Fashion In Film Festival returns for a second year

Returning for a second year is the Fashion In Film Festival, mixing talks, exhibitions, newly-commissioned film works, but best of all, some rarely-seen cinema classics that show how fashion of the day was just as important as a good plot and scenery.

Some superb films on show this year too, with highlights (for me) including the visually stunning (see image above) 10th Victim (La Decima Vittima) from 1965 and Get Carter (1970) at the ICA, Mario Bava's Blood and Black Lace (1964) at the Horse Hospital, as well as a double bill of delinquency curated by fashion designer and former mod Roger K. Burton (The Violent Years from 1956 and The Boys from '62), Dario Argento's The Bird With Crystal Plumage (1970) at the BFI plus Plein Soleil (1960) and Fata Morgana (1965) Ciné lumiére.

Much more besides, including some rare silent flicks and classic US film noir. Check out the full programme at the website - the event runs from 10th - 31st May 2008.

Fashion In Film Festival website

It's A Wonderful Life back on the big screen for Christmas

There's plenty of Christmas movies, but let's be honest, one stands head and shoulders above the rest - Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life.

If you haven't seen it, James Stewart stars as George Bailey, a man whose attempted suicide on Christmas Eve gains the attention of a guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers) who is sent to help him in his hour of need. I defy anyone not to shed a tear!

And it's back at UK cinemas all over the country for the Christmas period, presented in a new frame-by-frame digital restoration. If you want to know when it's showing near you, seen the list over the page.

Christies Vintage Film Poster auction

Another Vintage Film Poster auction at Christies, with the usual mix of weird and wonderful movie artwork.

As you would expect, prices vary from the £100 mark right through to four figures, with much in-between, especially Bond and Breakfast At Tiffanys, so if you have any wants in that area, check out the listings. But I thought I'd highlight something a little less obvious - Peeping Tom - the controversial serial killer movie that more or less destroyed the career of director Michael Powell, but is now viewed as a 60s classic.

Posters, I imagine, are scarce. So at £400 - £600, this could be a shrewd investment, if expensive, investment.

See the full listings at the Christies website

Testcard TV - more free movies and TV shows online

We very much enjoyed Joox during its short existence, but it had one flaw - it hosted a large amount of  film and TV without the owners' permission. That isn't the problem with Testcard TV.

The service is an aggregator or indexer of content hosted on 3rd party platforms such as Google Video, YouTube or on mainstream broadcaster websites from around the world. Nothing is hosted by Testcard TV - so presumably that sidesteps a particularly deep legal hole.

After undergoing a month of testing, the service is now available to all - which means you can access free online tv, movies, shows, cartoons, music videos and more, on either a PC or Mac - just as long as you have the divX player installed. You can even sign up to save your favourites or send to friends.

Looks like that day at work just got a little bit brighter.

Find out more at the Testcard TV website

Book review: London Film Location Guide

As a film nerd buff, I don't just like some films, I get obsessed with them. And on the evidence of the London Film Location Guide, author Simon R.H. James is very much from the same mould.

This is detail over and above the call of duty. 276 pages and something like 750 films about London featured, dating from the 1920s through to the present day - an exercise that's taken the author the best part of 10 years to complete. And if that sounds a little too much to deal with, you'll be pleased to know that there's a film index, postcode index and even a street index to help you through the mass of movies featured.

Win the best of British film on DVD

On the BBC and the cinema screens, we've been experiencing the Summer of British Film, showcasing classics and lesser-known gems from the British movie archives. And if you like what you have seen, you'll want to own the best of British film on DVD.

We've teamed up with ITV DVD and Optimum Home Entertainment to give away two sets of five key titles, each recently reissued - the controversial modern-day love story 9 Songs, Brit horror classic and must-own The Wicker Man, wartime blockbuster The Dam Busters, classic post-war thriller The Third Man and one of the finest British movies of the 1960s - Billy Liar. A great starting point for any budding movie collector.

The competition is running over on our sister site Modculture. If you want to enter, just follow the link below to find out more and to get your name in the draw.

