My cinemagoing in September will take place to the music of Nino Rota, with the composer's astounding body of work being celebrated at the NFT throughout the month. 8½, Rocco and His Brothers, La Dolce Vita, The Godfather Part II and Amarcord are among the films screening this month, but the greatest treat of all is the extended run of The Leopard in a new print. I watched Visconti's 1963 masterpiece, starring a magnificent Burt Lancaster, just a few days ago and it took my breath away. The sumptuous production design, elegant camerawork, confident storytelling and, of course, the wonderful score make this a film that simply must be seen on the big screen. Don't miss this opportunity.
Beyond that season, I'll also be taking the opportunity to see Black Narcissus and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp once again as part of the Deborah Kerr season, and Korean director Hong Sangsoo will be coming to London as part of a complete retrospective. Also appearing at the NFT this month are a number of acclaimed screenwriters who will be taking part in a series of BAFTA lectures, with Aline Brosh McKenna, Christopher Hampton, David Hare, Ronald Harwood, Peter Morgan and Simon Beaufoy all ready to discuss their craft. The biggest draw of September, however, may be Michael Caine, who will be discussing his remarkable career onstage at the end of the month as he promotes his autobiography. The event will be followed by one of my favourite Caine films: The Man Who Would Be King.
Elsewhere, Vincente Minnelli is in focus at the Barbican, while a number of fine films are on offer for free at both The Scoop and the Portobello Film Festival. The London Spanish Film Festival features new films from Julio Medem and Carlos Saura while the Cambridge Film Festival has a diverse programme, including films from Roy Andersson, Carl Theodor Dreyer and Nicolas Philibert. Finally, the festival season is now in full swing, with Venice, Toronto and New York all kicking off this month, but I've got my eye on next Wednesday when the full programme for this year's London Film Festival is announced. I'll have a complete preview of the 2010 LFF this time next week.
If you know of any upcoming film events that you'd like me to include in future articles, please let me know at philipconcannon@googlemail.com.