The Reel McCoy Film Group
Screening world cinema and forgotten gems since 1990
Screening world cinema and forgotten gems since 1990
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The Reel McCoy Film Group is a not-for-profit film society that since 1990 has been catering for people interested in cinema, particularly those who like to see timeless classics and overlooked gems at low cost. Membership is $50 per annum, $35 for 6 months, or $20 for 3 months. Membership runs from the date of joining.
With grateful support from
 Canberra Museum and Gallery Members of CMAG are welcome to join the Reel McCoy at a substantial discount: membership for a year for only $20. Screenings are held in the Theatre of Canberra Museum and Gallery, usually on the second and last Saturdays of each month at 1:00 pm. Due to the ongoing public health (COVID-19) situation the Reel McCoy Film Group will, for the foreseeable future, be operating in a restricted fashion. Seating is limited and must be pre-booked on a first come, first served basis. Next screening:Saturday, 27 February 2021 at 1:00 pm
MY MAN GODFREY
A thirties Depression era "screwball" comedy. A wealthy socialite goes to the city dump and hires a bum as a butler for a grand society party. The butler is not what he seems. A guest recognises him from his past life, and he needs nifty footwork to escape exposure. +
RUGGLES OF RED GAP
Ruggles, an English butler, is wagered and lost in a poker game, and finds himself with a new master in the backwoods American town, Red Gap. His new masters have different ideas from each other as to what they want from an English butler – and Ruggles' own ideas are different again.
For more information, e-mail us or come along to a screening
Programme for early 2021:
Saturday 13 February 2021
EUROPA Denmark · 1991 · 118 min. Director Lars von Trier Cast Jean-Marc Barr, Barbara Sukowa, Eddie Constantine, Max von Sydow "You will now listen to my voice ... On the count of ten you will be in Europa ..." Max von Sydow's voice sets the dreamy, Kafkaesque, and hypnotic noir mood for this powerful film. It tells the story of an American innocent who has travelled to help in the reconstruction of a still dangerous, post-Reich Germany. As an employee of the Zentropa Railways, which remains as a potent symbol of Germany, he is faced with the threat of being dragged down into the heart of darkness by characters who are ruthlessly intent on survival in chaos.
Saturday 27 February 2021
MY MAN GODFREY USA · 1936 · 92 min. Director Gregory la Cava Cast William Powell, Carole Lombard, Mischa Auer, Alan Mowbray A thirties Depression era "screwball" comedy. A wealthy socialite goes to the city dump and hires a bum as a butler for a grand society party. The butler is not what he seems. A guest recognises him from his past life, and he needs nifty footwork to escape exposure. +
RUGGLES OF RED GAP
Ruggles, an English butler, is wagered and lost in a poker game, and finds himself with a new master in the backwoods American town, Red Gap. His new masters have different ideas from each other as to what they want from an English butler – and Ruggles' own ideas are different again.
Saturday 13 March 2021
HOBSON'S CHOICE UK · 1954 · 108 min. Director David Lean Cast Charles Laughton, John Mills, Brenda de Banzie, Prunella Scales The obstinate, hard-drinking, shoe-shop owning widower Henry Hobson (Laughton), bullies his three daughters and talented young tradesman (Mills). His youngest daughters both have beaus; however his ingrained miserliness stands in their way. He deliberately dismisses his eldest daughter as a marriageable prospect for fear of losing her useful business skills. She however is determined to end his autocratic rule and free all of the sisters to pursue their own futures. Set in the 1890s, this beautifully staged and photographed comedy, directed in great style by David Lean, has a delightfully flamboyant performance by Charles Laughton.
Saturday 27 March 2021
DON'S PARTY Australia · 1976 · 91 min. Director Bruce Beresford Cast John Hargreaves, Pat Bishop, Graham Kennedy, Veronica Lang, Harold Hopkins Bruce Beresford made two films from David Williamson plays, The Club and Don's Party, set on election night 1969, when Gough Whitlam was narrowly defeated. Political conflict and bedroom antics keep the party alive! Great work from John Hargreaves, Ray Barrett, Jeanie Drynan and Graeme Blundell. The night is a disaster for both Don and Gough. +
TENDER MERCIES
Tender Mercies is Bruce Beresford's first American film, a touching story of a washed up country and western singer who finds solace with a young widow, and who revives his relationship with his daughter. Robert Duvall won his only Oscar® for this delicately delivered performance, ably supported by Tess Harper.
Saturday 10 April 2021
MARNIE USA · 1964 · 129 min. Director Alfred Hitchcock Cast Sean Connery, Tippi Hedren, Diane Baker, Louise Latham Our tribute to the late Sean Connery. Breaking away from James Bond to demonstrate his acting range, Connery gives a wonderfully nuanced performance in this complex Alfred Hitchcock film. He is matched by Tippi Hedren as a disturbed young woman who compulsively pursues a life of crime. Connery plays the man who tries to save her, but just what are his motives? Based on a novel by Winston Graham, Marnie received poor reviews when it was released, but it continues to have its staunch defenders who see it as one of Hitchcock's more subtle psychological studies. It is beautifully photographed.
Saturday 24 April 2021
THEY WERE EXPENDABLE USA · 1945 · 135 min. Director John Ford Cast Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed, Jack Holt, Ward Bond John Ford made They Were Expendable just before the sudden end of the Pacific War. War films were then out of fashion, and it had limited release and critical reaction. It is now considered one of his greatest films. The title refers to small PT boats which had to prove themselves in combat. John Wayne and Robert Montgomery are commanding the boats. Montgomery considered it his finest role - you'll see why. There is a brief scene of General MacArthur being transported to safety. A touching romantic scene proves Ford could do romance before he made The Quiet Man. The ending is heart-breakingly powerful.
Saturday 8 May 2021
LE PLAISIR France · 1952 · 97 min. Director Max Ophuls Cast Danielle Darrieux, Jean Gabin, Simone Simon, Claude Dauphin This classic film from Max Ophuls' late period takes three Guy de Maupassant short stories about the pursuit of pleasures and delicately reveals their bitter-sweet consequences. In the first story a masked man attending a lively dance hall is revealed to have a sad secret. In the second, a small town is thrown into chaos when staff of the "house of pleasure" adjourn for a weekend in the country; and in the last the relationship of a passionate artist and his model/muse hits the rocks. The stories are richly evoked period pieces with Ophuls' visual flair and evident sensitivity to the plight of his female characters.
Saturday 29 May 2021
LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY Germany/UK · 1997 · 71 min. Director Werner Herzog Cast Dieter Dengler, Werner Herzog, Eugene Deatrick Dieter Dengler tells his story of becoming a Navy pilot and being taken prisoner when his plane was shot down over Laos. He also tells of his remarkable escape after enduring years of starvation and torture. Herzog and Dieter revisit locations and re-enact important moments of the story. +
LESSONS OF DARKNESS
Shortly before the end of the first Gulf War, Iraqi troops set fire to the oil fields as they withdrew from Kuwait. Herzog provides sparse commentary and a few emotional interviews but the bulk of the film is made up of powerful visual images described as both beautiful and nightmarish. Programme details are subject to change without notice |