This week in The Film Programme Francine Stock travels north of Hadrian's Wall in search of lost Romans and backwards in time to ponder the mysterious and beautiful Palaeolithic paintings found on the walls of a cave in southern France. Her companion for the foray into the land of the Picts is Kevin MacDonald who has directed a film version of Rosemary Sutcliff's classic book, The Eagle of the Ninth; and for the trip to the caves she's joined by the veteran German director, Werner Herzog. His do...
Mar 25, 2011•28 min
Richard Ayoade - who found fame as a computer geek in The IT Crowd - has directed his first film, Submarine, based on a novel by Joe Dunthorne. They join Francine Stock to discuss the comedy of adolescence and the influence of French director Eric Rohmer. Neil Brand is behind the piano to deconstruct the recurring hook in film scores from Taxi Driver to True Grit. Filmmaker Richard Jobson assesses The Singer Not the Song, starring Dirk Bogarde as a Mexican bandit in this 1961 curio. Ken Loach ta...
Mar 18, 2011•28 min
Francine Stock meets with Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, the writers behind Fair Game, a political thriller starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts. Star Wars super-fan Jamie Benning explains why he has spent four years making three unofficial documentaries about the initial trilogy. Lesley Manville dissects her performance in Mike Leigh's Another Year, now out on DVD. Director Anh Hung Tran discusses his adaptation of Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood. Staff Benda Bilili are a collection of disabled...
Mar 11, 2011•28 min
Francine Stock talks to British director Joanna Hogg about Archipelago, a tense and awkward family drama set on the island of Tresco. Director Andrew Ruhemann discusses an overlooked British success at last Sunday's Oscars - his winning short animation The Lost Thing. Francine visits The Junior Film Club in Lewes, Sussex to report on an inventive initiative to engage children in film. Director Marc Evans talks about his road movie Patagonia, starring the singer Duffy in her first film role. Prod...
Mar 04, 2011•28 min
The awards season reaches its grand finale this Sunday with the 83rd Annual Academy Awards and Francine Stock is here with an indispensable guide to this year's crop of films hoping for Oscar glory. With contributions from, amongst others, Darren Aronofsky, Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Adams, Helena Bonham Carter and Mike Leigh. Film critic Adam Smith will explain why he won't be glued to the television late in to Sunday night. Australian director David Michod discusses his accomplished first feature An...
Feb 25, 2011•28 min
Francine Stock meets Simon Pegg and Nick Frost to discuss Paul. A homage to the sci-fi films of their childhood, the film sees the pair embark on a road trip across America where they meet a real life alien. Neil Brand is here to give a musical guide through the world of dreams in film. Iranian director Rafi Pitts discusses The Hunter, a metaphorical meditation on the current political situation of his home country. Liverpudlian Geoff Woodbridge is a big fan of horror films. He's just watched on...
Feb 18, 2011•28 min
Francine Stock talks to Hailee Steinfeld the young actress who stars with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon in The Coen Brothers' remake of True Grit. Sir Christopher Frayling is also on hand to give an assessment of the modern Western. Keira Knightley discusses her role in the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel Never Let Me Go. Author Jonathan Coe looks at the career of Japanese filmmaker Kenji Mizoguchi, seen as one of the first 'feminist' directors. Director David O. Russell talks family politics...
Feb 11, 2011•28 min
Francine Stock meets with Dame Helen Mirren who stars in Rowan Joffe's adaptation of Graham Greene's Brighton Rock, set in the 1960s era of mods and rockers. Director Stephen Frears discusses his love of Howard Hawks and focuses on Only Angels Have Wings from 1939, starring Cary Grant and Rita Hayworth. Critic Nigel Floyd considers two films from the 1960s - Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment and A Blonde in Love - both from Czech-born directors, Karel Reisz and Milos Forman. John Cameron Mit...
Feb 04, 2011•28 min
Francine Stock talks to Paul Giamatti, the star of Sideways, about his new comedy drama Barney's Version. Donald Sutherland, the star of Don't Look Now and MASH, considers the difference between Hollywood in the 1970s and today. From Andrei Tarkovksy to Sylvester Stallone: Andrei Konchalovsky discusses state censorship, Stalin and Hollywood blockbusters. Lord David Puttnam, Asif Kapadia and Antonia Quirke reveal their final film diaries.
Jan 28, 2011•28 min
Inspired by stories of listeners staging their own site-specific screenings, Francine Stock tries to set up her own pop-up cinema. Along the way, Francine asks the help of various experts and societies about what you really need to organise a cinematic happening. But of course, what she needs most is a director who's willing to show their film and take part in the event. Will Ken Loach, the new patron of the British Federation Of Film Societies, be her knight in shining armour ?
