Stalls All tickets may be purchased or reserved in advance and specific seats requested. Reserved tickets must be claimed at least 15 mins before the performance or they will be sold £4.50 / £4 concessions, £2.50 for under 12's.
Balcony Tickets may be purchased in advance & specific seats allocated, payment required when booking. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult. £5 / £ 4.50 concessions, £3.50 for under 12’s.
Oscars Ticket prices £3 / £2.50 concessions
All tickets are non-refundable.
Film Information Did you know that we send out extra information about upcoming films by e-mail? For many films we give you general background, info about the director and comments from critics. It's completely free, all you have to do is e-mail films@ludlowassemblyrooms .co.uk and ask to join our film e-mail group.
Please Note that films commence at the stated start time (the ads and trailers are shown before the start time).
July
Thurs 10 July, 7.30pm
On the Black Hill (PG)
Dir: Andrew Grieve, UK, 1987, 117 mins
“a remarkably moving and entertaining film offering a fascinating view of life in the border country between Wales and England”Variety
Based on Bruce Chatwin’s novel and shot nearby, this is the story of the Jones family from 1895 - 1980, in particular the inseparable twins Benjamin and Lewis. The natural beauty of the countryside is a joy, but the film doesn’t romanticise the harsh reality of making a living from the land. Bob Peck, Gemma Jones and Mike and Robert Gwilym star.
Fri 11 July, 7.30pm
The Red Balloon (U) & White Mane (PG) (le Ballon Rouge/Crin-blanc)
Dir: Albert Lamorisse, France, 1956/53, subtitled, 34 & 47 mins
‘The Red Balloon is on the list of essentials...if you missed it as a child, now is the time to make sure you seek it out and watch it’Reel.com (5 stars)
The only short film ever to win an Oscar for best original screenplay, The Red Balloon is a masterpiece of simplicity. One day a large red balloon mysteriously floats into 9-year-old Pascal’s life...and stays. Like a faithful companion it follows Pascal wherever he goes, displaying child-like and even humorous characteristics.
Made three years earlier, White Mane is a beautifully filmed tale of a boy and a wild horse.
Re-release (new print)
Sat 12 & Sun 13 July, 7.30pm
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (12A)
Dir: Steven Spielberg, USA, 2008, 122 mins
‘Some of Crystal Skull’s set-pieces are pure, vintage Indiana Jones’ Steven Spielberg
At last, another action-packed adventure featuring the world’s most exciting archaeologist along with his hat, whip and fear of snakes. Indy (Harrison Ford) teams up Shia LaBeouf to search for John Hurt, who may lead them to the mystically powerful Crystal Skull. Ray Winstone and Jim Broadbent also star, and Cate Blanchett is terrifying as wicked Russian agent Spalko.
Mon 14 & Tues 15 July, 7.30pm
My Brother is an Only Child (Mio fratello è figlio unico) (15)
Dir: Daniele Luchetti, Italy/France, 2007, subtitled, 104 mins
‘As sweet and soft as a slice of panetone’Time Out
‘The best film I’ve seen this year’Mail on Sunday
A warm and humorous portrait of Italian family life and politics. Two brothers, growing up in a small Italian town just after the war, follow very different political paths; one embraces Communism, the other becomes a dedicated Fascist. The 60s and 70s is a time of great turbulence for the brothers, who alternate between hugging and punching each other - but one thing they do have in common is love for the same girl.
Thurs 17 July, 7.30pm
Shine a Light (12A)
Dir: Martin Scorsese, USA/UK, 2008, 122 mins
'The thing is, we love what we do'Keith Richards
Scorsese’s film shows The Rolling Stones doing what they do best - in concert, performing songs from their 46-year career. The veteran band demonstrates extraordinary stamina and undiminished enthusiasm - and of course the music is great. The film is punctuated with clips from interviews going back to the mid-Sixties, and there are guest appearances by Christina Aguilera, Buddy Guy and Jack White.
Fri 18, Sun 20 to Wed 23 July, 7.30pm
The Edge of Love (15)
Dir: John Maybury, UK, 2008, 110 mins
Dylan Thomas was fond of drink and women - and he wrote great poetry too. This is the story of the tempestuous relationship between him, his volatile wife Caitlin, and his first love Vera. Against all the odds Caitlin and Vera became friends, but when Vera’s new husband went to fight in the war, new temptations and old jealousies emerged and threatened the fragile harmony. Keira Knightly stars as Vera, Sienna Miller as Caitlin.
Thurs 24 July, 7.30pm
You, the Living (Du Levande) (15)
Dir: Roy Andersson, Swe/Ger/Den/Fr/Nor, 2007, subtitled, 93 mins
‘some of the loudest gales of laughter in Cannes’ Daily Telegraph
‘There are extraordinary visions of lost souls adrift in worlds that I can only describe as resplendent with vivid, hyperreal drabness. A very funny film - the work of a real original - I might almost say genius’ The Guardian
‘Imagine a collaboration between Monty Python’s Flying Circus and August Strindberg’FT
If you like your humour dark, this is for you. Black comedy permeates a succession of short scenes, featuring an assortment of surreal characters in nightmarish situations.
Fri 25 & Sat 26 July, 7.30pm,Sun 27 to Thurs 31 July, 6.30pm
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (PG)
Dir: Andrew Adamson, UK/USA, 2008, 144 mins
Following the triumphant film version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, this is the further adventures of the Pevensie children in Narnia, from the book by CS Lewis.
