Stuart Hall

Of all the cultural theorists that emerged during a time of exceptional sociological and political strife during the 50s and 60s Stuart Hall's voice has remained a distinctly charismatic and lucid one. He was a frontline major figure in the formation of the new British political left and was a major contributor to Robin Blackburn's New Left Review,now operating as Verso books. One of his key tenets was that the media appear to reflect reality, whilst in fact they construct it. Great stuff which seems to gain more relevance as time moves on. Born in Kingston Jamaica,Halls Family were Empire Windrush immigrants who settled in Bristol. He later went on to attend Oxford University. Accepting a post at the University of Birmingham in the early 70s, Hall consciously positioned himself at the eye of the storm for what was a tempestuous period in the social and racial history in the UK. At Birmingham he was a key contributor within the centre for contemporary cultural studies. On the night Hall marks his 75th year he can be heard in conversation with Bill Schwartz to talk about his life and work on culture,identity and politics at the South bank centre,Purcell रूम.

Jack Cardiff in conversation

The talented cinematographer Jack Cardiff talks to Ian Christie, professor of film and media history at Birkbeck College. Cardiff was the first person in the UK to use the new technicolor format. He was given his big break by director / producer team Michael Powell and Emmerich Pressburger who, noticing how technically precise the young camera operator was they duly promoted him to cinematographer. Cardiff didnt look back and became visually responsible for the best Powell and Pressburger projects -- A Matter Of Life And Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1947) and The Red Shoes (1949). Powell trusted Cardiff and offered him an enormous amount of freedom with big budgets to experiment with new ideas and techniques. This evening however will not centre solely upon his filmography or upon the technical aspects of his work but instead concentrate on the strong influence that paintings in the National Gallery had on the future image maker. We'll attend this talk ourselves just to find out which pictures in the NG's collection inspired Conan The Destroyer (1984) and Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985).SD

Frost/Nixon Donmar Warhouse

FROST/NIXON Directed by Michael Grandage After an elegant 'That was the week that was special' on the demise of JFK in 1963 endeared him to US audiences, David Frost was immediately offered his own vehicle 'Frost in America'. The format was unlike the biting satire of TWx3 and was light hearted and genial. In 1977 Richard Nixon perhaps in search of public redemption and attracted by the idea of being interviewed by an intelligent but sycophantic host agreed to appear. The pairing became nothing short of an unofficial inquisition with Frost candidly prising a confession out of the former president on live television over the Watergate Hotel misdeeds.

The Donmar warehouse present Peter Morgans play FROST/NIXON. Directed by Micheal Grandage it concentrates on the vulnerability of the former president at this time not upon the million plus deaths his odious South East Asian policy induced. You soon realise however this is a portrait not of individuals but of politics and its loyal satellite, television news media and the symbiosis they share. Richard Nixon, played with majestic calm by Frank Langella and David Frost recreated convincingly by jobbing chameleon Michael Sheen, go toe to toe like old prizefighters with reputations to not restore but resurrect.Shane Deegan

The Fallen Idol (1948)

A re-working of a short story by Graham Greene, was Carol Reed's first and more favoured collaboration with the mighty writer. A rites of passage tale, it follows a lonely boy, Felipe, played out with great cadence and complex sensitivity for a screen debut by Bobby Henrey. Felipe, the son of an absent French ambassador and sick mother, all but abandoned within the confines of his father's embassy building, forms a close bond with the butler Baines, played tenderly by Ralph Richardson. The boy yearns for his parents' love and in one sad scene confesses to Baines that he cannot even recall his mother's face. Mrs Baines, played by Sonia Dresdel, proves to be no substitute and is cold and indifferent towards the boy. After an accident following the revelation of Baines' relationship with a mistress, Felipe's loyalty to Baines is tested. The use of wide angle photography by Georges Perinal portrays the bleakness of the Belgravia interiors as no place for a sensitive child like Felipe and serves to highlight his lonely existence. Reed, a trained actor before working his way through the ranks of the British Lion Film Corporation, was well known for a talented instinct in his canny casting of exactly the right person for each role.

The new print of The Fallen Idol screens at the NFT from 28/07 till 14/08. A new print of Carol Reed's most well known film, another Greene collaboration, The Third Man (1949), screens at the NFT from 11/08 till 24/08. Both The Fallen Idol and The Third Man are being shown in conjunction with a Carol Reed retrospective (Part I runs in August and Part II in September).