Jan 21, 2011•28 min
Francine Stock looks ahead to Radio 4's Film Season, asking for listeners' diaries of their movie watching habits over January. The result will be a snapshot of the nation's viewing preferences - where we watch films (on television, computer or in the cinema) and on what format - DVD or download. Francine will try to find out if the digital revolution has finally arrived or is it just a media myth, and to discern what we are watching, whether its new releases or old favourites. Plus, Francine wi...
Jan 14, 2011•28 min
Francine Stock talks to Helena Bonham Carter about playing the Queen Mother in The King's Speech and why she was like "marshmallow made with a welding machine". In anticipation of Radio 4's film season, the Film Programme is asking its listeners to keep a diary of their film-viewing during the month of January to get a snap-shot of how we watch movies in the 21st century Actor Diego Luna discusses his directorial debut Abel, which broke box-office records in his native Mexico Neil Brand begins a...
Jan 07, 2011•28 min
Francine Stock talks to Oscar winning scribe Simon Beaufoy, writer of The Full Monty and Slumdog Millionaire, about 127 Hours, his second collaboration with film director Danny Boyle. Based on the real life story of Aron Ralston, the mountaineer who cut off his own arm in order to save his life in a mountaineering accident, Simon Beaufoy talks about the challenge of dramatising a narrative in which the ending is already widely known. Critic Jonathan Romney profiles Joann Sfar's bio pic Gainsbour...
Dec 31, 2010•28 min
Francine Stock talks to Brokeback Mountain star Jake Gyllenhaal about his new comedy Love And Other Drugs. The star of The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg, reveals why he's not on Facebook even though he played its creator Mark Zuckerberg Tamara Drewe scribe Moira Buffini and independent cinema owner Kevin Markwick discuss the year in film Colin Shindler reveals the most successful film of 1960, the year of La Dolce Vita, L'Avventura, Psycho, Peeping Tom and Saturday Night And Sunday Morning....
Dec 24, 2010•28 min
Francine Stock talks to Peter Weir, the director of Witness and The Truman Show, about his new drama, The Way Back The directors of Catfish, one of the big hits of the Sundance Film Festival, discuss their documentary about an on-line romance that takes a turn for the surreal. Nikki Bedi meets the members of a community who saved their cinema from closure in Prestatyn and learns the secrets of their success Writer Andrew Collins considers the influence of video games on modern movies and asks if...
Dec 17, 2010•28 min
The creators of Airplane, Jerry and David Zucker, discuss the comedy's 30 year legacy and its star Leslie Nielsen Ex-Bond villain Matthieu Amalric reveals some of 007's secrets The Film Programme continues its series on the quiet revolution in community cinemas, talking to local film heroes and taking an audio 'snapshot' of some of the most lively and memorable places to watch film around the country.
Dec 10, 2010•28 min
Award winning composer Sir Richard Rodney Bennett discusses his career in films, from Murder On The Orient Express to Far From The Madding Crowd Francine Stock meets Gareth Edwards, the director of a new science fiction movie called Monsters, who created the special effects on his laptop in his bedroom. Nikki Bedi meets the member of Chorley Community Cinema who dons fancy dress for each screening, a trend that's catching on around the country Chilean drama, The Maid, is reviewed and given marks...
Dec 03, 2010•28 min
Oscar winning British producer Graham King discusses his adventures in Hollywood and his working relationship with Martin Scorsese. The writer of Of Gods And Men discusses the real-life drama behind his film about the conflict between North African monks and Islamist terrorists Nikki Bedi's tour of Britain's community cinemas continues at The Star And Shadow in Newcastle, which is staffed entirely by volunteers Colin Shindler reveals what British critics thought of Elvis's 1960 effort G.I. Blues...
Nov 26, 2010•28 min
Francine Stock talks to director Anton Corbijn about his new film, The American, starring George Clooney as a hired gun who comes out of hiding for one last job. The second in our series of reports about the digital revolution and the rise of community cinemas across the country. This week, Nikki Bedi travels to Aberfeldy in Scotland, to meet the people behind the Heartland film society. Director Fernando Trueba and designer Javier Mariscal discuss Chico and Rita, a musical celebration of Cuba d...
