To celebrate the centenary of John Schlesinger (1926-2003), one of our greatest filmmakers, we’re showing five of his most influential films. Schlesinger’s filmography is rare for the way it encompassed not one but two “new waves” – the British New Wave of the early 1960s (the “kitchen sink” realism of Schlesinger, Lindsay Anderson, Jack Clayton, Karel Reisz and Tony Richardson) and the New Hollywood of the late 1960s / early 1970s.  

This season spans both phases of Schlesinger’s extraordinary career – from Midnight Cowboy (1969), his first American film, as well as the first X-rated film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, to the very personal Sunday, Bloody Sunday (1971), a film that was ahead of its time and is now seen as a pioneer of Queer Cinema for the way it matter-of-factly presents a gay relationship in early 1970s England. The season also includes those 1960s British classics, Billy Liar (1963) and Darling (1965), both in pristine 4K restorations and both starring Julie Christie, and Marathon Man (1976), a cracking thriller starring Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier.  

To place Schlesinger’s life and career in context, we’re delighted to welcome John’s nephew, Paul Schlesinger, an award-winning producer / director, to open and close the season.  Paul, along with writer and Aldeburgh Cinema trustee, Jon Canter, will discuss Midnight Cowboy, while Marc David Jacobs, the curator of a nationwide Schlesinger retrospective, will join Paul to talk about Sunday, Bloody Sunday. We hope you can join us.