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Thirteen to Centaurus (Peter Potter, 1965)
May
4
Star Wars Day
Dr Francis (Donald Houston) and Abel (James Hunter). DP: tbd.
Intergalactic travel on Star Wars Day. May the Fourth be with you.
“Our grandfathers always lived on Earth, and we are the first people ever to undertake such a journey. You can be proud that you’re here. Your grandfather, who volunteered to come, was a great man, and we’ve got to do everything to make sure that the Station keeps running.”
– Dr Francis (from Thirteen to Centaurus, J.G. Ballard, 1962)
A ship travels the universe, on its way to Centaurus. On board is a group of people, fourteen in total, one of them a teenager named Abel. His recurring nightmare about a glowing disc prompts to sessions with the on-board psychologist, and the only one with knowledge of Earth, Dr Francis.
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The Devil Rides Out (Terence Fisher, 1968)
Apr
29
The menacing Mocata (Charles Gray). DP: Arthur Grant.
– Do you realise what today's date is, Rex?
– April the, er, 29th, why?
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The Angelic Conversation (Derek Jarman, 1985)
Apr
23
William Shakespeare — 1564
Two men in tender embrace. DPs: Derek Jarman & James Mackay.
A Shakespearean play or quote for the Bard's (assumed) birthday (1564).
Sweet love, renew thy force; be it not said
Thy edge should blunter be than appetite,
Which but to-day by feeding is allay’d,
To-morrow sharpen’d in his former might:
So, love, be thou; although to-day thou fill
Thy hungry eyes even till they wink with fullness,
To-morrow see again, and do not kill
The spirit of love with a perpetual dulness.
Let this sad interim like the ocean be
Which parts the shore, where two contracted new
Come daily to the banks, that, when they see
Return of love, more blest may be the view;
Or call it winter, which, being full of care,
Makes summer’s welcome thrice more wish’d, more rare.
Accompanied by Coil's brooding lust and Judi Dench's solemn recital of 14 of Shakespeare's sonnets, men cross dreamlike landscapes and dark desires.
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Memoirs of a Survivor (David Gladwell, 1981)
Apr
20
Easter Sunday
A Victorian family, all dressed in white, marvel at an enormous egg in an ornate room. DP: Walter Lassally.
Eggs for Easter Sunday.
“The walls of the room seemed to hold stories untold, whispering in the quiet.”
– Doris Lessing, The Memoirs of a Survivor (1974)
In a dystopian Britain, D (Julie Christie) survives while taking care of a sullen teenage girl, and visiting a mirage behind the walls.
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Culloden (Peter Watkins, 1964)
Apr
16
1746
“Sir Thomas Sheridan, Jacobite military secretary. Suffering advanced debility and loss of memory. Former military engagement, 56 years ago. Sir John MacDonald, Jacobite captain of cavalry. Aged, frequently intoxicated, described as 'a man of the most limited capacities.' John William O'Sullivan, Jacobite quartermaster general. Described as 'an Irishman whose vanity is superseded only by his lack of wisdom.' Prince Charles Edward Stuart, Jacobite commander in chief. Former military experience: 10 days at a siege at the age of 13.”
– narrator
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Images (Robert Altman, 1972)
Apr
9
National Unicorn Day
Cathryn's desk. There's a small framed reproduction of one of the six La Dame à la licorne tapestries, a sketch of a galloping unicorn, and a dried seahorse. DP: Vilmos Zsigmond.
“and in big, spidery writing, he wrote
'In search of unicorns.'
The End”
– quote from “In Search of Unicorns”, written by Susannah York
Cathryn (Susannah York), a children's book author, works on a book called “In Search of Unicorns”. Her desk, and mind, are occupied with images from a obscure diegesis.
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Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984)
Mar
27
94th Academy Awards
Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) wandering the desert. DP: Robby Müller.
“The Dust has come to stay. You may stay or pass on through or whatever.”
– gas station sign
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The Bed Sitting Room (Richard Lester, 1969)
Mar
22
National Goof-off Day
The BBC (Frank Thornton) bringing you the news (still via). DP: David Watkin.
“I am the BBC as you can see, and here was the last news.”
– The BBC
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The Moon Over the Alley (Joseph Despins, 1976)
Mar
21
End Racism Day
Ronnie Gusset (Patrick Murray), Sherry (Bill Williams), and Belinda (Sharon Forester) at a kitchen table, chatting and laughing. DP: Peter Hannan.
Today marks the anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre (1960), when police butchered dozens of people gathered to protest the pass law, one of Apartheid's many cruel segregation measurements.
“In a short while you'll see that the moon won't be so bright as it is. Clouds will cover it… it'll get broken up there. I hope it won't break us.”
– Sybil
The multicultural residents of a Notting Hill boarding house go about their day – listening to the radio, humming, singing – with the local council's imminent demolition of their home looming over them.
A kitchen sink drama, yes. But also a catchy musical, written by no other than Galt MacDermot, who brought the world the musical Hair (1967) and the blaxploitation neo-noir Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970).
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The Man Who Knew Too Much (Alfred Hitchcock, 1934)
Mar
21
Abbott (Peter Lorre). DP: Curt Courant.
“Stand by, there's trouble coming soon.”
– Bob Lawrence