A program of short films made by local film-makers will be followed by a rare screening of "The Bride of Frankenstein"starring Sydenham’s own Elsa Lanchester and Lewisham-born Boris Karloff!
The programme will be introduced by locally-based author, journalist and BBC presenter, Matthew Sweet.
There will be limited sitting for those requiring a chair. A blanket or cushion will be a good idea to bring. Hopefully umbrellas wont be required (please note this event may be canceled at short notice if it rains!)
Last night a talk on the lost worlds of British Cinema by Matthew Sweet, local author and broadcaster, at Sydenham Library was followed by the screening of the Bride of Frankenstein in Home Park
With a break from the heavy rain just before 7 pm a decision to go ahead was bravely taken. The screen was erected, upside down at first and then the wrong way round. The projector which was in front of the screen had to be moved, along with the gazebo which had been erected to keep it dry, to the back of the screen as a rear projection was deemed best. So there was a fair bit of entertainment for the early arrivals even before the film show.
As dusk fell there was just a glimmer of sunset in the sky. By 9.20 there were about 100 stalwarts seated waiting for the advertised programme. A series of four short films made by local film-makers were shown as an appetiser and at just after 10 pm we settled down to watch the rarely shown "The Bride of Frankenstein" which has 15 PG certificate from the British Board of Film Censors.
Most would smile nowadays at the plummy accents and the acting was a bit wooden but the experience of sitting outdoors with your neighbours and perhaps sharing a bottle of wine is what events like this are all about, even on a damp summer's evening.
Thanks nasaroc for the postings otherwise I would not have risked it. I enjoyed it very much. Would be great if it could develop into a monthly regular thing in the summer. How about a Sydenham Cinema Club?
Oh, whose bottle were you sharing Muddy? Not the noisy gentleman's to my left?
I'd share a bottle of wine with you anytime, dear Stuart. However I noticed that you didn't bring one with you and so removed my gear from the chair next to you! Nothing personal in that, as I had already brought my own groundsheet and wasn't planning to commandeer a chair. Well done, you and Mrs Stuart, for bringing your own.
However, dont tell anyone, someone with a bottle of wine asked if he could share my groundsheet - well, what more can a girl do in such circumstances but make room?
