Dirk and Elizabeth at the BFI

London's National Film Theatre [run by the British Film Institute] is featuring seasons on Dirk Bogarde and Elizabeth Taylor next month in August. Sounds good in theory, not nothing too special in fact.

They are showing just 10 of the better-known Taylors: FATHER OF THE BRIDE, A PLACE IN THE SUN, GIANT, RAINTREE COUNTY, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER, BUTTERFIELD 8, VIRGINIA WOOLF, TAMING OF THE SHREW and BOOM. At least her prime '50s period then ...

Dirk's are just a selection from the '60s ignoring his Rank Organisation era of the '50s, with VICTIM, I COULD GO ON SINGING, THE SERVANT, DARLING, MODESTY BLAISE (I have seen that there several times, memorably with Franco in 1973 before a night on a riverboat party on the Thames), ACCIDENT, OUR MOTHER'S HOUSE, with more - his European films - to follow in September. Will they even show JUSTINE? There is also an ARENA television documentary it would be interesting to see again, and one can see in their on-line Mediatheque his rare television items like THE VISION (left) with Lee Remick in '88, Anouk Aimee in VOICES IN THE GARDEN, '93, from his novel; a lecture of his there in 1983 (I was at his 1970 one, and got to meet him afterwards), and his odd adaptation of a Graham Greene short story MAY WE BORROW YOUR HUSBAND, 1986. Sylvia Syms and Peter McEnery are due to attend a Q&A after a screening of VICTIM (which I am always happy to see again, but I will be away this time).

Perhaps they will get around to Sophia Loren next - she would be able to visit, after all! The BFI though persists in showing just the better known films of actors, same last year with Deborah Kerr and Paul Newman seasons - but if the majority of people have the dvd of a popular film how likely are they to turn out to see the film on screen, when lots of lesser seen items would surely draw more admirers? I would have liked to have seen Kerr's THE JOURNEY there but they didn't bother with any of her 3 from 1959 - and now these Bogarde titles (apart from the on-line tv movies) have been shown there lots of times, in various Losey seaons and the like, they are not even showing the rare KING AND COUNTRY this time.