Last but not the least…a little Easter treat!

Despite the lovely spring weather, we had a good crowd in Cregagh Community centre for our last film of the Golden Oldies Movie Nights series, Easter Parade.

Easter Parade is a 1948 American musical starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, featuring music by Irving Berlin, including some of Astaire and Garland’s best-known songs, such as Steppin’ Out with My Baby and We’re a Couple of Swells.

As usual, our mine of knowledge Michael Smythe, ‘Mr Classic Film Club’, introduced the film and surprised our spectators with his factual tit-bits, such as: ‘…the film won the 1948 Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, and it also received the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Musical. It also was the most financially successful picture for Garland and Astaire, as well as the highest-grossing musical of the year.’

Moreover, he explained that ‘…one musical number, a seductive performance of Mr. Monotony by Garland wearing the top half of a tuxedo and nylon tights, was cut from the film as it was considered too risqué for a film supposedly set in 1912!!!'

At the end of the movie, some tears marked the faces of our film lovers, knowing that that was the last film of the season… but with the popularity of these classics, I’m sure the Golden Oldies series will be back …

Brushwork fills Dundonald Library with colours!

The walls of Dundonald library filled with colours on 6th April: Paul Gray, a self-taught and local artist, launched the exhibition of his new work on the Backwall Gallery of the library.

A very appreciative audience took part in the launch of the exhibition, called A Colourful Imagination. Over 40 people showed up and enjoyed the new paintings of the artist, who mingled with the audience, explaining his works and the inspiration behind their creation.

‘A colourful imagination’ is an expression that can conjure up ideas of elaboration, interpretation, even distortion. Whilst almost all the paintings in this exhibition are from sketches made on location, they elaborate upon and interpret the landscape.

In addition to the wordplay on the word ‘colourful’, the word literally describes the paintings. I see colour as the crucial element in the work transforming the subject whether it is a painting of my native Belfast or one of London, New York, or wherever.

The paintings might be properly called ‘colourscapes’ rather than landscapes as colour is their defining characteristic. Some may recognise artistic reference points – Expressionism, Fauvism, Van Gogh and others. However, the important thing for me is the joy of experimenting with colour and hopefully imparting that joy to others.

Paul Gray

The exhibition will stay at Dundonald Library until 20th April, so don’t miss the opportunity to buy an Easter treat for yourself or your family!

Golden Oldies Movie Night, out and about…

On our second film night on tour, this time at the Moneyreagh Community Centre, Castlereagh Arts presented the excellent Mrs Miniver, a 1942 drama film directed by William Wyler and starring Greer Garson in the leading role.

We were very pleased to have a full house again – more than 30 people showed up and filled the Community Centre! We are delighted with the success and the popularity of these film screenings, and we are sorry to announce that the next one in Cregagh Community Centre will be the last one…but you never know, there might be another Golden Oldies series coming up in the future…we’ll keep you posted!

The film was introduced by our film expert Michael Smythe, who gave our audience some interesting facts: Roosevelt ordered it rushed to the theatres for propaganda purposes; the film was named the top box office attraction of 1942 in Britain. Moreover, of the 592 film critics polled by American magazine Film Daily, 555 named it the Best Film of 1942!

The film was based on the fictional English housewife, created by Jan Struther in 1937 for a series of newspaper columns, Mrs Miniver. It won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Director.

The success of our Golden Oldies Movie Nights depends not only on the great films we offer on the big screen, but also on the lovely atmosphere of the community centres, which offer an intimate and friendly context where people can socialize and relax…

The last film will be shown in Cregagh Community Centre; ‘Easter Parade’, an American musical starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, the perfect treat to get into the Easter celebrations mood! See you there on 19th April!