MICHAEL GRIGSBY, DOCUMENTARIST

10/10/2013.

special-event-michael-grigsby-documentarist-oct-10thThis major British filmmaker died in March 2013, aged 76. His Guardian obituarist, Ian Christie, wrote that he “strove to convey the experiences of ordinary people, and those on the margins of society. His subjects ranged from Inuit hunters in northern Canada and North Sea fishermen to Northern Irish farmers, Vietnamese villagers and, most recently, ageing American veterans of the Vietnam war”. Ian, Professor of Film and Media History at Birkbeck and a popular visitor to ABCD, will introduce some of Michael Grigsby’s work.

Programme Notes

10th October 2013

A SPECIAL EVENT:
MICHAEL GRIGSBY, DOCUMENTARIST

introduced by Ian Christie

The programme of films to be screened:

TOMORROW’S SATURDAY (16 min)
The subject was the typical weekend of a community of cotton workers in a Lancashire mill town. The film was shot in Blackburn and Preston over two summers, 1959 and 1960.

THE ESKIMOS OF POND INLET/THE PEOPLE’S LAND (1976) – extract

INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL GRIGSBY for School of Sound – extract, including clips from various films

LOCKERBIE: A NIGHT REMEMBERED (1998) – extract

THE SCORE (1998) – extract or perhaps all (12 min). Sheffield United vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers – football match narrated in a highly original way.

see also: www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/452860/
www.theguardian.com/film/2013/mar/21/michael-grigsby (obituary by Ian Christie)

Ian Christie is Professor of Film and Media History at Birkbeck College, London. One of Britain’s best-known film academics and a long-term supporter of film societies, he worked for many years at the British Film Institute and is an adviser to the British Federation of Film Societies.
Ian’s personal website: ianchristie.org .

Comments

Introduced by Ian Christie

Programme of films:

TOMORROW’S SATURDAY
Interview with MG for School of Sound
LOCKERBIE – A NIGHT REMEMBERED (extract)
REHEARSALS (extract)
WE WENT TO WAR (extract)

“Brilliant and memorable”

“Very inspirational. Ian Christie gave an interesting insight into Grigsby’s work.”

“Michael Grigsby was a genius I’m so thrilled to have been able to see some of his work. Ian Christie is also a genius!”

“Excellent presentation by Ian Christie”

“Very interesting evening – well presented.”

“Very interesting – sympathetic yet enthusiastic presentation”

“Very interesting to have such an introduction and selection of films. Do try this format again next season!”

“An extraordinarily interesting evening. Very grateful to ABCD and our speaker. And how interesting that Grigsby seemed to have kept himself out of his films, something that many film makers are reluctant to do!”

“One of the most interesting evenings I have been to. A real eye-opener!”

“Enjoyable evening – we were particularly impressed by Ian Christie.”

“A fascinating insight into the work of a humble and sympathetic man.”

“The speaker, for me, was more engaging than the films!”

“I didn’t feel I gained any real insight into Grigsby or his work – perhaps my failing.”

“The sequence [of films] worked out better than I’d hoped!”

Ian Christie on ABCD: “Abingdon maintains my faith in Film Societies as the cradle of open-minded enthusiasm for cinema.”

Scores

A:18, B:14, C:2, D:0, E:0 to give 87%