On Patrick McCabe

Write about what you know they tell you.For
Patrick McCabe this basic tenet of creative writing classes everywhere surely manifests itself as Ireland in all its maddening and contradictory glory coupled with a fair slice of the writers ferociously eloquent and shocking imagination. He does 'Ireland weird' you see, and as a fellow Irishman I can safely say he has a bottomless well of source material to draw from no matter what Jack Charlton and the Irish tourist board would rather have you know. On the 2nd November the writer talks at the
ICA in London with Tim Adams about his writing and hopefully what sheer fun it must be for McCabe to create these strong character driven narratives. Although new work 'Winterwood' should take precedence the talk will also be a good opportunity for Adams to tease out personal testimonies on the success or failure the novels director
Neil Jordan chose to adapt for film - The butcher boy and recently Breakfast on Pluto - and perhaps the extent of their creative relationship.Shane Deegan.

'On Isabelle Huppert'


Isabelle Huppert must revel in the relative freedom that European cinema allows. Her work has become a signature for Provocative and daring filmaking.She has worked under some intelligent and sophisticated direction over the years from
Claude Chabrol, Jean Luc Godard and more recently Haneke. Perhaps by adding something unexpectedly visceral and honest to the roles she explores,her performances have a habit of leaving a lasting impression.Ma Mere divided critics but made us all blush. Fearlessly accepting roles many would baulk at, Huppert immerses herself in the characters she plays. Following a rare preview of
Patrice Chéreau's
Gabrielle - a reworking of the Joseph Conrad short story, The Return- at the
NFT, she will talk on stage about this remarkable filmography and about her decisions to accept difficult subject matter. Consistently reliable for turning in unforgettable performances Isabelle Huppert's reputation as a mesmerising screen talent is assured.Shane Deegan

On Arab Strap

Arab Strap are off. We've had Ten years of these two fellas spilling autobiographical about an existence sodden with drink fuelled feckless abandon and put against a backdrop of stunning slowcore arrangements. With Arab Strap its about the heroic attempts not the successes or the failures but attempting bravely to forge some significance and beauty out of their lives. For a decade they have chosen to name names and share anecdotal sketches from their lives. With more nerve than a million death metal bands,Malcolm Middleton and Aiden Moffat have hung it all out there for us to have a good gawp at. Many sadly may have perhaps found parallels and startling coincidences with our own mortal coil.This should be where the kernel of their brilliance surely lies. Using Falkirk as a geographical marker for much of their work AS have achieved nothing less than grow a Lotus from the mud. See them live at a venue near you on this, their farewell tour.Absent Sincerity is always missed.

On Sidney Blumenthal

One of the more fascinating and telling aspects of men in High office everywhere is the company they keep. The shadowy individuals leaders have invested enough trust in to help them advise and steer a smooth course through difficult times.Every possible decision is met with almost psychic prowess to predict consequences which may emerge. Sidney Blumenthal was almost a second skin to Bill Clinton from 1997 - 2001.He helped the 42nd president to navigate his way out of a political firestorm which saw his last 4 years in office mired in sexual and financial scandal that resulted in his impeachment by the Grand Dury. Blumenthal displayed what an agile political opponent he was when called as a witness over the Lewinsky affair. He subsequently wrote the bestseller
The Clinton wars published in 2003. Other books by Blumenthal include The Permanent Campaign, The Rise of the Counter-Establishment, Pledging Allegiance: The Last Campaign of the Cold War, and How Bush Rules: Chronicles of a Radical Regime .On 17th November The
ICA plays host to this complex individual where he talks with Lional Braber, editor of the Financial Times. Shane Deegan

The US versus John Lennon

John Lennon was quick to cotton on to the the idea that his fame could do more than shift records.The documentary
'The US versus John Lennon' illustrates the Singers frustration about the Beatles meltdown and shows that he was all but adrift. Without a band to provide a home for his creative energies Lennon needed something to tear into,a target. The political climate of America in 1970 was ideal. Already strongly affiliated with the peace movement through happenings and gigs featuring his side project the
Plastic Ono Band, the combination of
Yoko Ono's situationist nous and Johns fame became a media force to be reckoned with. The film centres on the attempts by
Richard Nixon's already paranoid administration to silence the outspoken Beatle.When Lennon announced a US tour to promote peace, a mad cap circus of novel press conferences and photo calls captivated a nation. This document recreates the era with some panache and excellent editing. The strong pro-Lennon (Lennonist?) stance is mawkish but this works well as a funky history lesson to all you kids out there who want to know what the original working class hero did next.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre

photographed by Shane Deegan

He's back and he's bad.
Brian Jonestown massacre frontman Anton Newcombe was long seen as a 90s indie-rock nearly man.One hugely successfull documentary later,Ondi Timoner's Dig! and concert promoters worldwide have formed an orderly queue to Newcombs door. BJM are one of those groups who four times out of five are a godawful mess, but its that one time out of the five where the planets align and they can do something jaw-droppingly unforgettable right in front of you. There's a strong chance this may happen here, one time member Ricky Maymi ( guitar) has recently rejoined the band and the songs are all there ready to be rinsed out - a rich tapestry of swirling psychedelia and beach boys harmonies,60's Psych-garage hits from a parallel universe.
All Tomorrows Parties host the LA based sextet at London's Astoria which is an intimidatingly lofty venue for a band with such delicate nature. Will they rise to the occasion or bottle it.This is a solid opportunity for Newcombe to walk it likes he's been talking it since the start.

