LE SAMOURAI (Jean Pierre Melville, France, 1967, 101m) is a 4K restoration by Pathé and the Criterion Collection at L’Immagine Ritrovata made available by Janus Films
A brand new 4K restoration of one of last century’s most stylish films will open the 50+ event programme on offer when the UK’s leading celebration of restored film and revivals – Cinema Rediscovered – returns to venues in and around Bristol UNESCO City of Film, from July 24 to 28.
Announcing the start today (Thursday 9 May) of sales of Early Bird passes, festival organisers revealed that Le Samouraï (1967) will get its UK Premiere on the opening night of the festival’s eighth annual edition.
Directed by maverick French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville and starring Alain Delon in a performance which redefined cinematic cool, Le Samouraï’s stylish visuals are credited with inspiring films by Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, John Woo, Edgar Wright and the Coen Brothers, among many others.
The festival’s full line-up is still being finalised, but early bookings are being encouraged with generous discounts and the promise of at least 14 other new 4K restorations, a selection of film-on-film rarities; forgotten gems, talent Q&As, talks and walks and a multitude of starting points for lively conversation. Among the highlights confirmed so far are:
- The UK premiere of John Sayles’ newly restored Lone Star (1996) starring a young Matthew McConaughey plus Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña and Kris Kristofferson in an Oscar-nominated fusion of Western and thriller;
- An 80th birthday tribute to the pioneering African-American filmmaker Charles Burnett, featuring a screening of his long-lost feature The Annihilation of Fish (1999);
- Two 4K restorations of films by the Bristol-born, Oscar and BAFTA nominated director J. Lee Thompson; The Weak and The Wicked (1954) and No Trees in The Street (1959); both featuring strong performances from two recently lost British female leads: Bristol-educated Glynis Johns and Sylvia Sims.
- Bill Douglas: My Best Friend (2024), a new documentary about the friendship between Peter Jewell and Scottish born film director and film memorabilia collector Bill Douglas accompanied by his achingly beautiful trilogy both presented with The Bill Douglas Museum.
Two J. Lee Thompson films (THE WEAK AND THE WICKED, 1954, and NO TREES IN THE STREET, 1959) are in the festival programme courtesy of STUDIOCANAL
Festival founder Mark Cosgrove says: “One of the upsides of the surge in streaming and new social media platforms like Letterboxd is an increased interest and awareness of the history of film and a desire to see that history as originally intended: on the big screen in the company of others.
This appetite from audiences is matched by the increased industry interest in restoring and reviving classics. The combination means Cinema Rediscovered 2024 is shaping up to be our most thrilling edition since the festival started in 2016.”
From now until Wednesday 5 June, early bookers can buy full festival passes for £90 (£70 concessions, £50 aged 24 and under) – a saving of £30 each on the post-June 5 prices, with each pass granting access to more than 50 events taking place in Bristol at Watershed, the festival’s hub; at the Bristol Aquarium Cinema; at 20th Century Flicks (the world’s longest running video rental store) and The Cube Microplex and in Somerset at the historic Curzon Clevedon.
Cinema Rediscovered is a Watershed production. Its principal funders and sponsors are BFI awarding funds from the National Lottery, Park Circus and STUDIOCANAL.
The festival will be followed from August on by a UK and Ireland-wide highlights tour.
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