Cultural restitution, ancient history and a French classic at Chichester Cinema this week

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If there is one thing which Ridley Scott does, probably better than any other living director, it is spectacle.

Gladiator II opens at Chichester Cinema this week and continues the epic saga of power, intrigue and vengeance in Ancient Rome. This time, years after witnessing the death of his uncle and hero Maximus (Russell Crowe) his nephew Lucious (Paul Mescal) finds himself in the gladiatorial ring himself after his home is taken at the hands of the new tyrannical emperors now ruling Rome with an iron fist. Co-star Denzel Washington, is a complete revelation and surely worthy of some Oscar recognition. The film will be screened in ‘scope’ accompanied by the cinema’s great Dolby surround sound. A must see!

As the French Film Festival nears its end, there is another chance to revisit the ultimate romantic classic A Man & A Woman (Un Homme et Une Femme) directed by Claude Lelouche (subtitled). One of the most successful French films of all time, with its famous musical score, it also launched the career of the luminous Anouk Aimee who is also the subject of a talk from Dr Justine Pierquin at 10:30 on Saturday morning.

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In contrast, the Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear Winner Dahomey is an engrossing, poetic and immersive documentary exploring appropriation, self-determination and restitution. It charts the return of 26 of the famous royal treasures (aka ‘Benin Bronzes’) from Paris to their country of origin, the Republic of Benin, formerly Dahomey, in West Africa.

Anne-Marie Flynn

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