Enter the best of British film competition

The Noose (1948)

As well as the predictable list of titles, the BBC's Summer of British Film has seen some real gems unearthed for TV screening - including The Noose from 1948.

It's nigh-on impossible to get a copy of this movie, so well done the Beeb for showing it. Directed by Edmond T. Greville (pictured here - who you may know from Beat Girl), it's a typically sensationalist flick about a Soho crime boss and club owner - Sugiani (played by Joseph Calleia) and the 'brains' behind his organisation, Bar Gorman, dressed in full spiv uniform and bizarrely, like an early Kenneth Williams in both voice and mannerisms.

When yet another 'victim' is found washed up in the River Thames, reporter Linda Medbury (Carole Landis) takes it upon herself to challenge Sugiani. And with the aid of her boyfriend Jumbo Hoyle (Derek Farr) and a gang of boxers, market porters and taxi drivers, they take on Sugiani - dressed, rather strangely, in Chelsea football shirts.

BBC2 launches The Summer Of British Film

  Good news if you're in the UK - BBC2 is doing what it should always do - promoting the best of British movies, this time under the title of The Summer Of British Film.

Part of the season is a seven-part documentary series called British Film Forever, with contributions from the great and the good of British flicks. The rest is about screening the pick - around 70 in total, including films as diverse as Billy Elliot, Gregory's Girl, From Russia With Love, The 39 Steps, This Sporting Life, Whistle Down The Wind and Witchfinder General.

And as part of the season, the UK Film Council is releasing of seven of Britain's greatest films at cinemas across the UK on Tuesday's from 31 July to 11 September. Those are Goldfinger, Brief Encounter, Billy Liar, Laurence Olivier's Henry V, The Wicker Man, The Dam Busters and Withnail And I.

For more information on the season, check out the website.

Girls Gone Bad - The Delinquent Dames Collection

If you like your dames dolled up and packing heat, you won't want to miss Passport Video's new NTSC Region-1 DVD set called Girls Gone Bad - The Delinquent Dames Collection. This 5 disc set contains 25 different films spanning a 35 year period from 1930-1965. The movies in the collection feature many beautiful bad girls in low-budget exploitation films centering around crime, gangs, sex, prostitution, drugs and teenage rebellion.

A few of the cult classics you'll find in the Girls Gone Bad - The Delinquent Dames Collection include Party Girl (1930), Cocaine Fiends (1936), Slaves In Bondage (1937), Mad Youth (1940), Lady Gangster (1942), Delinquent Daughters (1944), Blonde Ice (1948), She Shoulda Said No (1949), The Girl Gang (1954), Swamp Women (1955), The Flesh Merchant (1956) and Bad Girls Go To Hell (1965).

Many of the 25 films in this set have been available on DVD before, but this impressive new collection brings them all together for one low price. If you don't already own the movies presented in Girls Gone Bad - The Delinquent Dames Collection it's a great time to pick them up. Unfortunately the quality of the DVDs leaves a lot to be desired. Many of the prints show noticeable damage, but it's doubtful that audiences will ever get the chance to enjoy these entertaining B-movies any other way.

You can find more information about the new Girls Gone Bad - The Delinquent Dames Collection DVD set at Amazon.

Vintage Italian film poster gallery

As you probably noticed, we do love a good vintage film poster here at Cinedelica. So when we heard that there's a gallery of vintage Italian film posters and publicity, we headed straight for it.

Over 300 items already in this Flickr gallery - and well worth a browse.

See all the posters in the gallery

Via Bedazzled

Tune into Cinedelica TV

Ok, we haven't started our own TV channel as such (although if you have the money, we're more than keen), but we have started a Cinedelica TV channel on YouTube, which will be home to our favourite clips, trailers and snippets from the movies and TV shows we rave about.

There's some clips up there already, so feel free to check them out. And make sure you bookmark or subscribe - as we'll be adding new ones on a regular basis.

After all...a moving picture paints a 1000 words...

