screening is on 5 March at 7:30pm.  We will be meeting on 13 March at 1:30 in the library to discuss the film.
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Joy Shirley

Do you enjoy watching movies?  Do you find discussing movies adds to your enjoyment?  Do you find that you can better understand a movie by hearing and sharing thoughts about the movie?  Then come along to our Film and Literature class. 

In the class we discuss a movie we have watched, treating the movie as a form of literature.   

In 2019 we will be attending current movies chosen from BPACC’s program at a time which suits our individual commitments. 

A ‘Movie Money’ voucher from BPACC will enable group members to watch each movie at a cost of $9.50.   

We will then catch up at the library or one of Benalla’s wonderful coffee shops at 1:30pm on the second Wednesday of the month to discuss the movie.

Joy Shirley

​We spent our final session for the year discussing movies we had seen.  Each member had an opportunity to talk about movies they liked or was memorable in some way.  The majority were movies watched during the year, although there was mention of movies from the past.  We covered a wide range of movies from The Leisure Seekers, which was appreciated by many who had seen it to the recent release of Halloween (a bit of a nothing movie).  One of our members talked about the recent release of A Star is Born, with some comparison with previous releases of the same movie.
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For 2019 we will be focussing on movies being screened at BPACC, and then meeting on the second Wednesday at a café to discuss the movie.  The first movie for the year will be a remake of the movie Storm Boy which will be screened at BPACC from the end of January. We will then be meeting at 1:30 on the 2nd Wednesday to discuss the movie.  It is likely that the venue for our first session will be the library.


​Joy Shirley

Our October film was Christopher Robin, screened at BPACC from late September.  Then we met in our normal time slot to discuss the movie.

The movie is based on the adult Christopher Robin, played by Ewan McGregor, and his self-discovery in revisiting his life with Pooh and his friends.  A working-class family man, Christopher Robin, encounters his childhood friend Winnie-the-Pooh, who helps him to rediscover the joys of life.

Some of us were familiar with the AA Milne stories around Christopher Robin and his friends, and it was fun to revisit the stories and poems during our discussion.  Included was reading the poems Buckingham Palace and The King’s Breakfast.

It was good to see Christopher Robin’s friends, his stuffed toys, represented as stuffed toys rather than animated characters.  This created a great contrast between the actors and the toys.  Another contrast was between the business world and a balanced and joyful approach to life.

Another topic for discussion was the issue of sending children to boarding school – or other institutions; it was planned to send Christopher Robin’s daughter to boarding school.

Performances of the actors were good, with people enjoying the portrayal of Christopher Robin by Ewan McGregor, and of his boss, Giles Winslow, played by Mark Gatiss.

Our November movie will again be at BPACC to watch The Wife (screening from 25 October), starring Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce.  A wife questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband, where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.  We will discuss the movie at our 14 November class.
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Joy Shirley

There were some problems with the computer this month.  While this was addressed we discussed the program for the remainder of the year (more of this later).  We watched Ladies in Lavender so that anyone who needed to leave before the end given the late start, could borrow the DVD to watch in their own time.

The main characters were two sisters, Ursula (played by Judi Dench) and Janet (played by Maggie Smith).  With two such talented actors, it was no surprise that everyone enjoyed the movie, rating it as 5 out of 5.

The story is set in Cornwall where the two sisters live by the coast, during the period between the two World Wars.  After a violent storm they discover a young Polish man washed up on the beach.  They nurse him back to health, discovering that he is a very talented violinist.  We thought if the movie as a study of relationships.

The movie is filmed in the UK, predominantly in Cornwall.  As a result, there is great scenery, with views of the cottage and garden where the sisters live, as well as waves breaking over the rocks.  The music was good, with the violin often being the focus.  From a point of view of the characters, there is a contrast between the sisters, with occasional tensions, but also closeness.  Ursula longs for some sort of companionship and a close relationship with Andrea.  Janet lost her love during the First World War.   Another interesting character was their cook and maid Dorcas, played by Miriam Margolyes, who provided a bit of comic relief.

Apart from the main characters, Ursula, Janet, Dorcas, Andrea and Olga (a Russian artist who recognises his talent) most of the supporting roles were predominantly male.
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Our October movie will be a visit to BPACC to see Christopher Robin (screening until 9 October).  This is based on the adult Christopher Robin and his self-discovery in revisiting his life with Pooh and his friends.  It should not be confused with the story of AA Milne’s life, Goodbye Christopher Robin, which was released last year.  We will discuss the movie at our scheduled 10 October session.

