Rosa Luxemburg (1986), director: Margarethe von Trotte Reviewed by Jackie Bergson This timely re-release of Margarethe von Trotte’s biographical feature film about Polish Marxist pacifist, philosopher and revolutionary socialist, Rosa Luxemburg, movingly represents the crushed opposition to autocracy and fascism. Largely an existential piece about Rosa, this important film emphasises that her political and social […]
Outlaw King (2018), director: David Mackenzie Reviewed by Jackie Bergson Hailing from Scotland, David Mackenzie contextualises his film about Robert the Bruce’s rise to becoming the chief successful figure in Scotland’s fiercest battles for independence with backdrops of medieval turmoil and political savagery. Outlaw King – possibly unavoidably comparable with multiple award-winning Braveheart (1995) – […]
BlacKkKlansman (2018) – Writer and Director: Spike Lee Reviewed by Jackie Bergson For those of you who missed out on seeing BlacKkKlansman while it was on general release earlier this year, you might like to make a point of catching it now on a digital format. Insightful and pointedly timely, Spike Lee’s crime drama’s truth-telling […]
In Focus Productions for the FBU The Firefighters’ Story: 100 years of the FBU, 2018 Reviewed by Bob Thomson This is an interesting and, at times poignant, short film, reminding us of the courage and sacrifices shown by firefighters. It traces the history of the FBU since its inception at the end of the First […]
The Eyes of Orson Welles (2018), written and directed by Mark Cousins Reviewed by Jackie Bergson. Mark Cousins’ personally spoken, second-person narrative throughout The Eyes of Orson Welles casts a conversational spell which conjoins his audience and subject. A full-screen-sized black and white photograph of Welles in repose is intermittently shown, evidently to suggest that […]