On Kingsly Amis

As the famous near the grave it must occur to some that out there somewhere, persons unknown are busily attempting to sum up their life story in a book.Meetings are planned,conversations had and editorial suggestions made, till finally the subject themselves passes away. Contracts are then drawn up,terms are agreed upon and the book is published and read by greater numbers of persons unknown. Biography is grim (reaper) reading. Ted Hughes famously contacted almost everybody he knew a biographer would wish to talk to and urged them not to participate in interviews or correspondences. Some fortunates include the likes of poet,novelist, father of Martin,
Kingsley Amis who were blessed by having a bright and well informed individual working regularly on the collation of biographical detail for many years.Zachary Leader fits this latter category. A contemporary of Amis Jr at the Times Literary Supplement, Leader edited the letters of Kingsley Amis in 2000 to produce a wonderful collection which illuminated Kingsley through touchingly sincere and funny correspondences,many of which were to and from his lifelong friend the poet Phillip Larkin.In the week that sees Leaders full authorised biography The Life of Kingsley Amis published,
London Review bookshop hosts a Q & A with Kingsleys son, the writer Martin Amis.

Throbbing Gristle

In May 2004 Throbbing Gristle played a one off Matinee at the London Astoria to 1500 fans. This was to be the first TG show in 25 years. Re-union gigs can be half baked financially motivated affairs where the band don't even talk to each other. This gig proved on the contrary to be an absolute blinder. Ahead of their time, TG always punched above their weight and were more than the sum of their parts and formed so as to better frame other adventures in performance art. Dark overlords of the squatting scene from the early seventies, their head quarters the Death Factory was close to local hero Robin Klassniks original 'Matts Gallery' site.The roots of East London art scene today has much to do with these individuals and its touching that so many people are still curious about them.The
Whitechapel art gallery are hosting the premiere of Phillips Richardsons film of the concert many of us failed to witness.

Alan Fletcher @ Design Museum London

Alan Fletcher the Graphic designer created a vast body of work that rightly deserves this retrospective attention. '50 years of Graphic Work (and play)' at the design museum is all you could expect from this hugely influential graphic designer. Simple,playful and inventive, you could recognise Alan Fletchers work anywhere. Unfazed by the passage of time many of the works still hold a deft lightness to them and it is surprising how many pieces you notice have been poorly imitated. As ubiquitous as Fletchers work was, was the man himself. He definitely got around - stints in Milan working for Firelli,Los Angeles for the Saul and Elaine Bass studio until he finally settled in London putting together design house Fletcher/Forbes/Gill with Royal College class mate Colin Forbes and American emigre designer Bob Gill. His gallivanting paid off and imbued much work with a distinct freshness that was lacking in British design at the time. Sadly Fletcher passed away in September this year while assisting the design museum put this show together. Posthumously,this exhibition serves as a fitting tribute to this great designer.

Tony Scott Q&A @ South Bank Centre

Tony Scott is not exactly the kind of director you would expect to attract the attentions of an arts and culture website such as Kutureflash. The younger brother of Ridley,
Tony Scott became synonymous with blockbustin' action pictures such as Top Gun, Days of Thunder and The Last Boy Scout and was a regular choice of director for 'High concept' production duo
Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. In 1992, after a chance meeting with the as yet unknown Quintin Tarantino, Scott was impressed with a script the fast talking movie geek insisted he should direct. Reservoir Dogs was released shortly before it and altered the course of popular American cinema. Anticipation for what became
True Romance was high but the film didn't disappoint. Its managed somehow to please all camps. A subtle and clever script packed with knowing film references that delighted critics, and a well paced narrative drive coupled with audacious action sequences that perhaps only Scott could orchestrate insured people turned out in their droves to see it. The
ICA is screening the film plus an exclusive on stage interview with the director. Expect some great anecdotes and even greater plumes of cigar smoke.

Johnothan Barnbrook


Jonathan Barnbrook must be a hero to Graphic artists and designers everywhere. Employing social conscience in your work can be a tightrope many would rather avoid negotiating. The Barnbrook studio seemingly exists solely for this kind of challenge. With a great sense of humour, his studio consistently manages to to combine a moral message with a clever wit and economy of style that never tires. The work can take on heady subject matters and attempts to add something to these debates The ideas never run dry and always manage to hit their mark. Addressing Consumerism, international politics,Wars, alongside album covers and t-shirts, Barnbooks original typography has been ubiquitous across the last 15 odd years. The studio has perhaps remained relevant because they bravely engage with the issues of the day and not shy away from them. The >
Design museum are hosting an evening featuring Jonathan Barnbrook in conversation with Alice Twemlow on the 16th July to discuss the output of his studio as well as talking about the current publication 'Friendly Fire' which accompanies the retrospective exhibition which runs until 10th October.

