What sort of organization are you?
We are a not-for-profit, non-political club, which tries to
introduce – sometimes reintroduce! – the best
films of all time to people in and outside Wells. The small
committee which runs the society is a team of voluntary enthusiasts.
We have a strong core following from many who joined at our
conception in 2003.
Where can we see the films?
At the Wells Film Centre, Princes
Road, Wells (opposite the car park, near the bus station,
and next to Tesco). It’s a real cinema,
family-run, with very high quality projection and sound equipment,
including, in Screen 2, the latest Digital Screen Network
equipment that doesn’t require physical delivery of
35-mm film.
When?
Monday and Tuesday evenings every 4 weeks. (There
is an occasional exception to this. The Wells Festival
of Literature, in October, sometimes occurs over the
week of our film and we gracefully allow them to have
our Monday night.) So in each TWFS year you can
see 13 films.
Who can join?
Anyone aged 15 or over.
TWFS is non-discriminatory in terms of race, religion, politics,
sex and most other things.
Who runs TWFS?
A small committee from the members. They are elected by the
members annually.
Not the Wells Film Centre, as TWFS
is an independent organization.
What films do you show?
Our object is to see good or excellent
films, irrespective of their vintage. (So far we have ranged
from the 1920s to 2002.) So expect:
- Films by the great directors: Bergman, Renoir, Truffaut,
Fellini, Powell, Pressburger, Bunuel, Ford, Kurosawa,
Melville and many, many more.
- Films with great or, at least, famous and idiosyncratic
actors. (For instance, how would you categorize the Marx
brothers?)
- Films from different genres: musicals, thrillers, Westerns,
romances, comedy, epic, noir, world-cinema, etc.)
- Films in foreign languages, with English sub-titles.
In other words, we offer an assortment of
the great or good. Many appreciate this range. From our home
page you can see the full list of this year’s films.
How are you different from many other film societies?
- We use a real cinema.
- Many societies are limited to DVD projection. We can screen
films that may be available only on 35-mm (as well as
those available only on DVD). This allows us a wider
range.
- The cinema also has the latest Digital Screen Network.
- As the film society does not have the work of acquiring
films or projecting them, it is not troubled by holidays
that its members take. So we run throughout the year,
with no break in summer
You seem to limit yourself to older films. Why?
Actually, we try not to, though we generally do not consider
it necessary to show films from the last 5-10 years or so.
As we said, we try to find good or great films of any vintage — especially
those which no one else has thought of showing.
Directors have been creating good and great movies for over
100 years. There have been marvellous actors since time began.
TWFS is not going to limit itself
to CGI graphics, to the last four years, or ten, or twenty,
... We want to see ALL the great films.
So it may seem that we are biassed towards old films. In fact,
we are biassed towards — wait for it! — good and
great films which you may never otherwise see. Heard that
before?
Remember too: the Wells Film Centre, which is a business, shows
modern films across the whole range, from small-budget to
major new films; Strode, which is subsidized, tends — with
some notable exceptions — to show recent small-budget
and world-cinema films. And there are other film societies
not so far away who concentrate on newer productions, often
on DVD. We simply can’t compete with them on their ground.
We don’t need to apologize; we specialize!
What’s our biggest problem? We can’t possibly see
all of the world’s great films in the next year, five
years or, we’re afraid, a lifetime! But
we’ll try!
Can you guarantee that I shall enjoy all your films?
Of course not. But you should find much of interest in each,
whether it’s the conception, the acting, the story,
the stars, the music, the dialogue, the photography
— or simply the film’s place in history.
How can I find out TWFS’s future programme?
So far as it is known it will be shown on the home and future
pages of this web site.
At every TWFS film we hand out an A4 sheet of film notes and
news. It's much appreciated. All known future films will be
listed.
How do I find out exactly when the next
film is?
Dates are advertised on this web site
and in the Wells Film Centre’s web site.
Times are more difficult, as the cinema
finalizes an evening’s schedule only when it knows what
films it will be showing, for how long, in which screen. TWFS
cannot dictate to the cinema.
Rule of thumb: If our film is
less than 2 hours and 15 minutes long, the cinema usually
says that doors will open at 7 pm, and that the film
will start at 7.30 pm. This is
not, however, an absolute rule. They wish to clear
the cinema by 10 pm, and have to consider when the other
screens will start or empty.
To be sure, you can find out 4-7 days in advance from:
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The Wells Film Centre’s website, www.wellsfilmcentre.co.uk.
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Local papers: The Wells Journal and
related Somerset newspapers, available on Thursdays.
The cinema places a weekly advertisement in the “What’s
On” section.
-
For those members on email TWFS sends out a brief
reminder, with times, 3-7 days before the film.
-
For those who do not use the internet, it always helps
if their member friends will take a look for them.
- You can phone the cinema during their opening hours -
01749 673195.
How do I book to see a TWFS film?
From September 2007 there is no facility to book in advance.
The member must turn up on the night and
pay there and then for admission.
Each member should show his/her current membership card, though
the cinema can also check a full list of current members which
we send to them every now and then.
Can I bring a guest or guests?
Very much so, and they are most welcome. Please introduce them
to the committee member present. But ...
-
Guests can be admitted only with a TWFS member. There
are reasons, explained in the more detailed Q&A
within this site (see the bottom of this section).
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The admission charge for a guest is the equivalent
of the full cinema price.
-
You are responsible for your guests, who should observe
the Code of Conduct expected of members.
-
Persuade them to take an application form for membership — there
should always be a few at the cinema’s booking
office.
Can the general public see our films?
