Film Hub Midlands on the Road: ICO Archive Screening Days at Hyde Park Picture House

The Flatpack and Film Hub Midlands team hit the road in January to visit Hyde Park Picture House to watch some archive films and join in curatorial sessions. Here are the team's top picks and tips...

Amy

My top pick is Murdering Mr. Devil, a brilliantly bonkers Rom-Com from the Czech Republic.
The only film directed by Ester Krumbachová, one of the creative visionaries of the Czechoslovak New Wave, Murdering Mr. Devil is an absurdist, feminist deconstruction of the romantic comedy.

In a quest to bag herself a husband, lonely singleton Ona (Jirina Bohdalová) sets her sights on the gluttonous Bohouš Čert (Vladimír Mensík)—whose last name literally means devil. This should give Ona an ominous sense of what’s to come. Instead, she forges ahead with a gastronomic seduction of Čert, a plan that has devilish consequences.

Krumbachová’s background as a set designer is evident in the film’s imaginative production design, which transforms an ordinary domestic space into a wonderland of wild surrealist flourishes. I’ll admit, at times, I wasn’t really sure what was going on, but that in no way diminished my enjoyment. At a snappy 77 minutes, it’s a fun and offbeat addition to any archive programme.

Booking enquiries: e-podatelna@nfa.cz

Sam

I always love the experience of going to the cinema, but some experiences are more special than others, and seeing Stella, a 1955 Greek film on 35mm in Hyde Park Picture House’s amazing big screen was really quite something.

I knew nothing about the film beforehand, although I later discovered it’s something of a classic, particularly in Greece. It’s a retelling of Carmen featuring Melina Mercouri (Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician - what a woman!). Mercouri plays the titular Stella, a singer in a nightclub who finds herself in a love triangle that ends in tragedy. While the film features several songs (some stronger than others), it's the vibrant performances, camerawork, and editing that captivated me.

Visually, it was stunning, reminiscent of the Nouvelle Vague but with a distinct Mediterranean flavour. The Western-inspired final scenes packed a particularly memorable punch. Definitely one to seek out if you can.

Booking enquiries: karkarae@otenet.gr

Max

I can’t stop thinking about Chameleon Street. It’s been two weeks or so since I saw Wendell B. Harris’ masterpiece that, despite winning the top prize at Sundance 1990, struggled to find distribution and therefore has been seen by an unjustly slim release.

Harris gives a Shakespearean performance relaying the (somehow) true life story of Doug Street, the real-life con-artist and impersonator, who in his time impersonated a lawyer, a student at Yale, an American football player, and even a surgeon.

In lesser hands, Chameleon Street could have easily become a film about a one-note villain, but Harris instead shows a complex picture of a black ex-con finding work in America the only way he knows how - by scamming. With some truly unbelievable turns (thirty-six hysterectomies!), an airtight script (delivered in Harris’s incredible baritone) and a thirty-year fight for distribution, it’s definitely one to (finally) watch.

If the tagline “I think, therefore I scam” doesn’t hook you, I don’t know what will.

Booking enquiries: Revenante Films - hello@revenantefilms.com

Juwairiyyah

Intentionality, marketing and ‘setting the tone’ are my three key takeaways from the session ‘How to Frame Archival Genre and Exploitation Films’. Put together and chaired by curator and academic Erin Wiegand, the session explored how we can frame archival exploitation films while addressing problematic aspects of representation that may be present.

Through intentionality, we underpin the relevance of the film being programmed. Does the film contextually present a good enough reason to screen it? This could include the reclaiming of films by certain communities or the wider significance of the themes they explore.

As discussed by film curator Sarah Cleary, we then highlight these relevant aspects through marketing to communicate this to the specific audiences we are targeting.

Finally, when bringing it all together, programmers Sean Welsh (Matchbox Cine) and Lee Bentham (What the Film Club) discussed the importance of ‘setting the tone’ for audiences in the room. Ensuring a safe space, discussing themes sensitively and encouraging viewers to engage with the film critically are all vital factors in the ethical programming of exploitation cinema.