With several possibly interesting movies screening during October, we have decided that we should again visit BPACC.  The movie we will discuss at our November session will be The Wife (screening from 25 October) which is receiving good reviews.

Joy Shirley

We had a change of plan for our August Film and Literature session.  We were a very small group as several people were unable to attend.  Instead we watched an episode of an Agatha Christie short story, The Case of the Missing Woman.

This was an entertaining movie, which we decided was a satirical comedy rather than a traditional Christie crime movie.  There was an element of mystery as the main characters, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, seek to locate a missing woman at the request of her fiancée, Gabriel Stavansson.   She had been staying with her aunt, Lady Susan Clonray while Stavenssen was away for two years.   Stavansson did not get on with Lady Susan who he thought of as fat, and she was evasive about her niece’s whereabouts.  Tommy and Tuppence eventually located the missing woman only to find that she was undergoing radical treatment to lose the weight she had put on while her fiancée was away.

Costuming was great, with Tuppence wearing matching dress and hat in one scene.  Lady Susan’s portrayal as a fat lady did not work as well as we would have liked, with a thinner person’s head on a supposedly fat body.  Her costume though was bright and impressive.  We did discuss the current issues around obesity, and what is considered fat or obese.  Finally, we enjoyed the butler who was serving Lady Susan as he was portrayed as old and doddery, one of many comical scenes in the movie.

Our September movie will be either Belle or Ladies in Lavender.  Belle is based loosely on the story of Dido Belle, the illegitimate daughter of a Royal Navy captain and a slave woman in the 18th century.  This will be the movie if the internet behaves well for streaming the movie.  If we have internet problems we will watch Ladies in Lavender, starring Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.

With all the movies we watch, our aim is to focus our discussion, covering ideas around genre, characters, plot, but also adding the aspects that relate to film, such as cinemascope, music and atmosphere.  We aim to start promptly at 1:00pm to allow time to discuss the movie.
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Joy Shirley

​In July we watched A Room With a View 
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Genre: Romantic satire

Plot: Lucy Honeychurch, a young Englishwoman, is touring Italy with her older cousin. Lucy meets the charming and free-spirited George Emerson. Although intrigued by George, once she's back in England Lucy ponders settling down with the wealthy, staid Cecil Vyse. When George reappears in her life, Lucy must decide between him and Cecil.

Key Characters:   Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter), Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith), George Emerson (Julian Sands), Reverend Mr Beebe (Simon Callow), Eleanor Lavish (Judi Dench), Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis)

Review: we rated the movie as 4.5 out of 5.

This was a gentle movie, with some wry humour.  The key roles were caricatures of early 20th century characters.  For example, Charlotte Bartlett as Lucy’s chaperon was portrayed as the poor cousin spinster, and Cecil was very much rich and idle.  It is also a movie of contrasting characters…George as the passionate and brooding young man and Cecil as passionless and arrogant.  All enjoyed the movie, which is not surprising given the quality of the cast.  Many of the cast were top actors, having either won or been nominated for Academy Awards.  And the movie won three Academy Awards.

Further: Our August movie will be Belle based loosely on the story of Dido Belle, the illegitimate daughter of a Royal Navy captain and a slave woman in the 18th century.

With all the movies we watch, our aim is to focus our discussion, covering ideas around genre, characters, plot, but also adding the aspects that relate to film, such as cinemascope, music and atmosphere.  We aim to start promptly at 1:00 pm to allow time to discuss the movie.

Joy Shirley

On a dreary Benalla afternoon, we watched “Little Miss Sunshine.” Essentially a road movie with a fractured, somewhat dysfunctional family uniting to get seven-year-old Olive to the “Little Miss Sunshine.” Pageant in far off California, the rusted-out VW being just one of their many problems.

With lots of laugh out loud incidents, cringe and shudder reactions and “this could only happen in America” moments we had lots to talk about – winners verses losers, family values, happiness, ageing, philosophy, shattered dreams, mental health and body image. Add in six unique and complex characters and we had a film that, whilst not appealing to every viewer, certainly gave us things to think about.

​Pat Treleaven

​This month we watched the 1946 version of The Postman Always Rings Twice 

Genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir

Plot: The Movie was based on a book by James M Cain.  Nick Smith, the middle-aged proprietor of a roadside restaurant, hires drifter Frank Chambers as a handyman.  Frank eventually begins an affair with Nick's beautiful wife Cora, who talks Frank into helping her kill Nick, by "accident."  But there are always repercussions, as this pair found out.

