Wednesday 31 March 2010

Two of my favourite films

Last week I was in Cambridge and attended the first module of the Future Leaders Programme, a leadership development course run by the LFHE. This was hard work, thought provoking, but also huge fun. I'm still in a very reflective mood. In that spirit I thought I'd share reviews of two films I've both enjoyed and learnt from.

Exit Through the Gift Shop: a film 'directed' by the notoriously enigmatic Bristol graffiti artist Banksy. It is currently on (limited) general release in UK cinemas. Banksy remains a shadowy character, and the film isn't really about him at all, although there are fascinating insights into what makes him tick. The subject of the film is Terry Guetta, a filmmaker and artist in LA. Terry comes across as almost deranged, but achieves remarkable success. I left the cinema quite bemused, contemplating quite how he did it. Is it self-belief, hard work, accident, contacts, talent, resources or marketing?

Being There, a 1979 film starring Peter Sellers. Sellers' reserved performance (for which he was nominated for Best Actor in the Academy Awards) is extraordinary. He plays Chance, a gardener, who has
lived a cloistered life behind the walls of his garden until he is suddenly released into the world. Before long he is propelled to the upper echelons of Washington society. Is Chance a Christ-like sage, in touch with values that the rest of us have forgotten, or is he merely a blank slate on which we project our own ideas?

Both films are thought provoking and very funny - see them if you can.