26th April 2016: Terence Sawyers presents About Film; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Come along to the Brass Monkey on Drummond Street on Tuesday 26th April between 18:30 and 21:30 for the second in a series of About Film nights where we watch a film and then discuss it afterwards…

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

About Film is a free monthly film night, we show a film and then have a group discussion afterwards. Everyone is invited to participate and no prior knowledge is required. It is not necessary to ‘book’ a place as the event will be open to all, but committing to coming will give us a heads-up about numbers.

 

The Film: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Two little girls from Little Rock entertain in this lavish musical: offering wit, intrigue and iconic outfits. Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell team up to woo eligible bachelors while trying to stay on the right side of scandal.

“lt seems a python can grab a goat and kill it by squeezing it to death…

Well, Piggie was being the python, and l was a goat.”

Being a Howard Hawks film we are given fast and clever dialogue complemented with a burlesque of established gender stereotypes. Oh, and sequins, lots of sequins…

The Discussion: Formalism

After all the singing and dancing we’ll discuss Formalism – the building block of film analysis. Formalism is concerned with how the formal elements of film come together to make a whole.
As well as trying to get to grips with how a film works as a piece of art the Formalists also represent a wider trend within Film Theory to develop language and methodology that lend credibility to the study of film.
 

The venue: Brass Monkey, Drummond Street

The Brass Monkey is a venue that loves cinema, with film posters adorning the walls and a cinema room in the back. There is no entrance fee and the bar is well supplied with liquor, hot drinks and snacks (including sandwiches). There is no wheelchair access, sorry. If anyone has any concerns about access or facilities don’t hesitate to get in touch and we can give some advice.

The cinema room has a small number of hardback chairs but is mostly filled with large sofas, ideal for lounging. We will provide some popcorn, and you can bring along your own snacks, but no hot food.

I hope to see you there.

Terence Sawyers