FILMCLUB REVEALS ITS MEMBERS’ FAVOURITE CLASSIC FILMS

FILMCLUB - the nation’s experts in great films for children and young people – is revealing its members’ Most Popular Classic Films ahead of its attendance at BETT 2010, with the celebrated Marx Brothers comedy Duck Soup coming out on top.

FILMCLUB is committed to promoting classic and little-known films alongside the popular titles with which children will already be familiar, and this list demonstrates that FILMCLUB’s 80,000* young members are eager to explore the whole history of cinema, even if the older films they encounter are silent or black and white. FILMCLUB members are constantly discovering that these great classic titles can provoke discussions about issues, which are just as important, fascinating and relevant to them as more recent films.

To celebrate the announcement of this Top 10 – and to provide some light relief for BETT attendees – two classic movie characters, Laurel and Hardy, will be appearing at the FILMCLUB stand during BETT 2010. Stan Laurel and Ollie Hardy (represented by talented impersonators and close-up magicians Gary Slade and Rob Graham) feature in the Top 10 with their 1937 film Way Out West, which sees the unlucky pair pitted against an evil saloon owner and an angry Sherriff. Just like the rest of the movies in the Top 10, Way Out West’s continued popularity proves that a film that boasts quality storytelling and performances will always engage and entertain, even long after its original release

.FILMCLUB’s 10 most popular classic films (released before 1950) during the Autumn term in 2009 were…

1.     Duck Soup (1933)

2.     The Wizard of Oz (1939)

3.     Bambi (1942)

4.     It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

5.     Dumbo (1941)

6.     Oliver Twist (1948)

7.     Laurel and Hardy: Way Out West (1937)

8.     Pinocchio (1940)

9.     The Bicycle Thieves (1948)

10.   Charlie Chaplin: The Circus (1928)

These films have all been chosen by teachers, librarians and parents who lead after-school film clubs as part of the FILMCLUB scheme, often in collaboration with their students. They were ordered through the FILMCLUB’s fully-curated website which includes specially-written information on thousands of titles, intended to help club leaders and members choose a diverse range of entertaining, enlightening and occasionally challenging films from around the world, and throughout cinema’s 100-year history.

The film which has come out of top – Duck Soup – is a comedy classic, and one of the best known and best loved films starring the Marx brothers: Chico, Harpo, Groucho and Zeppo. The story begins when the totally unqualified Rufus T Firefly (Groucho) is appointed leader of shambolic Freedonia, and soon finds himself engaged in a senseless war with bordering Sylvania.  Elsewhere in the Top 10, Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin films further prove that great comedy does not have a time limit – even for youngsters – while the inclusion of the great Italian film The Bicycle Thieves demonstrates just how adventurous FILMCLUB leaders and members can be.

Founded in 2008 by film director Beeban Kidron (Bridget Jones’ Diary: The Edge Of Reason) and educationalist Lindsay Mackie, FILMCLUB offers pupils and teachers the chance to journey through the limitless universe of film, in an intimate and informal gathering through weekly screenings, online reviewing and industry events.  Free to state schools and easy to set up, FILMCLUB is fast becoming one of the most popular after-school activities in the country. Since FILMCLUB launched, over 2990 schools have joined the nationwide scheme, with over 80,000* young people already benefiting from the exposure to inspiring and potentially life changing films every week. It has proved to be a success in a spectrum of ways, including improving the enjoyment of attending school, developing critical appreciation and highlighting the entertainment value of non-mainstream films.

“FILMCLUB is incredible. It’s brilliant how teachers are using movies to engage kids with the world. Through the work of these teachers, children will be exposed to different worlds and new cultures. I made up my mind what I wanted to do when I was a young school kid - perhaps FILMCLUB will inspire children to decide what they want to do. Teachers can use films to really open children's minds to the limitless possibilities life has to offer.” Ewan McGregor, Actor

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