Pecha Kucha

KultureFlashreturns this time to Logan Hall in Bloomsbury. If you are new to this novel presentation idea it's really quite simple. On this occasion 12 excellent creatives from similar digital design and advertising backgrounds have an opportunity to talk freely about a project they are currently working on or perhaps something that's simply on their mind. Diversity of subject matter is most welcome within the pecha kucha format. The rub lies in the fact that each person is limited to showing just 20 slides and commenting on each one for just 20 seconds. Unless everyone here lacks the relaxed and confident sass required for engaging public speaking there is a good chance that these austere info blams will prove to be entertainingly revealing. Among the speakers will be some hot names to watch in the visionary Liz Sivell from KultureFlash, the innovative Laura J Bambach from .Now pay attention at the back!

The 39 steps at BFI Southbank


Before being poached by Hollywood, Alfred Hitchcock honed his suspense filled thrillers to perfection with Stints at the now defunct Denham and Gainsborough studios.These early black and white thrillers displayed all the evidence of a unique and canny intelligence at play. His 1935 adaptation of John Buchans ripping Yarn The 39 steps introduced moviegoers to the improbable adventures of one Richard Hannay. The script was written by long trusted collaborator Charles Bennett who delights in providing the unexpected and giving an audience just a little more than they could have hoped for. The BFI have a restored print of the film and are showing it as part of a season celebrating the work of British screen actor Robert Donat. An actor noted and regarded for his seemingly classless neutrality, portraying characters as neither posh fops nor common proles but as individual possessors of fine wit and dignity, swept up by peculiar circumstances beyond their control.

Bob Greenberg at Logan Hall

An ad executive with a brand in distress could do worse than give Bob Greenberg a call. He started his firm R/GA with his brother Richard in New York as a modest video production business in the mid seventies. This later grew into offering visual design. Now in its current incarnation the firm is often the brains behind the most innovative interactive advertising. R/GA's output has become a byword for slick multiple channel cross platform communication. In its early days a small tight knit team allowed R/GA to respond quickly to the fickle nature of client demands. Now with clients such as Nike,The Federal Reserve Bank and Reuters. Greenbergs hand has graced as many Fortune 500 company campaigns as it has cradled prestigious advertising awards. Bob will be in town to talk at London's
Logan Hall in Bloomsbury at the behest of D&AD to discuss his life in the business and hopefully comment on the future of this rapidly evolving industry.

Neal Stephenson

The mightyFoyles bookshop plays host to the author NealStephenson who is in London to promote his new novel. Interestingly Stephenson's books are starting to pop up in the main fiction a-z shelves as well as their original location amongst the science fiction offerings.His writing is what you might expect given the fact that he graduated from high school at the height of punk and was raised within a large family of engineers and scientists. His themes are enormous and far reaching embracing elaborate plots lines centered around future technologies and their influence upon sociological structures. Speculative but acutely plausible in the same manner Ballards ideas have now become banal realities of modern life. A comparison with the sadly now deceased
David Foster Wallace is also maybe fair. Both employ enjoyably punchy dialogue shot through with popular culture references to warm up and perhaps humanise subject matter many other writers serve up cold. Reading from his new book Anathem
which centres on a secular society of scientists and mathematicians. For 3,400 year they have lived a peaceful monk like existence away from the outside world of hyper capitalism,climate change,world wars,enormo malls,super casinos and crude boom/bust financial cycles.One day the denizens are summoned by the outside to provide some solutions.Hmm.

Shane Deegan

The Memory Project, presented by O2

In 1796 Irishman Robert Barker secured a patent for his system of representing an entire landscape through painting. He began his workproducing 360 degree images of the views across Edinburgh. The large circular structure needed - the
cyclorama went on to become an enormously successfully attraction of the early 19th century.
o2 have commissioned Architect
Jason bruges to develop the idea further. Employing high street technology, combined with some clever coding
http://www.o2memoryproject.com//">The memory projecthopes to examine our relationship with something called our collective digital memory. Housed in an impressive circular aluminium structure, eleven plasma screens will show stills taken from corresponding digital cameras directed outside. Alert thermal sensors housed above the screens then allow the viewer to summon past images from the structures immense memory. The Memory project will be installed on London's South Bank from 18/04 then touring Liverpool and Edinburgh the following weekends.

KultureFlash October 2008