The lost art of the double bill
A river runs through them… Embrace of the Serpent and Apocalypse Now
A Google search of the term ‘double bill’ reveals the Everyman cinema showing a double bill of Guardians of the Galaxy along with the ‘amazing’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Now, the last time I saw a double bill at the Everyman it was two Japanese erotic classics in the 1980s: Woman of the Dunes plus Ai No Corrida (yes, I've mentioned this before). Times have changed. Double bills used to have imagination, they used to make you think about the connection between the two films. They could complement each other, or be at odds with each other. The relationship might be opaque or tenuous. You might not have even heard of one of the films. Good!
Anyway, here’s ten of my own double (and quadruple – this would usually be an all-nighter) bills:
Retired Cops With A Nagging Hunch No One Listens To:
THE PLEDGE (2001) + HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016)
The River Journey Is The Destination: EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (2015) + APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
Maverick Directors Go Normal: PATERSON (2016) + THE STRAIGHT STORY (1999)
Social Comment Ensues When Aliens Land In The U.S.A:
THE BORROWER (1991) + BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET (1984)
Writer & Artist Retreats: ARCHIPELAGO (2010) + TAMARA DREWE (2010)
National Geographic Photographers Having Affairs In Faraway Places: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY (1995) + GORILLAS IN THE MIST (1988)
Twisted Relationships In The Manor: ADELHEID (1969) + THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY (2014)
Transformations: PHOENIX (2014) + SECONDS (1966) + VERTIGO (1958) + EYES WITHOUT A FACE (1960)
We’re Watching You: THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) + BATTLE ROYALE (2000) + THE RUNNING MAN (1987) + HUNGER GAMES (2012)
Depardieu Eats Meat: WELCOME TO NEW YORK (2014) + LOULOU (1980)
Previously on Barnflakes
Double Bill Me
Scala Forever!