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Narciso Yepes...!"...the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."
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Dear Caliban,
We did not realise that Narciso Yepes was responsible for so much of the soundtrack of this particular cinematic masterpiece! The music worked very well as an introduction, although its constant repetition out of context may be something of a mistake!
Academia - Introduction to Forbidden Games (René Clément, France, 1952) - BFI Southbank, 25 June 2014 - Mark Lawrence
Of the seventeen films in 'The Cinema of Childhood', I feel bound to report that 'Forbidden Games' was our favourite, by far!
Cinema of Childhood - Forbidden Games
BFI Southbank was packed, and the film was simultaneously incredibly tragic, and bizarrely, incredibly comic. We could not help but laugh at the forbidden games the children played. A brilliant 'Cinema of Childhood' season is now coming to an end, but eleven of the films are still available on the BFI Player, and two of these films which are currently available online we managed to see on the big screen: Hugo & Josephine and The White Balloon. We agreed with Mark Cousins's assessment. Both films are well worth watching again!
1. Hugo & Josephine (1967)
Where’s it from?
Sweden
What’s it about?
The lonely daughter of a rural pastor makes friends with a wild boy who lives in the woods.
Who made it?
Once married to Bibi Andersson, one of Ingmar Bergman’s favourite actors, Kjell Grede has made only eight more features since making his debut with Hugo & Josephine in 1967 – none of which quite match the heights of his first film in the eyes of Swedish critics. But then Hugo & Josephine occupies a special place in their hearts: it’s routinely voted the greatest Swedish children’s film ever made.
What Mark Cousins says:
Watch Hugo & Josephine now on the BFI Player“Kjell Grede delivers a Swedish summer classic, blond and gorgeous and heart-breakingly innocent. A pure pleasure.”
2. The White Balloon (1995)
Where’s it from?
Iran
What’s it about?
A stubborn little girl wants a new goldfish, and won’t let anything get in her way.
Who made it?
Jafar Panahi is among the most famous of the directors with films in this season – though for unhappy reasons. In 2010 he was charged with creating propaganda against the Iranian government and issued with a jail sentence and a ban on making further films. The punishment met with international condemnation. Panahi’s work includes the riveting La Ronde-style drama The Circle (2000) and the exuberant Offside (2006), but he first assured his place among the world’s greatest living filmmakers with The White Balloon – a film which both the BFI and The Guardian have included in lists of essential family film viewing.
What Mark Cousins says:
Watch The White Balloon now on the BFI Player“Utterly real, quietly hilarious, totally brilliant. One of the most honest films ever made.”
Unfortunately, 'Forbidden Games' is not currently available online, but it can still be seen at various cinemas around the country!
The Cinema of Childhood
Are there any other childhood favourites worth recommending?
BFI - Around the world in 17 films: The Cinema of Childhood
Here are ten more great films about childhood from the BFI:
BFI - 10 great films about childhood
Best wishes to you and, indeed, to everyone else reading 'The Radio 3 Forum'!
bb et al.Last edited by Guest; 30-06-14, 16:53.Comment
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Indeed - since then it has become a rather facile crowd-pleaser for guitarists, I vowed never to play it again when I bought my beautiful new guitar a few years ago. I was instantly put off Milos Karadaglich, the darling of R3 these days, by his inclusion of it with a tastelessly kitsch string section on his first CDOriginally posted by Caliban View Post
, tho' I daresay we can blame the record company for that.
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Sorry, no, cannot. While I would like to watch several of their offerings, I have the distinct impression that the BFI is run by a load of Shylocks. When will Englishmen learn that money and Art do not mix?Originally posted by bb View PostComment
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Not forgetting ' The Red Balloon.'( Albert Lamorisse ).Comment
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