NEWSLETTER C-7 Welcome to our Yuletide Newsletter. This month, the C in C-7 stands quite firmly for Christmas! 2020 has been the strangest of years, when the C word has meant something altogether different, and it has been a time when we have all had to adjust our lifestyle and our habits. Not least of these will have been our cultural outings, including your weekly film fix at the Phoenix. Who would have thought as we sat watching the wonderful black comedy of eco-film Woman at War or the beautiful and elegiac black and white classic The Last Picture Show in the winter months that the arrival of Spring would also see the early closure of our 2019-2020 programme because of you-know-what. As I write this editorial, Christmas is on the very near horizon, but with the fear for many that it will be largely virtual, with the celebrations muted, and the festive season very much a stay-at-home affair possibly in small family bubbles. We know that the Phoenix will not return until 2021, and even then the restrictions placed on society may mean a very different experience for you our loyal Members. However, in spite of the many difficulties we have all experienced throughout the year, the Phoenix Council members would like to thank you for your fantastic loyalty and remind you of our paraphrase of both Arnold Schgwarzenegger and The Beatles “We’ll be back!” 007 has left the Cinema 2020 will forever be remembered as the year covid-19 entered our lives, bringing death to so many people worldwide, and further wreaking such havoc with society in so many countries. Within the Phoenix community, we have lost valued film-loving friends. At the time of preparing this Newsletter, it is thought that of all the nation states represented at the United Nations (and excluding North Korea and Turkmenistan) just ten countries have escaped the virus, although because of its impact on things like tourism, even those countries have suffered adversely. All of them are (relatively small) island nations in the Pacific Ocean (Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga, etc.). We have previously commented on how the covid virus has affected film-making, with few feature films possible during the confinement period, and actors and crew unable to work within the social distancing guidelines, although some directors have evidently found ingenious ways to carry on working on their latest projects. Meanwhile, scriptwriters have doubtless been having a field day with time to write and plenty of pandemic-related source material to play with. But as with any other year, death has stalked the cinema industry by other natural causes, and we have seen the passing of a number of key film-related names, including three notable names from the James Bond franchise. Here, in no particular order, is a list of just some of those we have lost in 2020. Trini Lopez, actor (83) - Marriage on the Rocks (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), and of course your singalong tune for this issue, the worldwide smash hit song If I Had a Hammer Alan Parker, director (76) - Midnight Express (1978), Mississippi Burning (1988), The Commitments (1991), Angela’s Ashes (1999) Olivia de Havilland, actress (104) - Gone With the Wind (1939), The Snake Pit (1948), The Heiress (1949), Pope Joan (1972) Ennio Morricone, musician (91) - Death of a Friend (1960 – his first soundtrack, uncredited!), Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), Sacco & Vanzetti (1971), Cinema Paradiso (1988), Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989) and 515 other musical credits! Carl Reiner, actor (98) - The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-66), Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982), Oceans Eleven, Twelve & Thirteen (2001, 2004, 2007) Ian Holm, actor (88) - Oh, What A Lovely War (1969), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), Chariots of Fire (1981), A Life Less Ordinary (1997) Brian Dennehy, actor (81) - 10 (1979), First Blood (1982), Silverado (1985), Romeo + Juliet (1986), Ratatouille (2007) Hal Willner, musician (64) - Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café (1991), Short Cuts (1993), Leonard Cohen, I’m Your Man (2005) James Drury, actor (85) - Gunsmoke (1955-61), Rawhide (1959-61), The Virginian (1962-71), Maverick (1994) Honor Blackman, actress (94) - Green Grow the Rushes (1951), Goldfinger (we have to mention Pussy Galore!) (1964), Fright (1971), Dr. Who: The Trial of a Time Lord (1986), Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), I, Anna (2012) Lee Fierro, actress (91) - Jaws (1975), Jaws: the Revenge (1987) Adam Schlesinger, actor (52) - That Thing You Do (1996), Shallow Hal (2001), Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) Krzysztof Penderecki, musician (86) - The Exorcist (1973), The Shining (1980), Wild At Heart (1990), Katyn (2007), Neruda (2016) Max Von Sydow, actor (90) - The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries (1957) and many other films