NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON
Odeon: April 29–May 5
You can change your life in an instant. Raimund Gregorius, a stuck-in-a rut Latin teacher in Berne changes his life when an incident propels him into a literary investigation that takes him to Portugal. Gradually the life and work of the Portuguese philosopher and anti-fascist campaigner Amadeu Prado is pieced together and Gregorius’s life is transformed. Based on Pascal Mercier’s 2004 novel (a huge bestseller in Germany) Bille August’s worthy international adaptation, which opened the Berlin Film Festival in January, met with little critical favour at least in Germany, many finding it superficial , unsubtle and facilely resorting to melodrama. However, with Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons, Christopher Lee and Bruno Ganz in the cast, it is likely to be as engaging for the art house set as for the readers of the novel. And that might not be very much.
IRON MAN 3
Fulgor: April 24–30 Odeon: May 10-12
Prepare for a heavy metal! Tony Stark is up against an enemy, the Mandarin, whose reach knows no bounds. With his back to the wall Stark embarks on a harrowing quest for retribution. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man? For someone who occasionally saves the world, this won’t be a problem. Explosive, vengeful and thrilling in an entertainingly escapist sort of way. All the key characters in place with Ben Kingsley doing a nice turn as the villain.
THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
British Institute, May 8, 8pm
Continuing the season featuring the composer Bernard Herrmann, whose collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock are the focus of the next four screenings.
Bernard Herrmann’s collaboration with Hitchcock continued with his score for Hitchcock’s remake of his 1934 thriller of the same name. With its climax at a performance in the Royal Albert Hall that masks an assassination attempt, who better to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra than Herrmann himself? The score carries the mounting suspense in wordless sequences that give prominence to Herrmann the conductor as well as Herrmann the composer (much of the score was based on Arthur Benjamin’s score for the original film). And because the star was Doris Day, Hitchcock wanted a song (not by Herrmann, but against much criticism, endorsed by him), resulting in the immortal ‘Que Será, Será.’
OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN
Odeon: May 6– 8
When the White House (Secret Service code ‘Olympus’) is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the president is kidnapped, disgraced former presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As the national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning’s inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the president and avert an even bigger crisis. ‘While Olympus Has Fallen breaks no major new ground in the political thriller genre, Fuqua has directed a sharp, very taut adventure that keeps you engrossed from start to finish’ (Chicago Sun-Times). ‘It may be too much to ask for anything more, but, on the other hand, if you’re going to go to the trouble of pretending to blow up the White House, you might also want to pretend that something was at stake’ (New York Times). ‘Olympus Has Fallen is no fun at all. To the contrary, it soon grows tedious, odious and oppressive’ (Wall Street Journal). In the light of recent events in Boston, this might be the last thing you’d want to see.
Contact information:
Odeon cinema: piazza Strozzi 2, www.odeonfirenze.com
Fulgor cinema: via Maso Finiguerra 24r, www.staseraalcinema.it
British Institute: Lungarno Guicciardini 9, www.britishinstitute.it
