79

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• Fantastic film, strangely it reminded me a lot of Wes Anderson’s work, although perhaps it is really the other way around. Also the leaf litter in Japan must be especially slippery as there was more falling over than I expected!

• The two Kurosawa pictures this year have given me less enjoyment than watching Man Utd come 15th in the Premier League. The acting style reminds me very unhappily of my own attempt to play Lady Macbeth in 5th form English ( I also laughed maniacally and/or rolled around the floor crying uncontrollably). Stilted and alienating.

• I wasn’t sure if I liked this one, but thinking about it afterwards it’s really grown on me. The way in which all the characters create stories that make themselves look good, and it’s only the woodcutter at the end who has to grapple with his cowardice and hypocrisy and makes a commitment to do something good. The actors are all brilliant, even when they’re doing thoroughly unlikeable things.

• Astonishing how inventive Kurosawa was relatively early in his career.

• A cinematic treasure trove of murder in a wooded Grove Culprits among those who rove But who then did the killing? Calling upon memory Lopsided testimony And iffy truth or honesty From those who were willing. Just as I recall the masterpiece Or is it? Yes I kid I tease ‘The film deserves another lease’ I heard from patrons milling.

79

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• Howard Shore’s ponderous score immediately warns us – not for the faint of heart. The ever-smouldering Oliver Reed pouts, then smoulders a bit more, while Samantha Eggar bats her eyelashes at all the goings-on. What’s not to like?

• The people behind us thought this was the funniest movie they’d ever seen. I guess it was a laugh riot?

• Entertaining and does provide the audience with subtext to chew on but doesn’t fully get under the skin in the disturbing way the best Cronenberg movies do.

• Just plain creepy…loved it.

• Some serious acting chops make The Brood so much more than it might have been. The nuances of Samantha Eggar’s performance are especially mesmerising — it seems incredible that the actress was on set for only three days (especially given the, er, complications of the role) — and it was a thrill to experience the “strange adventure” on the big screen.

78

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• Oh look, he’s really still disfigured. Oh no, he’s fine under there. Oh hang on, is it her or is he mad? Ah f**k it, I’m done.

• What is reality? Was it all the spiralling pathology of extreme narcissism? I enjoyed seeing an engaging ’90s psychological thriller on the big screen, though it may have lost me at the end when the convolutions became exponential and the action became exposition.

• This could not be more up my alley if the street sign had my name on it! An intoxicating, disorienting experience which starts as simple as an unlikeable man hitting on his friend’s girlfriend at his own birthday party, before spiralling into illusory nightmare and dystopian uses of technology. The labyrinthine structure might be a bit tiring for some, but it only added to the surreality of the film for me. Incredible experience!

• I found it difficult to have much empathy for the protagonist, he was so entitled and egotistical that I couldn’t figure out what either of the women saw in him, even when he was turning on the charm for the Sofia character. But it was an intriguing story, well told, and left me thinking about how I might have reacted in any of the characters’ situations. Good soundtrack, too – I don’t think I recognised any of the songs, but they were along the lines of what I was listening to back then.

• Love the internal resonances of this year’s programme, including the Phantom of the Opera callback on this disturbing dive into dream logic. Respect for tight direction by the young Alejandro Amenábar and his additional compositional chops. Good to see a late-90s web browser and the… assets of Penélope Cruz.

91

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• The impressionistic animation style was not only beautiful, it made the film feel so much more real and resonant emotionally. It made me cry. I was with Kyona and Adriel every step of the way.

• Exceptional artistry, feeling and beauty, with universal themes made me think particularly of every fascist regime, the Jewish holocaust and the obliteration of the Palestinians, because it’s so beautiful it reminds us that humans are capable of appalling cruelty as well as the gorgeous flowing movement of this deeply wonderful, animated film.

• Utterly engrossing. The animation is fabulous, in more than one sense of the word. I wish I’d done enough prep to have realised I was watching a work of fiction inspired by a family history, as I was assuming it was based on the filmmaker’s own experiences (possibly as a result of having seen Persepolis and Flee in the past), and that might’ve coloured my appreciation of it. But I can still marvel at the filmmaker’s art and storytelling – beautiful and engaging. The crossing scene itself is just extraordinary, I felt like I was in the boat with them.

• Absolutely stunning visuals throughout. Always something beautiful and unique happening on the screen, contrasted with the devastating and sadly too common story of war and loss.

• Such a moving story told through beautiful hand-painted glass animation techniques. I was thoroughly engaged throughout the film.

89

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• I feel like I got my money’s worth for an entire year’s membership experiencing this last night with the full live score.

• Phantom: “Haha! You have shockingly revealed my shameful secret despite me telling you not to while at the same time obviously prompting you to do so! Notwithstanding your cruelty in judging me solely by my looks, to punish you I shall confirm your every prejudice by being really quite horrid, whilst also wearing a killer set of Cuban heels.”

• A great movie – such amazing sets for the time. And a great musical accompaniment which really enhanced the film without distracting from it. Thanks for organising this. A rare opportunity.

• Rounded up my rating due to the outstanding musical accompaniment, but I’m surprised how well this holds up after 100 years. Favourite part: the scene on the roof, with the gorgeously billowing red silk and pigeons fluttering around the statuary.

• An amazing experience. The print with its colour tint was great – I loved the masquerade sequence with its individually coloured costumes, particularly the Phantom as the Red Death. Lon Chaney’s performance was amazing, and it’s so easy to look at his horrifying prosthetics and flashes of humanity and anguish, and see a clear lineage of sympathetic movie monsters starting with him and carrying on through to the movies of Hammer Horror, David Cronenberg, and Guillermo Del Toro today. But the live music really made it something special – what a great performance from that trio!