August
Fri 1 & Sat 2 Aug, 7.30pm
Sex and the City (15)
Dir: Michael Patrick King, USA, 2008, 145 mins
What have Carrie, Sam, Charlotte and Miranda have been up to since they were last seen on the small screen? All four women have seen major shifts in their lives, and fans will be pleased to hear that several long-running stories from the TV series are finally tied up (so, does Carrie finally get hitched to Mr Big?)
Sun 3 & Mon 4 Aug, 7.30pm
Mongol (15)
Dir: Sergei Bodrov, Germany/Kazakhstan/Russia/Mongolia, 2007, subtitled, 125 mins
‘Boasts epic scale and stunning visuals that would make Kurosawa and David Lean proud’ Emanuel Levy
‘Emotionally intimate yet on a vast scope and epic cinema landscape. Just great’ Aint It Cool News
Mongol covers the formative years of legendary warrior Genghis Khan, tracing his life from age 9 in 1172 through to 1206, when the feuding nomadic clans united under his leadership. As well as the hardships of Temudgin’s extremely eventful early life (including love, a blood brother turned enemy, exile, murder and slavery), the film captures traditional Mongol life, and is filmed in breathtaking landscapes. Two more films are promised continuing the story of the man who became emperor of the biggest contiguous empire in history.
Tues 5 & Wed 6 Aug, 7.30pm
Gone Baby Gone (15)
Dir: Ben Affleck, USA, 2007, 114 mins
‘a superior police procedural, and something more - a study in devious human nature. What distinguishes the screenplay is how well-concealed the secrets are, and how much perfect sense they make when they're revealed.’ Chicago Sun Times
A little girl is missing, and her aunt thinks the police are slacking. Cue private investigators (and lovers) Kenzie and Gennaro. Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane (who also wrote Mystic River), this is a complex and intriguing story that is as much about characters and moral issues as it is about crime and mystery. Ben Affleck directs his brother Casey, and the sterling cast includes Morgan Freeman, Amy Madigan and Ed Harris.
Thurs 7 Aug, 7.30pm
The 39 Steps (U)
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock, UK,1935, 86 mins
‘Marvellously inventive thriller’The Observer
‘still massively entertaining...witty, daring and exuberant’ The Guardian
Robert Donat stars as the superbly old-fashioned hero Richard Hannay in this international espionage thriller based on the John Buchan adventure novel. Hannay is determined to stop a spy ring obtaining top secret information, but when he’s falsely accused of murder he has to go on the run.
Re-release (new print)
Fri 8 to Thurs 14 Aug, 7.30pm
Mamma Mia! (tbc)
Dir: Phyllida Lloyd, UK/USA, 2008, 109 mins
Irresistible romantic comedy, based on the hit West End musical and set on a sun-soaked Mediterranean island. Amanda’s wedding day is fast approaching, and naturally she wants her father to give her away. But who is her father? Her mother (Meryl Streep) says it’s either Piers Brosnan, Colin Firth or Stellan Skarsgård. Will Amanda find true happiness on her wedding day? Undoubtedly, with the aid of lots of dancing and the incomparable songs of ABBA. Bliss!
Sat 16, 2pm & 6.30pm
Sun 17 & Mon 18 Aug, 6.30pm
Horton Hears a Who (U)
Dir: Jimmy Hayward/Steve Martino, USA, 2008, 86 mins
‘Excellent’.Jonathan Ross
Animated version of the Dr Seuss book. Elephant Horton discovers a city on a speck of dirt and becomes its protector, reasoning that "a person's a person, no matter how small".
Tues 19, Wed 20 & Thurs 21 Aug, 7.30pm
Female Agents (Les Femmes de L’Ombre) (15)
Dir: Jean-Paul Salomé, France, 2008, subtitled, 117 mins
WW2 thriller inspired by the heroic partisan leader Lise Villameur. Four female agents are recruited to carry out a dangerous mission: rescue a wounded British agent from hospital in occupied France before the Nazis discover who he is and extract information from him about D-Day. They are parachuted into France, and with courage and panache play their parts in a game with very high stakes. Starring Sophie Marceau and Julie Depardieu.
The latest Pixar animation is about a lonely (but very cute) robot, toiling away at his designated tasks in a world of the future, abandoned by humans. But when sleek search robot EVE arrives, everything changes..
Mon 25 August, 7.30pm
Manufactured Landscapes (U)
Dir: Jennifer Baichwal, Canada, 2006, some subtitles, 86 mins
Canadian artist Edward Burtynsky addresses the vast project of modern civilization and its devastating impact on the earth. Scenes such as immense Chinese dumping grounds, Bangladeshi shipyards, huge manufacturing plants and the Chinese Three Gorges Dam stretch across and beyond the frame. Without being preachy or heavy handed, this film plunges the viewer into enormous, beautiful and heartbreaking scenes to witness what we’re doing to the earth in the name of progress.
Sat 30 & Sun 31 Aug, 7.30pm
Cous Cous (La Graine et le Mulet) (15)
Dir: Abdel Kechiche, France, 2007, subtitled, 154 mins
‘A work of wonder, both uplifting and shattering...it was a privilege to witness its public debut’Jason Solomons (Venice Film Festival)
In the decaying port town of Sete, in southern France, an extended Arab family gathers round the table for their Sunday feast of couscous and fish. As they eat and talk, we are introduced to a canvas of characters and their emotions, hopes and fears, including the father’s dream of opening a restaurant on a dilapidated boat.