Key Characters:   Cora Smith (Lana Turner), Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway), Frank Chambers (John Garfield), Arthur Keats (Hume Cronyn), Kyle Sackett (Leon Ames)

Review: we rated as 3.5 out of 5.

We selected this movie after discussing the term film-noir in April.  This term was originally applied to American thriller or detective films made in the period 1944–54, a style or genre of cinematographic film marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace.  The performances were good, less wooden that the performances in last month’s movie.  In comparing the movie with Please Murder Me, we found the theme different with Cora, the key female character, much less manipulative than Myra.  This time it was the defence lawyer who was manipulative.  While Nick and Cora were not an ideal couple, Cora had married him because he was the first person who had mentioned the word marriage, while others in her life were just interested in her beauty.  While Cora and Frank do not end up in prison for killing Nick, Cora dies as a result of an authentic accident, and Nick is convicted of her murder.  In the final scene, Frank talks about the postman always ringing twice – justice will prevail in the end.  The theme was very much about relationships, with twists that kept you guessing, but it was not as dark as Please Murder me, and one of our group though it was more of a melodrama.
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Further: Our May movie will be Little Miss Sunshine starring Toni Collette.  Pat will be running the session as I will be in Scotland.  Have a great time. 

​With all the movies we watch, we look at them as literature – literature in a different medium, the medium of film.  This helps to focus the discussion, covering ideas around genre, characters, plot, but also adding the aspects that relate to film, such as cinemascope, music and atmosphere.  We aim to start promptly at 1:00pm to allow time to discuss the movie.
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Joy Shirley

​This month we watched Please Murder Me.  

Genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir

Plot: A lawyer wins an acquittal for his client, a woman accused of murder.  After the verdict, he finds out that she indeed did commit the murder and manipulated him to win her acquittal.  Guilt-ridden, and knowing that she can't be tried again for the murder, he devises a plan to bring her to justice.

Key Characters: Myra Leeds (Angela Lansbury), Craig Carlson (Raymond Burr:).

Review: we rated as 3 out of 5.

The movie seemed to be slow to start.  Some of the acting was rigid but was typical of the period in which it was made.  As it continued, the movie started to keep us guessing until the end. We realised then that the name of the movie was perhaps Craig Carlson, unable to live with himself, asking/forcing Myra to murder him – please murder me.  This allowed him to ease his conscience by ensuring that she would be tried for his murder, after she had wrongly been found not guilty of her husband’s murder. Raymond Burr was perfect for the role, and we could see how this formed his entry into his later role on TV as Perry Mason.
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We also discussed the term film-noir, a term originally applied to American thriller or detective films made in the period 1944–54, a style or genre of cinematographic film marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace.  Similar films could include the 1946 adaptation of the James M Cain novel The Postman Always Rings Twice.  We decided to watch this movie in May if it could be found.

Further: Our May movie will be The Postman Always Rings Twice starring Lana Turner and John Garfield.  We aim to start watching the movie promptly at 1:00pm so that we have time to discuss the movie.

This month we watched The Railway Children. 
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Genre: Family Drama
Plot: After the enforced absence of their father, three children move with their mother to Yorkshire, where their adventures revolve around the Railway.
Key Characters:  Mrs. Waterbury (Dinah Sheridan), Charles Waterbury (Iain Cuthbertson), Roberta ‘Bobbie’ Waterbury (Jenny Agutter), Phyllis Waterbury (Sally Thomsett), Peter Waterbury (Gary Warren), Albert Perks (Bernard Cribbins), Old Gentleman (William Mervyn).

Review: we rated as 3.5 out of 5.
Everyone enjoyed this movie.  One described it as a sweet movie, others as engaging.  The performances by the key players were good, with some overacting that was found to be charming rather than distracting.  Lighting and colour was used to god effect.  For example, when the family first arrives in Yorkshire, the house is dark and uninviting, but as they settled into their new life the house became lighter and friendlier.  The colours of the grass and flowers also reflected the mood of the children as their life became lighter and happier, although still poor and missing their father.  In many ways it was episodic.  Each adventure experienced by the children was complete in itself.  There was a TV series made in 1968, two years before the movie.  Whether the adventures were what lent it to be made into the series, or whether the episodes in the TV series led to the episodic approach to the movie could be open to debate.  It might be interesting to read the book on which it was based as part of investigating this question.

