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| Seating at the Barbican's cinema |
Film
By Dave Calhoun
The Barbican, along with the NFT, is our city’s leading cinema dedicated to the history and exploration of film beyond the easy catch of new releases. While it can’t compete on the same terms as its southern cousin – which is publicly funded and has access to international film archives – the Barbican plays to its strengths: rather than concentrate on comprehensive director-led seasons, its three cinemas instead tread a more varied path inspired by their home in a centre dedicated not only to film, but also all the other arts. That’s why we’ve lately seen film seasons such as ‘Shostakovich on Film’ and ‘John Adams on Film’, as well as explorations of how playwrights such as Beckett and Ibsen have influenced filmmakers. While exhibitions such as ‘Tropicália’ run in the gallery, you’ll find corresponding films in the cinemas.
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The sloping auditorium of the cinemas’ main screen is perfect for Q&As and encourages audience participation. I’ve seen some superb post-film interviews there; the one that sticks in the mind was with the great Senegalese filmmaker, Ousmane Sembène, who was boisterous and unforgiving of the audience’s less intelligent questions.
Triumph Q&A with Ken Loach for the release of ‘The Wind that Shakes the Barley’ in June 2006.
Disaster Hiding the two smaller cinemas, which can be impossible to find.
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1 comment
I read this article with interest and noted that Mr Glancey did not do his research - Chamberlin, Powell and Bon had a fourth partner; my father, Charles B Greenberg. He, too, was heavily involved in the Barbican. It took over his life from 1960 until he retired from active architecture practice. If Mr Glancey lived in one of the houses on the Barbican site he was in something my father designed. My father's involvement in the firm as a partner is often overlooked because he chose not to have his name added to the name of the firm - he maintained that Chamberlin, Powell, Bon and Greenberg did not have quite the same ring to it that the original name of the firm did. This results in what Mr Glancey did - my father's invisibility.
To say that the firm produced nothing much except Barbican is also incorrect. Towards the end of Barbican's building my father opened a branch of the firm in Honiton, Devon. There they produced a few developments. If Mr Glancey ever wants to increase his knowledge of what my father did in relation to Barbican and other Chamberlin Powell and Bon developments in the South West please get in touch.
Regards,
Judith Farncombe nee Greenberg