Thursday 15 February at 6.30 p.m. The Return of the Musketeers
Friday 16 February at 6.30 p.m. Nureyev and Friends
Thursday 22 February at 6.30 p.m. The Commitments
Friday 23 February at 6.30 p.m. Seiji Ozawa: In Memoriam [N.B. Change of programme!]
Thursday 29 February at 6.30 p.m. Broadchurch – 1 of 3

THURSDAY 15 FEBRUARY AT 6.30 P.M. THE RETURN OF THE MUSKETEERS

Carriages: 8.45 p.m.

Director Richard Lester reassembled his original cast of swashbucklers in The Return of the Musketeers, a sumptuous, action-packed adventure. D’Artagnan (Michael York), Athos (Oliver Reed), Porthos (Frank Finlay) and Aramis (Richard Chamberlain) executed the beautiful but lethal seductress Milady De Winter twenty years ago but Milady’s ravishing daughter Justine (Kim Cattrall) has now vowed revenge. Meanwhile, Athos’ son Raoul has grown to manhood and when he and Justine meet, swords and sparks fly! The four musketeers need to stay one step ahead of Justine while they race to foil a cunning political plot – and are then sent to London by Cardinal Mazarin to rescue Charles I from Oliver Cromwell!…

The follow up to the 1970s pair, and don’t worry, it’s just as good, everybody is a little bit older, and most of the original stars are back, with the addition of the lovely Kim Cattrall joining in with the swordplay. Really good sequel, plenty of laughs along with the action. [IMDb]
The Return of the Musketeers is a fun swashbuckler that succeeds in entertaining from beginning to end!!!! [Amazon]
The fights are as inventive as ever, mixing balletic grace with authentic moments of clumsiness and bad luck, the romance is ironically undercut, the swashbuckling is blended with slapstick to make what must be called either swashstick or slapbuckle, but somehow all of this is kept under control so that there’s still room for excitement and character empathy. [Shadowplay]

It is a spectacle, a real one. In addition, Kim Cattrall as Milady de Winter’s daughter is absolutely stunning! You have to see her undermine the quartet! [Notre Cinéma]
The Return of the Musketeers is a worthy follow-up to the original films. Highly Recommended. [DVD Talk]
Swashbuckling action, comedy capers and rollicking adventures, bigger and better than ever. They’re back… all for one and one for all! [VHS Collector]

Admission: US$2.50 [free to Film Members]

FRIDAY 16 FEBRUARY AT 6.30 P.M. NUREYEV AND FRIENDS

Carriages: 8.30 p.m.

The programme features dancers from the world’s finest ballet companies paying tribute to Nureyev by following the trail of his life – as a dancer, as a choreographer and as Artistic Director of the Ballet of National Opera de Paris.

The dancers perform pas-de-deux and variations from the early days of Nureyev’s career with the Kirov Ballet, his own creations such as Raymonda andManfred and important collaborations with other choreographers such as Sir Frederick Ashton and Hans van Manen.

With performances from award-winning principal dancers Maia Makhateli, Mathias Heymann, Aurélie Dupont, Tamara Rojo, Evgenia Obraztsova (below) and Vadim Muntagirov among others, this is an evening to cherish. [New York Times]
Much of the time, the DVD could be any gala, anywhere, but oh what a sparkling one, and oh what wonderful dancing! [Critical Dance]
Absolutely thrilling, an eclectic mix of bravura pieces, all of which are enjoyable and most outstanding. [Amazon]

Admission: US$2.50 [free to Red Carpet Members]

THURSDAY 22 FEBRUARY AT 6.30 P.M. THE COMMITMENTS

Carriages: 8.45 p.m.

Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins), a self-proclaimed promoter, decides to organize an R&B group to fill the musical void in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland. The band comes together but ends up consisting entirely of white musicians who have little experience with the genre. Even though their raw talent and lofty aspirations gain the group notoriety, the pitfalls of fame began to tear at their newfound friendships as they prepare for their big show..

An absolute cultural phenomenon on release in 1991, Alan Parker’s The Commitments remains one of the greatest musicals of all time. [What’s On]The Commitments is a vibrantly funny and blissfully heartfelt ode to the power of music. [Rotten Tomatoes]A rollicking rags-to-rags story. [The Times]The musical sequences are downright combustible, exploding off the screen. And the cast – young and inexperienced as they are – manage to convey poignant believability. [Miami Herald]It is fun, warm, moving, lively — an altogether enjoyable film. [The Spectator]The film offers no message, no solutions, only a great time at the movies. [TIME Magazine]

Admission: US$2.50 [free to Film Members]

FRIDAY 23 FEBRUARY AT 6.30 P.M. SEIJI OZAWA: IN MEMORIAM

Carriages: 8.30 p.m.