Coming Up: Our April movie will be Please Murder Me, starring Raymond Burr and Angela Lansbury.  We aim to start watching the movie promptly at 1:00pm so that we have time to discuss the movie.  Here's an excerpt... 

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With all the movies we watch, we look at them as literature – literature in a different medium, the medium of film.  This helps to focus the discussion, covering ideas around genre, characters, plot, but also adding the aspects that relate to film, such as cinemascope, music and atmosphere.
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Joy Shirley

​This month we watched Appointment with Death.

Genre: Dramatic crime mystery

Plot: Emily Boynton, step-mother to the three Boynton children and mother to Ginevra, blackmails the family lawyer, Jefferson Cope, into destroying a second will of her late husband which would have freed the children from her dominating influence. She takes herself and the children on holiday to Europe and the Holy Land, where she is murdered. Hercule Poirot investigates.

Key Characters: Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov), Lady Westholme (Lauren Bacall), Emily Boynton (Piper Laurie), Nadine Boynton (Carrie Fisher).

Review: we rated as between 3 out of 5.
Most of the attendees found the movie enjoyable. It was noted that the facial expressions were striking, which was possibly due to the stage experience by many of the actors. With the camera focussing in on the faces on some occasions, this was not always found to be a positive. Mostly we found Ustinov’s performance was good, although not all agreed. We discussed how Poirot’s moustache portrayed by different actors we had seen in the role – Ustinov’s was perhaps underplayed, with Kenneth Branagh’s well overplayed; David Suchet’s was somewhere in between.  The talent of some of the actors was displayed, with it taking some time to recognise the actor asseen in other movies. One example was Carrie Fisher playing Nadine Boynton.

Further: Our March movie will be the 1970 version of The Railway Children, based on the novel by E.Nesbit. We aim to start watching the movie promptly at 1:00pm so that we have time to discuss the movie.

With all the movies we watch, we look at them as literature – literature in a different medium, the medium of film. This helps to focus the discussion, covering ideas around genre, characters, plot, but also adding the aspects that relate to film, such as cinemascope, music and atmosphere.

Joy Shirley

​This month we watched The Last Word, a recent film starring Shirley MacLaine.

Genre: Dramatic comedy

Plot: Harriet is a retired businesswoman who tries to control everything around her. When she decides to write her own obituary, Anne takes up the task of finding out the truth. When Harriet does not like the truth of her life, she sets out to show she is different, resulting in a life-altering friendship between Harriet, Anne and Brenda, an “at risk” coloured girl.

Key Characters: Harriet (Shirley MacLaine), Anne (Amanda Seyfried), Brenda (AnnJewel Lee Dixon)

Review: This involved some superb acting by Shirley MacLaine. At 83 and after over 60 years of acting, she can still portray a great character. Her character was not likable at the beginning, but as she touched the lives of the other two key actors, the depth of her character became apparent. There are many humorous scenes, but overall it has deeper meaning, revolving around a range of relationships: couples, parent/child, work colleagues, mentors. A thoroughly enjoyable movie, which we rated as between 4.5 out of 5.

Further: We are planning to watch the new Murder on the orient Express at BPACC on 5 December at 10:30am. Anyone is welcome to join us. We will be discussing the movie over coffee the following week as our end of year activity.

With all the movies we watch, we look at them as literature – literature in a different medium, the medium of film. This helps to focus the discussion, covering ideas around genre, characters, plot, but also adding the aspects that relate to film, such as cinemascope, music and atmosphere. We are looking forward to welcoming all interested movie goers in 2018.
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Joy Shirley

​This month we watched Barefoot in the Park.  
Genre: Romantic comedy
Plot: Paul, a conservative young lawyer, marries the vivacious Corie. Their highly passionate relationship descends into comical discord in a five-flight New York City walk-up apartment.
Key Characters: Paul Bratter (Robert Redford), Corie Bratter (Jane Fonda), Victor Velasco (Charles Boyer), Ethel Banks (Mildred Natwick)
Filming Location: Filmed in various locations around New York City
Review: In general, an enjoyable film.  Even the bit characters were enjoyable, from the telephone installation man to the eyes peeping around doors or out the window.  The four main characters were full of contrasts – serious to “ditsy”.  Ethel was the opposite of Corrie, her daughter; Paul was the opposite of the neighbour, Victor.  In the end there is role reversal, with Paul less serious and Corrie realising she loves his serious side; Ethel becomes more outgoing and Victor realise he is getting older.  There were some similarities with Breakfast at Tiffanys because of the slightly “ditsy” characters.  We rated it as 4-5 out of 5.
Other comments: This was originally a Neil Simon play, with Mildred Natwick also performing in the role of Ethel in the play.  Predominantly a character actor she preferred the stage to film. She was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in the movie version of Barefoot in the Park.  

