The Stranger and the Fog (Beyzaie, 1974): BFI Southbank, NFT2, 2.45pm
67th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL (4th - 15th October 2023) DAY 11
With its date at the end of the year, London is a "festival of festivals", as the new Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin put it in one of his previews,
so the films shown have mostly been seen and commented on by critics
who have watched the features at such high-profile festivals as Cannes,
Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin.
So I'm making it simple with one recommendation a day. I will be concentrating on the repertory choices but I've also read the
reviews of the contemporary releases and talked to and listened to the trusted critics all year and I
am as confident as I can be that this is the pick of the movies within
the parameters I have set. Firstly, there's no point highlighting the
major gala films - they will be sold out quickly. Secondly, there is
little to be gained in paying the higher Festival ticket prices to see
films that are out in Britain soon. I will be returning to the London
Festival films worthy of seeing and set to be released in the coming
months on this blog as and when they get a general release in London.
Every
day (from October 4th to October 15th) I will be selecting the London Film
Festival choices you have a chance to get tickets for and the movies you
are unlikely to see in London very soon unless you go to see them at
the Festival. Here is
the LFF's main website for the general information you need. Don't
worry if some of the recommended films are sold out by the time you read
this as there are always some tickets on offer which go on sale 30
minutes before each screening.
BFI introduction:
Impossible to see for decades, Beyzaie’s mesmerising opus begins with
the arrival at a coastal village of a boat carrying a bleeding
stranger. He falls for a local woman, but questions about his mysterious
past linger. Now magnificently restored from the original negatives,
Beyzaie’s visually stunning film recalls Zulawski, Pasolini, Tarkovsky
and Kurosawa, and is a transfixing experience.
James Bell
Here (and above) is an extract.
No comments:
Post a Comment