Visit the Cinedelica TV YouTube channel

Daily Mail offers free British DVDs

I can't say I've ever been out and bought the Daily Mail, but it might be worth having a look at it right now, as they're giving away classic British movies.

There's nothing rare, but there are some real gems, including Billy Liar, The Ladykillers, The Lavender Hill Mob, Passport To Pimlico, School For Scoundrels and The Great St Trinians Train Robbery.

Sadly, they're not included in the paper, you have to cut out a token, then take it down to your local WH Smith store to claim that day's film.

If you want to know more and see the full list of titles, check out the Daily Mail site.

Daily Mail website

The 8th Annual Festival of Film Noir

From April 12th - May 2 the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood California will be presenting the 8th Annual Festival of Film Noir in association with the American Cinematheque and the Film Noir Foundation.

The theme of this years festival is Noir City: Los Angeles vs. New York, and in an impressive series of films that capture each city in its mid-20th century prime, audiences will be able to decide which one deserves the coveted Noir crown.

This three week long festival will include classic favorites as well as obscure films, and the movies will be presented in a double bill that offers one film set in Los Angeles and the other in New York.

Some of the movies featured at the festival include Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), The Killing (1956), Force of Evil (1948), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Pickup on South Street (1953), The Breaking Point (1950), The Big Knife (1955), Port of New York (1949), City of Fear (1959), The Crooked Web (1955) and Shockproof (1949).

Cinema Art: Polish movie posters

I really rate Polish cinema posters. Not content with using the associated artwork from European or US releases, the Polish posters were interpretations from some of the country's leading artists of the day.

They're still undervalued, but prices for some of the the more hip films are on the rise - but still nowhere near the prices of the more traditional artwork. The one featured here is from Jacques Tati's Playtime (not to self - more Jacques Tati needed on this site) - a superb collage of symbols and numbers representing the man himself.

It was the work of Jerzy Flisak and is one of the more expensive examples, selling for around £350.  But you can pick up other posters, especially for more obscure movies, for well under £100.

See more Polish movie posters

Posters for BFI's Top 100 movies up for sale

In 1999, the British Film Institute conducted a survey of the top 100 British films. And after reading this list, an unnamed British film poster collector realised he owned most of the associated posters, bought up the rest and sat back smugly. Until now that is - as he's selling them all off.

The top 100 poster collection will be sold on Thursday 8th March, so you've just about got time to get your absentee bid in at Dominic Winter Book Auctions. To find out what's there, check out the BFI list, but you'll know it includes classics from  the 1930s to the 1980s. Most of the posters up for sale are British (like the Billy Liar pictured), with a few overseas images, including a stylish Swedish poster for The 39 Steps.

Prices are expected to vary from around £20 through to several hundred pounds.

Find out more at the Dominic Winter website

British Film Posters: An Illustrated History

British Film Posters: An Illustrated History is an impressive new book by Sim Branaghan and edited by Steve Chibnall that examines the emergence and decline of illustrated movie posters in Britain. The book is published by the BFI and was released in Britain late last year, but it’s only recently found it’s way into American bookshops.

British Film Posters: An Illustrated History is the first complete history of the subject ever published and it covers every aspect of British movie poster design as well as printing and display. It also includes detailed biographies of all the major artists involved and should appeal to film enthusiasts, as well as anyone who appreciates eye-catching graphic design.

The book is available in hardback as well as paperback and contains 288 pages. Chapters include A Commercial History of British Film Posters, Ealing Studios - Art vs Commerce, Nasty! - Outrageous Artwork and Censorship Scandals, Collecting - From a Hobby to a Business, and more.

Bond's dinner jacket and Obi-Wan Kenobi's cloak - the film and TV costume auction

If you fancy kitting yourself out in authentic gear from the bigt and small screen, you need to get yourself to Bonhams in March for the Angels Star Collection - the UK's largest auction of film and TV costumes.

