At an uneventful event (which is just what a combined floor manager/projectionist wants) we started by showing Bacon & God's Wrath by Sol Friedman. It is an excellent short although needs to be watched more than once if the enjoyment has to be shared with an effort to remember enough of the salient points to enable a cojent comparison of aspects with the main feature filme we later saw: The Post. Other short films included a couple of ads from Reporters Without Borders and a home made movie narrated by 7 of our wonderful volunteers that emphasised that the corruption and challenges faced when freedom of speech comes head to head with the executive and legislative arms of government are present every month. Eugene.
A film about decisive decisions breaking and making careers and organisations, and the battle to gain proper respect for women in public positions in the early 1970s, under the Nixon administration. The transformation of the proprietor of The Washington Post from the male dominated subservience of her upbringing and early adult life into her final emergence as the strong, triumphant head of the paper was visible, step by step, from Meryl Streep's very accomplished performance. A victory for the freedom of the press and for better respect for women. This true life story with the horrors of the Vietnam war as its basis; the corruption, betrayals, risks and tensions gripped my attention throughout. Sadly the freedom of the press has not been constantly upheld in America in more recent times as Eugene's interesting compilation of reports demonstrated. It shows the crucial need for an independent free press as a means of safe guard. The other short was a beautifully made artistic depiction of the entrenchment of a life time of indoctrination suddenly being questioned by a broader exposure to information. A very elderly woman had faithfully upheld the tenets of her orthodox Jewish upbringing until she learnt to use the Internet. With some trepidation she ate a bacon breakfast and was quite surprised to find it very tasty and there were no adverse consequences; she wasn't even sick. Taking responsibility for her own action and shaking off her erstwhile practices linked her closely with Mrs Graham of The Washington Post. The discussion group enlarged to sixteen this time. Among our number were several who had worked in the newspaper world, which was very interesting for the rest of us as they told of their own experiences. Some had worked in The States as well as U.K. I cannot stress strongly enough how valuable it is to have a discussion at the end of the evening, it completes the experience. Sonia