Newsletter April 2023

Akira Kurosawa

This month’s film [screening April 27th], is Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru [To Live]-arguably that renowned director’s most accomplished film. Very different from his more familiar output, it delivers an emotional punch that deservedly puts it on a par with his other recognised masterpieces. More widely known for his Samuri-action films [amongst many other genres], this affecting portrait of rigid Japanese society, loosely inspired by Tolstoy’s Death of Ivan Ilyich, is told through the story of an elderly civil servant, diagnosed with a terminal illness, who finds meaning in his life by devoting his remaining time to a children’s playground project.

April 27th also marks the welcome return of our series of occasional film introductions by invited speakers-a unique feature of ABCD’s existence that has enhanced members’ appreciation of films over the years. For this Special Event, we are pleased to welcome back Dr Alex Jacoby, and expert on Japanese cinema and senior lecturer in Japanese studies at Oxford Brookes University. Alex is also a good friend of the Society, having visited us to introduce Japanese films regularly for the past fourteen years or so!

The screening will be charged at our usual rate of £7.00, which includes £1.00 membership fee.

To access Abbey Cinema’s booking page for Ikiru, please use the following link

https://theabbey.ac/web?film=63ea69386afb0427bdea8ef0

Then select 7.30pm Guildhall where you can make your booking.

More information about the booking process and our current programme schedule can be found by searching under ‘About Us’ on the ABCD Website https://abfilms.org.uk

For this screening, a member of our Front of House team will be on hand to assist anyone who wants to see the film but has not been able to book online.

A programme note for the film has been produced and is attached to this Newsletter-it can be accessed via the link at the bottom of the page, and provides a descriptive context to film you are about to see, plus technical credit details and ‘trailers’ for forthcoming films.

Please use your Reaction Slip for comments on the film-and any other points about ABCD you may wish to make.They will be published on the Website in due course.

Note:

If this is the first time you have received an ABCD Newsletter and would like to find out more about the Film Society, please contact our Memebrship Secretary by Emailing : info@abfilms.org.uk

http://abfilms.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ABCD-Prog-Note-Ikiru-ex-MJ-270423a.pdf