Our November session is on 8 November.  We will be watching The Last Word, a recent Shirley MacLaine movie.  It is another light movie to finish the year.

With all the movies we watch, we look at them as literature – literature in a different medium, that of film.  This helps to focus the discussion, covering ideas around genre, characters, plot, but also adding the aspects that relate to film, such as cinemascope, music and atmosphere.

​Joy Shirley

This month we watched Saving Mr Banks.

Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama Plot: Author P.L. Travers reflects on her childhood after reluctantly meeting with Walt Disney, who seeks to adapt her Mary Poppins books for the big screen

Key Characters: Major characters are P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson); Walt Disney (Tom Hanks); Ginty (Annie Rose Buckley); Travers Goff (Colin Farrell); Ralph (Paul Giamalli)

Filming Location: California, but story setting included Australia, London as well as California.

Review: This was enjoyed by the group. The performance by Annie Rose Buckley as Ginty (the young PL Travers) was considered as outstanding. It provides some history to the making of Mary Poppins, as well showing a lot of the linkages between the author’s early years in Australia and the story she tells in her books. These include a lot of references to flying, the umbrella her aunt brought when helping the family, references to the wind, even the tuppence that Michael wants to use to buy food for the birds is similar to the tuppence the author’s aunt gave her. When discussing who we would recommend the film to, we decided it would be suitable for anyone. We rated it as 5 out of 5.

Other comments: The author’s real name was Helen Goff, but wrote under the name P L Travers – her much loved father’s name was Travers Goff. There were some aspects of Australia that we felt were not quite correct, for example, a kangaroo on a lead. If made today, could it be improved by filming the relevant parts on location in Australia? While based on the early life of the author, as is often the case, there are some inaccuracies, one of which is the author’s age when they moved to Allora in Queensland. In real life she was only three, but the movie has her as considerably older.

For information: A movie that is topical now is called I Am Michael, recommended by one of our group as worth watching. It is available from the library and for streaming on Netflix.

Our September session is on 11 October. We will be watching Barefoot in the Park, filmed in 1967 and starring Jane Fonda and Robert Redford.

​With all the movies we watch, we look at them as literature – literature in a different medium, that of film. This helps to focus the discussion, covering ideas around genre, characters, plot, but also adding the aspects that relate to film, such as cinemascope, music and atmosphere.
​
Joy Shirley

This month we watched The Third Man.  
Genre: Mystery, thriller (spy)
Plot: Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, post-war Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime.
Key Characters: Major characters are Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton), Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli), Harry Lime (Orson Welles) and Major Calloway (Trevor Howard)
Filming Location: Austria and UK
Review: Comments after the movie covered the location – post war Vienna – and how the ruins added to the atmosphere of the movie; the quality of the performances; and the music which is well known.  One scene was noted – Harry Lime (played by Orson Welles) was standing in the underground sewers listening to the calls and footsteps of the people chasing him echoing around him, trying to find out which way to run.  There was a little bit of comic relief as well – a parrot, a cat finding Harry Lime just after a comment that he only liked Harry, a little boy chasing Holly and Anna, and a scene where it looks as if Holly has been kidnapped only to find he is being taken to a lecture he was to give.
Other comments:  Cinematography was by Robert Krasker, and won an Academy Award in 1951
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Our September session is on 13 September.    
We plan to watch the movie Saving Mr Banks, the story behind the making of Mary Poppins.  We will be in our new location at the Senior Citizens, and will start promptly at 1:00pm.
With all the movies we watch we can look at them as literature – literature in a different medium, that of film.  This helps to focus the, covering ideas around genre, characters, plot, but also adding the aspects that relate to film, such as cinemascope, music and atmosphere.
Joy Shirley