Nov 19, 2010•28 min
In an extended interview, Francine Stock talks to Mike Leigh about his latest drama, Another Year Actress Phyllida Law remembers the work of her husband Eric Thompson and the Magic Roundabout spin-off movie, Dougal And The Blue Cat, which is released on DVD for the very first time Director Matt Reeves discusses his reasons for making an American version of the critically acclaimed Swedish vampire film Let The Right One In.
Nov 05, 2010•28 min
Francine Stock talks to Lisa Cholodenko, director of The Kids Are All Right, starring Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as a couple whose relationship begins to founder when their children track down their biological father. Screenwriters Moira Buffini, Frank Cottrell Boyce and Simon Beaufoy reveal the secrets of a good ending Olivier Assayas, the director of Carlos, discusses geo-politics, international terrorism and the reason why his five and a half hour epic is not eligible for an Oscar....
Oct 29, 2010•28 min
Francine Stock hosts part two of her discussion with three screenwriters, including The Full Monty and Slumdog Millionaire scribe Simon Beaufoy, Hilary And Jackie writer Frank Cottrell Boyce and Moira Buffini, who adapted Tamara Drewe and Jane Eyre for the big screen Archivist and director Kevin Brownlow discusses his honorary Oscar which he will receive next month Nigel Floyd on the award-winning Possession with Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani Colin Shindler turns back the clock and reveals what ...
Oct 22, 2010•28 min
The Full Monty and Slumdog Millionaire writer Simon Beaufoy, 24 Hour Party People and Welcome To Sarajevo scribe Frank Cottrell Boyce, and Tamara Drewe adapter Moira Buffini reveal some secrets of screenwriting. Neil Brand joins Francine Stock to play and discuss the work of composer Max Steiner, famous for Casablanca and Gone With The Wind Matthew Sweet pays tribute to Barry Evans, the likely lad of British cinema and television in the 1970s Kim Newman ventures into The Night Of The Demon, the ...
Oct 15, 2010•28 min
Francine Stock talks to Oliver Stone about his return to Wall Street for his credit-crunch sequel, Money Never Sleeps. Rhys Ifans reveals why he was worried about ruining the life of his friend Howard Marks by starring in a film of his life Tim Hetherington, the director of Restrepo, discusses his fly-on-the-wall documentary about American soldiers in Afghanistan Critic Pasquale Iannone surveys two new films about Italian politics, past and present.
Oct 08, 2010•28 min
Francine Stock talks to Murray Melvin, the star of A Taste Of Honey, who reveals the real reason why he never picked up his Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1962 Documentary maker Mark Cousins talks about The First Movie, in which he gave movie cameras to children from a war-torn village in Kurdistan so they could make their screen debuts Director Rodrigo Cortes reveals how he managed to make a whole movie set in a coffin.
Oct 01, 2010•28 min
Francine Stock talks to Ben Affleck about his new feature The Town, which he has written, directed and starred in. He reveals why he rang other actor/directors like Sean Penn and Warren Beatty for advice. Francine launches our search for community cinemas and film societies around the country, and visits two of the oldest cinemas in the country - The Phoenix in East Finchley and The Duke Of York's in Brighton which both celebrated their 100th anniversary this week. Colin Shindler reports from Se...
Sep 24, 2010•28 min
Francine Stock talks to Stephen Woolley, producer of The Crying Game and Mona Lisa on the set of his latest drama, Made In Dagenham, which was inspired by an edition of the Radio 4 programme The Reunion. Director Debra Granik takes us on a virtual tour of the Ozark Mountains in the American heartland, the setting for her new film, Winter's Bone. And there's news of an unofficial national sport that once swept the nation - Spot Sam Kydd, a popular game featuring one of Britain's best loved charac...
Sep 17, 2010•28 min
Stephen Frears talks to Francine Stock about his rural comedy Tamara Drewe, which has been described as the dark side of The Archers. Composer, writer and silent film accompanist Neil Brand presents his unique audio description of the found footage of Metropolis. 25 minutes of Fritz Lang's masterpiece were missing presumed lost, until a full print turned up in Argentina in 2008. Two years later, the restored version is finally being released, and Neil tells us if the new scenes improve a film th...
Sep 10, 2010•28 min
Francine Stock discusses the work of legendary Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami with William Shimell, the opera singer who makes his feature film debut in Certified Copy In an exclusive interview, Martin Scorsese's long-time collaborator, Thelma Schoonmaker reveals some of her editing secrets on Shutter Island and gives us an insight into their next movie, a children's film called Hugo Cabaret, which is being shot in 3-D. Claire Denis and Pierre Rissient discuss the influence of Jean Luc Godard...
Sep 03, 2010•28 min