The distinguished Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa died on 6 February aged 88 and a tribute replaces ‘Invitation to the Dance’ which will be shown in May.

Ozawa’s early ambition to be a concert pianist was frustrated when he broke two fingers in a rugby game and he turned his attention to conducting, receiving a scholarship to study with Herbert von Karajan in Berlin. He then caught the attention of Leonard Bernstein who appointed him assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic – he is the only conductor to have studied under both Karajan and Bernstein. Thereafter he held several major appointments culminating in 29 years as principal conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the longest tenure in the orchestra’s history.

“It fills us with incredible sadness that Seiji Ozawa – one of the greatest musical minds of our time and ultimate master of sensuous sound – has passed. His rich and lasting recording legacy has spanned over half a century, featured leading orchestras across three continents and encompassed musical traditions as varied as the American, Austro-German, French and Russian schools. He will be greatly missed. Farewell Maestro.” [ Deutsche Grammophon]

The programme will feature two very different aspects of Ozawa’s abilities with Gershwin in the first part and Beethoven’s Ninth the second. The soloist in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue is the blind American jazz pianist, Marcus Roberts, in a specially arranged version that united his jazz trio with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra!

Gershwin: An American in Paris
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
Beethoven: Symphony No.9 in D minor – ‘Choral’

These players cultivate the habit of listening to their colleagues to ensure a well-integrated ensemble and orchestrally the performance is extremely fine. Chorally, similar characteristics are evident with the Tokyo Opera Chorus doing a splendid job for their conductor. [MusicWeb International]
Seiji Ozawa is now one of the conducting world’s grandees but he is by no means a slouch when it comes to the energy in this performance, and there’s plenty of drama in the dynamics and articulation of the whole. [Gramophone]
Gershwin is magical in the hands of conductor Seiji Ozawa and the pure genius of Marcus Roberts at the piano. [Amazon]

Admission: US$2.50 [free to Red Carpet Members]

THURSDAY 29 FEBRUARY AT 6.30 P.M. BROADCHURCH

Carriages: 9.00 p.m.

Broadchurch is a British television crime drama broadcast in three series, all of which will be shown during 2024.

A seemingly calm and friendly seaside town becomes a place wrapped in secrets when the death of an eleven year old boy sparks an unwanted media frenzy. As the town’s locals start to open up about what they do and don’t know, it falls upon the police to catch the supposed killer.

The first series of Broadchurch, which aired in the spring of 2013, was the most successful TV whodunit in recent memory. [The Telegraph]
Well written and beautifully shot, Broadchurch is a deliberate, slowly unfolding mystery procedural with terrific performances from a fine cast. [Rotten Tomatoes]
Broadchurch is a gripping portrait of small-town paranoia that became a bona fide national obsession! [Entertainment Weekly]
I can’t recall a mystery series moving me as frequently and profoundly as Broadchurch‘s masterful and sensitively rendered study of poisonous suspicion that infects an otherwise peaceful, deceptively sunny British seaside village. [TV Guide]

Broadchurch is a quiet, understated and wholly compelling murder mystery: how could you bear to wait a week for each episode? I watched it all in one sitting – how the rest of you survived eight weeks of waiting, I will truly never know. [The Guardian]
It’s beautifully filmed with an exceptional score and an extraordinary company of players. [Boston Herald]
Murder most foul, TV most fabulous. That’s Broadchurch. [USA Today]
It’s among the best detective shows – and perhaps even among the best dramas – in several years. It will break your heart and keep you guessing all the way through. [Washington Post]

Admission: US$2.50 / $6.00 the series [free to Film Members]

MARCH [PROVISIONAL]

Friday 1 March Rossini: The Barber of Seville [for Rossini’s birthday – he was born on 29 February!]
Thursday 7 March Broadchurch 2
Friday 8 March Dvořák: Symphony No.8 / Smetana: Ma Vlast [Smetana was born on 2 March 1824]
Thursday 14 March Broadchurch 3 (last)
Friday 15 March Tribute to Jerome Robbins
Thursday 21 March Star Wars VIII: The Rise of Skywalker
Friday 22 March New York New York
Wednesday 27 March Risen