​This month we watched Eddie the Eagle.
Genre: Biography, Adventure, Drama
Plot: The story of Eddie Edwards, the tenacious British underdog ski jumper who charmed the world at the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Key Characters: Michael “Eddie” Edwards (Taron Egerton), Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman)
Filming Location: UK, Germany, Austria
Review: This was a “feel good” movie. One person commented that it was just what was needed after watching The Handmaid’s Tale recently. While this was based on the true story of Eddie Edwards, the story had some strong messages about determination, growing up and redemption. The music contributed well to the atmosphere of the movie. There was a political/class aspect that seemed to part of the sports hierarchy that Eddie had to overcome. It would be a good movie to show young people who are striving for achievement. Generally, we rated the movie as 3-3.5 out of 5 – an enjoyable movie, but perhaps not one of the great movies.
Other comments: The locations were spectacular. It was noted that it was the female parts that were the most supportive and sympathetic to Eddie’s struggle, although the coach he found did come around.
Our July session is on 9 August. We plan to watch the movie The Third Man, a celebrated British thriller. We will be in our new location at the Senior Citizens, and will start promptly at 1:00pm.
With all the movies we watch we can look at them as literature – literature in a different medium, that of film. This helps to focus the discussion, covering ideas around genre, characters, plot, but also adding the aspects that relate to film, such as cinemascope, music and atmosphere
Joy Shirley

This month we watched Lantana, an Australian movie.
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Genre: Mystery Drama
Plot: The relationships of four couples unravel after the disappearance of a woman in Lantana bush in suburban Sydney.
Key Characters: Leon and Sonya (Anthony LaPaglia and Kerry Armstrong), John and Valerie (Geoffrey Rush and Barbara Hershey), Paula and Nik (Vince Colosimo and Daniela Farinacci), Jane and Pete (Rachael Blake and Glenn Robbins)
Location: Set in Sydney, and filmed at various locations around Sydney
Other comments: Was it necessary to include smoking in the movie – it was set in current times and filmed during the 21st century?  The IMDb web site suggested the genre was also a romance, but the group did not agree that there was any real romance in the movie.
Review: Opinion of the movie varied, with some enjoying it more than others.  The real mystery did not come apparent until halfway through the movie, with the first hour setting up the various relationships.  It was based mainly on the four couples, but each of the partners encountered others co-coincidentally throughout the movie.  For example, Pete met Leon in a pub, after Pete had a strange interaction with Valerie.  It was good to see so many strong Australian actors in the same movie.  Geoffrey Rush’s performance was very different from his other movies.

Our next session is on July 12.  We plan to watch the movie Eddie the Eagle.  We will be in our new location at the Senior Citizens, but we will start promptly at 1:00pm.

​With all the movies we watch we can look at them as literature – literature in a different medium, that of film.  This helps to focus the discussion, covering ideas around genre, characters, plot, but also adding the aspects that relate to film, such as cinemascope, music and atmosphere.
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Joy Shirley

​This month we watched Love and Friendship, based on an early novel by Jane Austen, but which was not published for many years.
 
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Plot: Set in the 1790s, Love and Friendship centres on beautiful widow Lady Susan Vernon, who has come to the estate of her in-laws to wait out colourful rumours about her dalliances circulating through polite society.  Whilst there, she sets about securing a husband for herself and her rather reluctant debutante daughter, Frederica.
Key Characters: Kate Beckinsale - Lady Susan Vernon; Morfydd Clark - Frederica Vernon; Tom Bennett - Sir James Martin; Xavier Samuel - Reginald DeCourcy
Location: Set in and around Dublin.
Other: An extra aspect of interest I found were places we had visited on our travels in Ireland.
Review: At a first glance this is a superficial movie and could be considered a “chick flick”. Looking more deeply it gave a picture of the era, and the issues faced by a penniless widow and a view of the pressures on young girls to marry money.  Possibly the stand out performances were by Kate Beckinsale and Tom Bennett.  Lady Susan was manipulative and selfish, Sir James was portrayed as a fool, and Reginald as easily led.  With a few exceptions, it was only the women who were not easily brought under Lady Susan’s spell.  It is Jane Austen’s clever character portrayal that made this an enjoyable movie.
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Our June session is on 14 June.  We plan to watch the movie Lantana, an Australian mystery starring Anthony LaPaglia and Rachael Blake.  To allow time to discuss the movie, we start promptly at 1:00pm.
With all the movies we watch we can look at them as literature – literature in a different medium, that of film.  This helps to focus the discussion, covering ideas around genre, characters, plot, but also adding the aspects that relate to film, such as cinemascope, music and atmosphere.

​Joy