Showing posts with label Suffragette. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Suffragette. Show all posts

Saturday, 24 October 2015

Suffragette, James Bond, Ab Fab and The Lady in the Van...films, films, films

I love this time of the year when the best films are released, the weather is getting colder, and going to the cinema is just what you want to do.

Near us in Muswell Hill, Everyman Cinema has began refurbishing the old Odeon, with new sofas and a lick of paint. Although it's far from finished (there are planning issues), or being the quality of Everyman cinemas in Hampstead or Belsize Park, it's already better than the old, freezing flee pit.

Daughter and I went to see Suffragette there this week, and we both really enjoyed the film with Helena Bonham-Carter and Carey Mulligan, and with a brief but inspiring appearance by Meryl Streep. I was, however, highly disappointed that they'd failed to mention Finland as one of the first countries in Europe to give women the vote (already in 1906) during the roll call at the end. Harrumph!


I'm also really looking forward to seeing the new Bond film. I know it's overly commercial, and complete escapism, and shouldn't really even be mentioned in the same blog post with Suffragette, but Bond is my guilty pleasure, and I cannot wait for next week when Spectre is on general release.

Talking of guilty pleasures, another film that may not be as good for the intellect as it is for the soul, is the new Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie. Fox and the BBC released some information and a picture of the forthcoming film this week. Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley as Edina and Patsy escape a media storm resulting for a major incident at an uber fashionable launch party, to the French Riviera, where they hatch a plan to live the high life for ever more. I have to wait a few months before the release, but one thing is certain - I'll be desperate to see this film when it's finally out.


Alan Bennet's The Lady in the Van is out in the UK a bit sooner, on November the 13th. With Maggie Smith in the title role, how can this be anything but brilliant? Here's the trailer, enjoy!

 

Tuesday, 15 September 2015

Suffragette Season at the Houses of Parliament in London


I've been looking forward to this film ever since it was announced about a year ago that 'Suffragette' would star Carey Mulligan AND Meryl Streep, AS WELL AS Helena Bonham-Carter, and that parts of the action would be filmed at the Houses of Parliament. 
And now, to celebrate the release of this British film, the Houses of Parliament is running a 'Suffragette Season' of special events and themed tours this October. I can't wait to attend one of these.

HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT ANNOUNCES A ‘SUFFRAGETTE SEASON’ OF SPECIAL EVENTS AND TOURS IN OCTOBER 2015 – TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE
Directed by Sarah Gavron and starring Carey Mulligan and Meryl Streep, the film 'Suffragette' was inspired by the true stories of the foot soldiers of the women's suffrage movement and their fight for the right to vote.
'Suffragette Soirée' on Wednesday 7 October 2015 at 6.30pm
Go back in time to meet Suffragettes and other suffrage activists, see ‘behind the scenes’ and discover moments of history in the 'Votes for Women!' movement.
Enjoy a truly unique Suffragette-themed tour of the House of Commons followed by a convivial three course dinner in the elegant Members’ Dining Room. The House of Commons' chefs have adapted the menu from a public banquet chaired by Emmeline Pankhurst on Friday 12 May 1911 and given it a modern twist.
The 1911 banquet was in honour of the Lord Mayor of Dublin and the Lady Mayoress and marked their visit to London to present the Petition of the Corporation of Dublin in support of the Woman Suffrage Bill at the Bar of the House of Commons.
Tickets for this one-off dining event are £97, booking by phone only on 020 7219 4114.
'More than Suffragettes' Talks and Tour on 8 and 9 October 2015 at 2pm
Following a 30 minute introductory tour including the Lords Chamber and Commons Chamber, visitors will hear about the campaign by suffragettes and suffragists for the vote in Parliament and how Parliament remembers this campaign today. The speakers are Mari Takayanagi from the Parliamentary Archives, Melanie Unwin from the Parliamentary Art Collection and Mary Branson, Artist-in-Residence to women’s suffrage.
Tickets are £25, bookable online at www.parliament.uk/suffragette-season or by phone on 020 7219 4114.
‘Votes for Women!’ Family Tours on Saturday afternoons in October at 2pm and 3pm
Designed especially for families visiting Parliament, the afternoon begins with a 45 minute tour through the House of Lords and the House of Commons followed by a range of optional Votes for Women-themed activities. The 'Votes for Women!' family tours are ideal for children aged 7 and over.
Tickets are free for children and £10 for adults, bookable online at www.parliament.uk/suffragette-season or by phone on 020 7219 4114.
‘From Petitions to Prime Minister: A Short History of Women in Parliament’ on Saturday afternoons in October at 1pm
Led by a ‘Blue Badge’ guide, Parliament’s regular guided tour through both Houses has been adapted to focus on the journey from early petitioning about women’s suffrage through to the UK’s first (and so far) only female Prime Minister and the prominent role of women in Parliament today.
Tickets are £25, bookable online at www.parliament.uk/suffragette-season or by phone on 020 7219 4114.