THE perfect way to beat the winter blues is to cosy up with your besties, loved ones or family for a few hours in the darkened excitement of a cinema, to watch or rewatch some of your favourite classic movie titles. And, with the ticket price at just R50, Ster-Kinekor’s Throwback Cinema offering should be a weekly event in your diary.
The beautifully filmed screen version of Baroness Karen von Blixen’s iconic book, Out of Africa, is now showing. First released in 1985 and directed by Sydney Pollack, it tells the life story of the Danish author who, at the beginning of the 20th century, moved to Africa to build a new life for herself. The film is based on her 1937 autobiographical novel. Starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in the title roles, the film is set in 20th-century colonial Kenya where Blixen, a Danish baroness/plantation owner, has a passionate love affair with a free-spirited big-game hunter, Denys Finch Hatton. The film also stars Klaus Maria Brandauer as Karen’s ex-husband, Baron Bror von Blixen.
With the 50th anniversary this year of the Soweto Uprising that took place on 16 June 1976, Ster-Kinekor brought back the iconic film, Sarafina, now on circuit. A Soweto schoolgirl named Sarafina is galvanised to protest apartheid after her teacher is arrested for her activism, leading her to join the student resistance movement. First released in 1992, this musical drama is directed by Darrell Roodt, and stars Whoopi Goldberg, Leleti Khumalo, Miriam Makeba, John Kani, Mbongeni Ngema (on whose play the film is based), and Robert Whitehead, among others.
The Hobbit fans, new and old, are in for a treat with the release of all three films in the series over the next three months: from 12 June for two weeks, the first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, re-releases on the big screen; from 24 July for two weeks, fans can relive all the action of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; and from 14 August, for two weeks, the third and final title, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, concludes the trilogy.
Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Grey, and Thorin Oakenshield’s legendary company of dwarves launch their epic quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and the gold within it from the dragon Smaug. This re-release offers both lifelong Hobbit fans and a new generation of moviegoers the chance to experience Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson’s visually stunning storytelling, rich world-building, and groundbreaking special effects the way they were meant to be seen – on the big screen. The film’s all-star cast includes Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett and Ken Stott.
Releasing on 26 June in time for the start of the mid-year school holidays is the delightful story of Stuart Little, first released back in 1999. When the Little family first adopts Stuart the mouse, George is initially unwelcoming to his new brother, while the family cat, Snowbell, is even less enthusiastic. Stuart resolves to face these difficulties with as much pluck and courage as his little self can muster. Directed by Rob Minkoff, the film stars Geena Davis, Michael J Fox (who voices Stuart Little), Hugh Laurie, Jonathan Lipnicki, and Nathan Lane (Showbell’s voice).
July’s Throwback Cinema line-up promises even more hours of movie magic on the big screen with animation and comedy, epic adventures and musicals. Stuart Little screens for a second week from 3 July, while the magical musical, Annie, releases on 10 July for two weeks. The final week of July, from 24 July, sees the second film in The Hobbit franchise, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which will also screen for two weeks.
