Forest Row Film Society

The film narrates in flashback the story of three generations of women living in a Mexican ranch on the border with Texas during the 1911 Revolution. Tita, the youngest of three sisters, is prevented from marrying her sweetheart to look after strict mama Elena. Tita is bound to the kitchen where she uses the traditional recipes to express her feelings and influence the others’ lives.

Beautifully photographed and acted, this is a feelgood melodrama in the tradition of the magical realism central to Latin American culture.

Yaaba is an old woman, outcast from her village. Despite his family’s warnings, young Bila and his cousin develop a friendship with the old woman, which proves life-saving. Structured around a cycle of life, death and renewal, Yaaba is a fascinating film that shows us an outsider’s wisdom amid the narrative of life in a poor African village.

Zhang Yimou and his favourite actress Gong Li reinvent themselves in this quasi documentary tale of a peasant woman’s dogged search for justice. Qiu Ju’s husband has been kicked in the groin by the village headman; she wants reparation and an apology. The film charts the heavily pregnant Qiu Ju’s stubborn climb up the legal hierarchy, and in the process provides a remarkably detailed and humorous view of contemporary Chinese life. Winner of the best actress and the Golden Lion award for best film at the Venice film festival, Qiu Ju has a “mesmerising quality; able to hook the audience from beginning to end.”

Jean Marais plays the successful poet in search of inspiration in Paris during 1940. His muse is a mysterious princess (Maria Casarès) who drives around in a vintage Rolls-Royce flanked by two leather-clad bikers. Representing Death, she eventually leads him through a symbolic mirror into the Underworld (occupied Paris). Orphée is a dark parable which successfully mixes the real and the magical in breathtaking cinematic illusions. Described as “the masterpiece of Cocteau’s maturity as a filmmaker”, the film won major prizes at Venice and Cannes.

All of Mrs Tam’s children have left home, except Geraldine who feels she must stay with her mother. Uncle Tam, however, is keen to marry Mrs Tam, once Geraldine leaves. Centering on these three people and full of gentle charm, this comedy subtly unravels their motives and emotions, providing a humorous take on the changing values among Chinese-Americans in San Francisco.

A beautifully restored print of this Hollywood classic with a psycho edge. A hard up script writer, Joe Gills, having car trouble, pulls off Sunset Boulevard into a strange driveway. There, in a creepy mansion, a forgotten silent movie star lives in shabby opulence. Joe finds himself sucked into a weird world with horrifying results. With Gloria Swanson, William Holden and Erich von Stroheim. The film won the Oscar for Best Script.

Consistently voted one of the best films ever made, Sunrise is an undisputed masterpiece of early cinema. Murnau’s first American film is a tale of betrayal, love and reconciliation, shown in this version with Hugo Reisenfeld’s original orchestral score. “For me it is still the most beautiful film in the world”―Claude Chabrol

Watanabe, a petty government official, learns that he is dying of cancer without ever having known what it is to live! Shattered by the discovery, he decides to make up for the life and gratification he missed. Frantic search for fun in Tokyo’s fleshpots and unsuccessful attempts at hopeless relationships follow. At last he finds a worthwhile task...

Supported by an excellent cast, Takashi Shimura gives a deep insight into the soul of a lonely man, tormented by frustration and the dread of approaching death. Kurosawa’s clear sighted view of human nature is at its most telling.

The expulsion of Asians from Uganda by Idi Amin in 1972 provides the starting point for this story of a love affair between a young Asian woman and an African-American man (Denzel Washington). Exploring the turmoil their relationship engenders, Mississippi Masala is not only a critique of racism and sexism, but also a moving love story from the director of Salaam Bombay.