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JOHN SINGER SARGENT

Directed by David Bickerstaff

John Singer Sargent is known as the greatest portrait artist of his era.  What made his ‘swagger’ portraits remarkable was his power over his sitters, what they wore and how they were presented to the audience. Through interviews with curators, contemporary fashionistas and style influencers, Exhibition on Screen’s film will examine how Sargent’s unique practice has influenced modern art, culture and fashion.

Filmed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Tate Britain, London, the exhibition reveals Sargent’s power to express distinctive personalities, power dynamics and gender identities during this fascinating period of cultural reinvention. Alongside 50 paintings by Sargent sit stunning items of clothing and accessories worn by his subjects, drawing the audience into the artist’s studio.

Sargent’s sitters were often wealthy, their clothes costly, but what happens when you turn yourself over to the hands of a great artist? The manufacture of public identity is as controversial and contested today as it was at the turn of the 20th century, but somehow Sargent’s work transcends the social noise and captures an alluring truth with each brush stroke.

Step into the glittering world of fashion, scandal and shameless self-promotion that made John Singer Sargent the painter who defined an era.

Explore the unique creative process of the late 19th century’s favourite portrait artist and the way in which his portraits captured the spirit of a vibrant and rapidly changing age.

Two-time Academy Award nominee and Shakespearian titan, Ian McKellen, stars in this thrilling and uniquely modern take on The Bard’s classic tragedy. The screening will include an exclusive recorded Q&A with Ian McKellen and Director Sean Mathias.

A tale of revenge that has stood the test of time, Shakespeare’s classic tragedy is reimagined for the modern day as a gripping psychological thriller! Transcending the confines of the stage in a uniquely modern take, the film utilises nearly every room of the Theatre Royal Windsor to transform it into the immortal Elsinore Castle, from basement dungeon to roof-top battlement.

Ian McKellen - reprising his lead role as Hamlet, a man who descends into madness as he seeks vengeance against his uncle for the apparent murder of his father - leads a stellar cast including stage and screen legend, Steven Berkoff, and stars of the critically acclaimed, recent stage cast of ‘Hamlet’:

Frances Barber (King Lear, Chekhov’s The Seagull), Jonathan Hyde (King Lear, Titanic, Crimson Peak),

Jenny Seagrove and BAFTA-winner Francesca Annis, bringing their iconic roles to life in this

compelling new film adaptation.

‘Ian McKellen’s new Hamlet shows the screen can outdo the stage’ The Guardian

Director: Sean Mathias

Producer: Bill Kenwright, David Gilbery, Naomi George

Cast: Ian McKellen, Jonathan Hyde, Jenny Seagrove, Steven Berkoff, Francesca Annis, Frances Barber

Runtime: 117 Minutes PLUS 15 minutes QA