Sunday, Bloody Sunday + introduction by writer and film curator Marc David Jacobs. Marc will be joined on stage by Paul Schlesinger for a post-film discussion.
“I knew from the start that it was really a piece of chamber music, that not everyone would appreciate it. But it was a film I believed I had to do. Not wanted to. Had to do.”
- John Schlesinger
A rare opportunity to see John Schlesinger's most personal and groundbreaking film on the big screen - a pioneer of Queer Cinema for the way it matter-of-factly presents a gay relationship in early 1970s England. Enabled by the critical and commercial success of Midnight Cowboy, it was the film Schlesinger had to make.
Newly-divorced office worker Alex Greville (Glenda Jackson) and gay Jewish doctor Daniel Hirsh (Peter Finch) share not only the same answering service and circle of friends but also the same partner: shiftless designer Bob Elkin (Murray Head), who bed-hops between them as the mood takes him.
While both Alex and Daniel are dissatisfied with Bob's increasingly divided attentions, they prefer them to losing him completely. But over the course of one eventful week, they begin to question whether 'half a loaf' really is better than none.
Sunday, Bloody Sunday won 5 BAFTAs, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Peter Finch) Best Actress (Glenda Jackson) and Best Editing (Richard Marden).
Marc David Jacobs is a freelance film nerd and co-producer with Claire Nicolas of the UK-wide centenary retrospective, The Consummate Professional: John Schlesinger at 100. https://schlesinger-100.webflow.io/
Paul Schlesinger has produced and directed award winning series on both radio and television including the BAFTA winning Twenty Twelve starring Hugh Bonneville and Olivia Colman, W1A and People Like Us, and has directed numerous plays and series for Radio 4 Drama and Comedy including most recently a 2 part dramatisation of the novel "Midnight Cowboy".
Screening as part of our John Schlesinger Centenary celebration.