King Richard

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 09 December 2021 > What's On

King Richard is a film about a man with a mission: Richard Williams, who decided two years before his daughter Venus was born, that he would have two daughters destined to become tennis champions. This would seem a pretty wild ambition even if Williams had been from a tennis-playing background. However, that couldn’t have been … Continue reading “King Richard”

Respect: Aretha Franklin Biopic

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 23 August 2021 > Ready to Use

A new biopic of soul diva Aretha Franklin takes its title from one of her most famous songs, “Respect”. This resource will introduce pupils first to the song, which became an anthem for the women’s movement and the civil-rights movement. Then they can discover the biopic. Jennifer Hudson was chosen by Franklin herself before her … Continue reading “Respect: Aretha Franklin Biopic”

Billie Holiday: Blues and Civil Rights

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 20 May 2021 > What's On

A new biopic of Billie Holiday alleges the blues singer was persecuted by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics over her support for the civil rights movement and her insistence on singing the powerful anti-lynching anthem “Strange Fruit.” Jazz singer Andra Day won a Best Actress Golden Globe for her portrayal of Holiday. The United States … Continue reading “Billie Holiday: Blues and Civil Rights”

Judy Garland

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 25 March 2020 > What's On

Judy Garland was a child singing star and a global star of stage and screen. Her starring role in The Wizard of Oz at 17 made her a household name.  A new film stars Renée Zellweger playing Garland in the final year in her short life, when stardom and the Hollywood studio system had taken … Continue reading “Judy Garland”

Virginia Woolf Love Story

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 10 July 2019 > What's On

A new biopic, Vita and Virginia, tells the story of author Virginia Woolf’s relationship with aristocrat Vita Sackville-West, which resulted in one of the most innovative novels of the early twentieth century, Orlando. Apart from an interest in literature and writing, nothing destined Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West to meet, never mind form a relationship. … Continue reading “Virginia Woolf Love Story”

First Man Biopic

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 13 June 2019 >

A new film, First Man, released a few months before the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landings gives an opportunity to look back at a discreet man who marked 20th century history. You can use this resource with Shine Bright 1re File 1, Biopics in Hollywood. Pupils will be asked to make timelines … Continue reading “First Man Biopic”

Tolkien the Storyteller

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 04 June 2019 > What's On

JRR Tolkien’s stories of Middle Earth, hobbits, wizards and dragons have captured the imagination of generations. A new film looks at his experiences of friendship, love and war as a young man, and how they may have influenced the man and work. Tolkien the film opens with a young officer, Tolkien, ill with a fever, … Continue reading “Tolkien the Storyteller”

Zombies, Loach, Tarantino and Elton John at Cannes

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 17 May 2019 > What's On

The subjects covered by the films in the main competition at this year’s Cannes Festival are very varied. The English-language competitors are a case in point, ranging from zombies in small town America to washed-up actors in Hollywood, to an indictment of the gig economy in the UK. 82-year-old director British Ken Loach has planned … Continue reading “Zombies, Loach, Tarantino and Elton John at Cannes”