directed by Ingmar Bergman, The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Three Days of the Condor (1975), Flash Gordon (1980), Pelle The Conqueror (1987), The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007), Game of Thrones (2011) Ann E Todd, actress (88) - Intermezzo (1939), Destry Rides Again (1939), How Green Was My Valley (1941), Pride of the Marines (1945) Kirk Douglas, actor (103) - The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), Ace In the Hole (1951), Lust For Life (1956), Paths of Glory (1957), Spartacus (1960), Paris, Brûle-t-il? (Is Paris Burning) (1966), Oscar (1991) Terry Jones, actor, director (77) - Do Not Adjust Your Set (1967-69), Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969-74), Ripping Yarns (1976-79), all the wonderful Monty Python films of course, Jabberwocky (1977), The Rutles: All You Need is Cash (1978),and we couldn’t resist mentioning this 2004 short The Mystery of the Missing Morsel of Murder at Moorstones Manor Jack Kehoe, actor (85) - Serpico (1973), The Sting (1973), The Untouchables (1987), D.O.A. (1988) Buck Henry, screenwriter (89) - The Graduate (1967), Catch-22 (1970), The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993) Diana Rigg, actress (82) - The Avengers (1965-68), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Evil Under the Sun (1982), Parting Shots (1998), The Painted Veil (2006), Game of Thrones (2013-17), Breathe (2017) Michael Lonsdale, actor (89) - The Day of the Jackal (1973), Moonraker (1979), Ronin (1998) Chadwick Boseman, actor (43) - 42 (2013), Get On Up (2014), Black Panther (2018), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) Ben Cross, actor (72) - A Bridge Too Far (1977), Chariots of Fire (1981), Star Trek (2009), Once There Was a War (2019) Kelly Preston, actress (57) - Twins (1988), Jerry Maguire (1996), What A Girl Wants (2003), Old Dogs (2009) Joel Schumacher, director (80) - St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), The Lost Boys (1987), Veronica Guerin (2003), The Phantom of the Opera (2004) Ivan Passer, director (86) - Intimní osvetlení (Intimate Lighting) (1965), Law and Disorder (1974), Cutter’s Way (1981) Nikita Pearl Waligwa, actress (15) - Queen of Katwe Rhonda Fleming, actress (97) - Spellbound (1945), The Spiral Staircase (1946), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), The Nude Bomb (1980) and last but definitely not least, Sean Connery, actor (90) - Lilacs in Spring (1954, uncredited, his first movie), seven Bond films (1962-1983), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Finding Forrester (2000). May they all R.I.P. Which of these is not a genuine movie title? Trust me, these are the answers to last month’s film puzzle. 1 War; The Short War That Never Ended; The Private War of Major Benson; Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came; War Horse. 2 Eggs For Breakfast; Diamonds For Breakfast; Lions For Breakfast; Kisses For Breakfast; Lobster For Breakfast. 3 Down With Love; Loveless; Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb; Must Love Dogs; The Love Ship. 4 Rumble Fish; A Fish Called Wanda; Plenty More Fish; Fish, Fish & More Fish; Smiling Fish and Goat on Fire. 5 The Ruby In The Smoke; Smoke Yourself to Death; Smoke; Smoke Signals; No More Smoke Signals. 6 Silent Night; Silent As a House Mouse; Silent Witness; Silent Running; Silent Light. 7 A Heavenly Vintage; Bottle Shock; Sideways; Days of Wine and Roses; Rouge, Blanc, Rosé. 8 How to Tie a Bow Tie; The Ox-Bow Incident; Baby, Take a Bow; Meow Bow Wow; The Magic Bow. 9 Green Tulips; The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel; The Blue Dahlia; Magnolia; Daffodils. 10 Ain’t Them Bodies Saints; The Saint; The Saints & the Sailors; La Sainte Famille; Sinners and Saints. 11 Rain Man; Purple Rain; The Man With Rain In His Shoes; Like Rain For Rhubarb; Strawberries Need Rain. 12 Flash Gordon; Flash and Splash Hit the ‘Hood; Royal Flash; Ricki and The Flash; A Flash of Light. 13 White Heat; Body Heat; Dead Heat; Love Heat; Blind Heat. 14 Black Swan; Deepest Black; The Black Dahlia; The Black Camel; Black Beauty. 15 1408; 1917; 1941; 1984; 2050. Well, how many did you spot? It was certainly fun making up those imaginary film titles! Try them on your film buff friends at Christmas! ***The Phoenix AGM will be held virtually on January 27 at 6 p.m. Details will be sent out by MailChimp about how to participate in the meeting.*** Movie presents for our wonderful politicians With the possibility of sending gifts by amazon, ebay, etc. and wishing to close our Yuletide Newsletter in a festive way, I asked Sanity Clause to help me select a cinematic gift to send to some of our wonderful politicians to take their minds off the hurly-burly of life in the House (and elsewhere, if they are prepared to break the covid rules). Thus, they will be able to enjoy a fine, carefully-chosen DVD (blurays for the Tories) amidst all the repeats of Downton Abbey, Bill and Ben, Wise & Morecambe, etc.