Not on TWFS nights at the Wells Film Centre. We’re members-only.
If the cinema decided — it hasn’t yet, but there
is no reason why it shouldn’t — that it wished
to continue with our chosen film after the
TWFS nights, then the public could, of course, attend the
non-TWFS showings. They would also pay the full ticket price,
as it’s nothing to do with TWFS.
So I can watch the odd old film or two through TWFS. So what?
You mean, what’s the good news?
-
Did we mention that you will see good
and great films in a real cinema? Thought
so.
-
Cheaper too, for TWFS films.
The TWFS rate is less than the normal cinema charge.
-
You might win the annual draw and be the one member
who can choose the film that they wish to see. This
has led us to When We Were
Kings, Paths of Glory, Before
Sunrise, which were considerable successes.
-
The opportunity to meet people
with a similar interest. Happens all
the time!
-
You may have suggestions of your own to make, after
joining.
May I ask for films that I would like to see?
Of course! When you apply, send a list of up to 10 films (say).
We’ll add them to our growing data base of requested
films. It’s already quite large, thanks to the views
of our 200-plus members. However, it’s up to the Committee
to try to reconcile so many conflicting requirements. They
decide the programme, mostly on the basis of the sort of
film that members have asked for, and members reactions to
our films, either through our occasional questionnaire or
anecdotal comment, but also critics’ and directors’ views
and lists.
Telling us what you think is always worth while. If we had to
choose between two films, all other things being equal we’d
go for the one with the most member votes - which might mean your choice.
It’s also fair to emphasize that the Committee may, can
and does choose films that no one has yet asked for. On the
other hand, we always want members’ feedback on the
films shown.
What does membership cost?
Click "To Join" above.
But what if I want to join quite a way into the year?
Normally you will still pay the full amount. However, for those
joining later in our year, subscriptions are halved.
See above.
We should also mention that, if you join just for the August,
the last film in our year, membership is complimentary, provided
that the individual(s) join for the following year.
Renewal in September will still, of course, be at the full year’s
price. (The Committee sends out renewal invitations).
What else does membership entail?
Complying with the Constitution
of the Society, formally
agreed by members and sent with your card(s) on joining.
Treating the cinema properly, its staff courteously,
and enjoying the company of other members.
The Committee always reserves the right to withdraw an individual’s
membership at any time without any refund of subscription.
(We have not had to do so yet.)
Enjoying good films, with high-quality projection equipment,
on a big screen, in a friendly, family-run cinema, with good
company. It’s really tough.
So what are the snags?
Very few, but you should be aware that:
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Some films are not available on
good quality 35 mm, so we cannot see them. The
film industry has always used 35 mm as the
standard, but some 16 mm films were produced
until the 1980s. Unless the latter have been
converted to 35 mm, they’re unavailable
to us. Additionally the material of all older
films has deteriorated to such an extent that
most of these films are unusable. So unless
the current and active remastering programme
by the British Film Institute and others has
managed to rescue them we can’t see them
either. It still leaves us with a very wide
choice.
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Some films may not currently be
licensed for public viewing at all, so we cannot
see them either. Alas, Les
Enfants du Paradis is such. Surprisingly,
the licensing position on a particular film
can improve: The Wages
of Fear we asked for twice — and
it wasn’t available.
To our considerable surprise, at the third
time of asking it was. [There’s
a lesson there. Ed.]
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Older films are seldom in today’s
format. There is a plethora of formats
- aspect ratios, etc. - for film, even if they
are now on 35 mm. Showing them on modern equipment
designed for modern film can be what some would
call a challenge. Fortunately, the Wells Film
Centre has professional, qualified projectionists
and they are alert to the potential problems
which TWFS films so frequently brings. But
it does mean that you may not see all the picture,
especially if there are subtitles that have
be squeezed onto the screen. Tops of heads
may not always be visible. Bald actors do not
regard this as a disadvantage.
-
Old films are not of today’s visual
and sound quality. They
may also break. Outdated technology,
or simple wear and tear, both cause a reduction
in quality. So a 1930s Hitchcock, for example,
will not be up to the standard of today’s
Lord of the Rings. (Some may be thankful!)
Films in mono sound can present particular
problems, but the cinema will try to achieve
a compromise where quiet sound is audible,
and the loudest doesn’t
deafen. However, the new Digital Screen Network,
available in Screen 2 of the cinema allows
exhibition of classic films which have been
remastered onto digital media: the quality
of these is very good indeed.
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The start times of our films varies. This
shouldn’t surprise. The lengths of our films
have varied hugely, from 1h30 to nearly 3h30, and
a non-TWFS film of uncertain length may be scheduled
beforehand.
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Monday and Tuesday nights are not
a certainty for ever. We extended to
Mondays too in December 2003, then from February
2004. The Wells Film Centre, however, is under
pressure from distributors about showing its
normal films. There may be the odd occasion
when they will be unable to give us a Monday
or Tuesday night. Further, continuing with
Tuesday night depends on attendance keeping
at respectable levels.
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The selection of films that we
offer may not suit you. Some may want
almost exclusively art-house films; some, just
westerns. Others may want only world-cinema,
while some may be determined never to watch
film noir. We shall continue to programme for
a wide range of good or excellent films in
various genres, throughout cinema’s history.
Many, but not all, will therefore be foreign-language.
- Many find our programme addictive: they MUST come
to every film possible. So may you.
Contact us
If you have questions about the society please
email
us.
Comments to make about this web site? Again,
email
us. We guess — know,
actually — that not all pages are impeccably
up to date all the time, so we welcome your constructive
suggestions. We shall answer and make the necessary
changes.
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