More than 400 outfits are up for grabs, including Obi-Wan's cloak (£50,000-£60,000), Sean Connery's dinner jacket from the Bond movie Thunderball (£30,000-£40,000 and pictured), plus other Bond lots, a huge selection of Doctor Who gear and film costumes from blockbusters including Braveheart, Titanic, Indiana Jones and Superman.

Angels is the world's longest-established supplier of costume to film, theatre and TV (since 1840) and this is said to be the most important archive of costume ever to be sold at auction. Although prices for the classics are high, dig deeper and some retro gems are up for grabs, including various Doctor Who sonic screwdrivers and the dapper costumes of Jon Pertwee in the role and a Prisoner blazer for around £500.

In fact, it's impossible to list everything - browse the listings at the Bonhams site and if something catches your eye, you can bid on 6th March 2007.

Browse all the lots at the Bonhams website

Hitchcock: The Early Years 9-DVD boxset

Essential for all Alfred Hitchcock fans is a new 9-DVD boxset set for release on February 26th - Hitchcock: The Early Years.

As the title suggests, the box brings together some of Hitchcock’s early gems for the first time. The Ring, Champagne, The Farmer’s Wife & The Manxman have been fully re-mastered and feature new/exclusive Soundtracks. Other key extras include an alternative ending to Murder!, scenes from the original, silent version of Blackmail, and a documentary on Hitchcock’s early work, featuring Claude Chabrol and Bernard Eisenschitz.

The full box listing is as follows:
Champagne (first time on DVD), Blackmail, Murder!, The Ring, The Skin Game, The Manxman, Number Seventeen
(all released for the first time on R2 DVD), The Farmer’s Wife, Rich & Strange.

For a breakdown of each movie, read on after the turn.

Free classic film posters in The Times

Not the best selection of titles/posters, but if you're after something vintage for your wall, you could get it by buying The Times this week, which is giving away classic film posters everyday this week.

The posters are pretty much uninspiring to me, but I guess they have to appeal as widely as possible. If you've got an empty wall, here's the daily breakdown:

Monday - Gone With The Wind
Tuesday - Casablanca
Wednesday - North By North West
Thursday - Doctor Zhivago
Friday - Manhattan

I imagine the quality is what you'd expect for a newspaper giveaway - but what do you expect for around 40p?

Find out more at The Times Online

Odd Man Out Special Edition (1947)

To coincide with the centenary of Oscar-winning director Sir Carol Reed's birth and almost sixty years after first being shown at cinemas, Odd Man Out starring James Mason as a terrorist on the run, is reissued as a special edition DVD, with the movie taken from a digitally-restored High Definition print.

Mason is Johnny McQueen, leader of an illegal organisation in Northern Ireland, imprisoned for gun-running. Escaping, he plans an armed raid to financially support his plans - but it goes wrong and he's shot and badly wounded. On the run, he has to avoid the police - and the people he once thoguht of as his friends.

Special features include a commemorative booklet, including original theatrical press-book, a documentary on James Mason's homecoming to Yorkshire in 1972, an ITV Interview from 1972, the script as a PDF and a gallery of 165 image stills.

And if you fancy catching the film as intended on the big screen, the newly restored version will show at the Curzon in Soho London and at BFI NFT (also London) on 1st September 2006 and other selected cinemas nationwide across England, Ireland and Scotland.

You can pick up the DVD from 28th August 2006, with a recommended retail price of £19.99.

More on the movie at Amazon.co.uk

Cornucopia of Classics in Manchester

If you're looking for some classic big screen cinema in the coming days, you need to hot foot it to Manchester, with the Cornerhouse playing host to three classic films in stunning new black and white 35mm prints, under the season title Cornucopia of Classics.

The films showing between Saturday 15th July to Thursday 3rd August are the classic cold-war paranoid pulp noir Kiss Me, Deadly (directed by Robert Aldrich), Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca - based on the Daphne Du Maurier novel and starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine and the great British Gothic thriller, The Innocents, directed by Jack Clayton.

A rare chance to see some rare gems. Check out the Manchester Cornerhouse website for the full season schedule.