WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2024

Benedict Morrison

The art and ideas of post-war British cinema

At Stretton-on-Fosse Village Hall, GL56 9SR

Through excerpts from British films, today’s DSI will help us explore the more subtle meanings of some best-loved British cinema and the more modern approaches to film.

Session one: Cinema from the Rubble: the Post-War Politics of the Ealing Comedies. The Ealing comedies are amongst the most popular British films ever made; they have a reputation for cosy, whimsical fun. We revisit them in the light of their post-war context, exploring the more serious politics of their representation of life amongst the ruins of bombed cities.

Session two: Cinema of Resistance: the Startling Visions of Experimental British Film. The playful witty spirit of Ealing has haunted the works of such daring British directors as Terence Davies, Derek Jarman and Peter Greenaway. This talk explores how experimental cinema of the 1980s and 1990s developed the funny, startling political commentary and artistic visions.

Session three: Reading Films. This final session will introduce some of the strategies which can unpick films’ subtler meanings. We will encounter some key principles and possibilities of analysis before creating our own analyses of sequences from some familiar films.

The day starts at 10am with coffee for a 10.30am start and finishes at approximately 3.15pm.
Cost (including coffee and lunch): Members £44, Guests £46

As well as being an accredited Arts Society Lecturer, Benedict Morrison is also a Lecturer in Literature and Film at the University of Exeter.  He is a published author on Art Cinema with Oxford University Press and is producing work on post-war British comedy films.As well as being an accredited Arts Society Lecturer, Benedict Morrison is also a Lecturer in Literature and Film at the University of Exeter.  He is a published author on Art Cinema with Oxford University Press and is producing work on post-war British comedy films.

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WEDNESDAY 23 OCTOBER 2024

Dan Evans

Still life

At Stretton-on-Fosse Village Hall, GL56 9SR
 
Today’s DSI will help us discover the symbolism and key themes conveyed by simple every-day objects from the 16th Century to the present day. Dan offers us ‘an exuberant assault on the senses of taste, sight, sound, touch and smell’.

Session one: caterpillars, lemons and lobsters. Dutch still life from 1560-1650. From meat stalls to mince pies and bubbles to bread rolls this session will help us discover the symbolism and moral meaning conveyed in every-day objects.

Session two: cabbages, carrots and lamb. Spanish still life from 1600-1812. Through paintings by Goya, Veláquez, Zurbarán and Meléndez, we will explore key themes from arrangements of simple food stuffs to religious fervour.

Session three: animal fur, telephones and apple cores. Still life as real life in the 20th and 21st centuries. Still life painting was one of the vehicles that launched modern art in the 19th century, and the obsession continued into the 20th century through the work of Picasso, Dali and Oppenheim. Painting was replaced by the object, often playing upon the established and traditional themes of old which can all be traced through the ground-breaking works of Oldenburg, Taylor-Wood and Hirst.

The day starts at 10am with coffee for a 10.30am start and finishes at
approximately 3.15pm.
Cost (including coffee and lunch): Members £44, Guests £46

Dan Evans has been lecturing since 2001 and spent 9 years as a senior lecturer, tutor and tour guide for Art History Abroad. He was voted British winner of the World Guide Awards 2008 and is now both a Housemaster and Teacher at Cheltenham College.

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