Pea Arts About

*I’ve been running a film club at the Grove, Gosforth, branch of Abbeyfield residential care homes since June 2017. In a special festive film club, we watched the 1947 version of Miracle on 34 th Street written and directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O’Hara and John Payne. To my surprise, the DVD included a colourized version, which we collectively decided to have a go with. As vision is an issue for many residents, colour is easier for them than black and white film. Being a joyful story about the spirit of Christmas, the colour (first added in the 1980s) was full of vibrant hues of red, green and gold, and rarely was its addition discernible. Six residents attended, and we were joined by two relatives. I was surprised that not only had no one seen this version before, but they also hadn’t heard of the story at all. It has experienced quite a few incarnations in theatre, radio, television, novelization and film since the original story was written by Valentine

It was an unusual and welcome surprise to see live performance art in the Tyneside Cinema. The work took place in the Gallery, a space used for screening artists’ cinema and video installations during the day and which is transformed into an intimate cinema screen at night. The event was part of the cinema’s Rise Up: Ending Racism, Poverty and War series of screenings and talks aligning with Newcastle’s ‘Freedom City’ celebrations commemorating the 50 th anniversary of Rev. Dr Martin Luther King’s week-long visit to the city in 1967 to receive an honorary degree from the then-named University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Sandra Johnston’s practice tends to be site-reactive and rarely takes place in such institutionalized surroundings. In the small, muted cinema space, she decided to do something she hadn’t done for some 15 or so years: use her voice in the work. Johnston often explores or channels the power of silence. She mentioned afterwards that she felt as if using her voice wa

Having pretty much run out of DVDs in my possession that my care home pals will comfortably watch, I have begun using rentals. I found Ruth & Alex / 5 Flights Up (dir. Richard Loncraine, 2014) while browsing the modest (and largely adult) collection in my local library. The film’s affectionate depiction of an ageing couple played by Diane Keaton and Morgan Freeman facing having to move from their Manhattan apartment after 40 years because the stairs have become a struggle was up our alley. I’m always on the lookout for films concerning well-developed older characters. Ideas for these are plentiful, but I’m working some limitations pose challenges. Some residents are at various stages of dementia, so I need films gentle enough for them to follow, meaning uncomplicated linear plots and narratives, clear English diction, subtitles for the hard of hearing, and nothing too suspenseful or racy. I also must factor in the regulars whose minds are sharp and hungry for good storie