time for talking movies. hello from the bfi london film festival and welcome to talking movies, i'm tom brook. in today's programme, highlights in one of the uk's biggest annual film events. the movie, spencer, brought kristen stewart onto the red carpet with her fictionalised portrait of diana, princess of wales. we were so influenced and inspired by this woman. a personalised memoir of his belfast childhood from kenneth branagh. in black and white, is it his version of the oscar winning roma? the story of the film is this nine—year—old boy finding a way to navigate with his family through this period of intense change. acclaimed film maker edgar wright on the festival carpet for the first time with his dark valentine to soho in the 1960s. i've never had a film in the london film festival and i think i've been coming here since 1994. when this opportunity came up, it was like, well this is perfect. i said i think we should go to russia. and documentaries including one looking at the women who protested at greenham common against the proliferation of nuclear weapons. one of the big red carpet attractions at the london film festival this year was the movie spencer which gave festival—goers a fictionalised portrait of diana, princess of wales, when she spent christmas with the royal family at sandringham ini99i. it presents diana as being psychologically vulnerable and under the controlling grip of an unsympathetic royal household. it's an image of a british icon that's been shaped very much by outsiders. the film maker is chilean pablo larrain, and the woman who plays diana is the american actress, kristin stewart. emma jones reports. bringing a story about the so—called people's princess to london where diana, princess of wales, lived for years was a big moment for the cast and crew of spencer. it stars an american, kristin stewart, is directed by chilean filmmaker pablo larrain, and was partly made in germany. but there's a supporting cast of british actors, and stewart feels the film belongs to britain. do you think this is a british film as well? absolutely, oh my god — i feel like we're bringing it home for her completely. i mean, one of the reasons it's fun to talk about this movie existing at all is that we get to have her again even if it's just through the inspiration that she gave to pablo and stephen and myself. i definitely don't profess to be giving her another platform to exist but, you know, she exists through what lingers. it's her influence, its the things that she inspired and we were so influenced and inspired by this woman. it'sjust nice to, it's nice to have it keep going. not that anyone would forget her. there has to be two of you. there's the real one and the one they take pictures of. the story, a weekend over a miserable christmas that diana spends with the royal family, is fictional. but stewart's performance and her resemblance to the princess has a ready attracted critical acclaim where the film has shown. i tried to absorb her as best i could, in a kind of spiritual way and not get so fixated and sort of like debilitated by trying to do a perfect, perfect impression because she felt so alive and she felt so spontaneous and, sort of, earthshaky, that the only way to really do herjustice would be to kind of learn the accent and stuff technically, but then forget about it and be free. she was, like, the least free woman for a long time but her desire for freedom and her ability to attain it was so strong energetically that that kind of was impossible to nail. it's written by oscar nominee stephen knight. since he wrote it, the emmy—winning netflix series the crown became one of the most watched tv series in the world, the audience fascinated by their interpretation of charles and diana's marriage. the british royals may be an ultrawealthy and privileged family but the heart of this story, knight says, is a domestic situation. i didn't read any of the books or watch any of the films or anything but talked to people who were there at the time and tried to look through the keyhole via those first—hand accounts of what actually went on. and how weird we all are, how weird every family is, how weird we all are at christmas and all the weird things we do. and they're no different. the rest of the royal family are seen from diana's perspective, and given the interest in their lives, as well as the person of diana, even a quarter of a century after her death, the film will self generate headlines for its leading actress. well, i know every acting job must be like, you know, giving yourself to people. did you feel any more trepidation? um... yeah, i mean, it's such a controversial subject. this movie has no answers, it's just asking those questions, so i knew—, i was afraid of people maybe thinking that we weren't leading with love and with curiosity. and as outsiders i was just kind of scared that maybe people would be like, "you have no right". that was the biggest fear, not that i wasn't good in the movie. the movie will succeed if audiences feel that larrain and stewart, amidst the gothic fairytale feel of spencer, have delivered the woman and not the icon. the movie industry around the world, and that of course includes major events like the london film festival, is still operating very much in the shadow of covid—i9. the organisers of the festival here in london made a big effort to prevail under challenging circumstances and, to a large extent, they succeeded. more than 150 full—length features are shown during the festival including more than 20 world premiers. there was certainly a more buoyant atmosphere at the london film festival this year compared to 12 months ago. the film festival really missed the physical aspect last year. it was a virtual festival and i missed it terribly, i missed places like this, i missed gathering with the london film folk. and i think we've had a, a sort of glut of films that have waited for the big screen experience that the london film festival can give them, so we are seeing some really strong and powerful films this year that have got that buzz and that excitement going again, which is important, notjust for a london film festival, it's important for cinema culture in london — we've got to get people back out of their sofas and into these theatres. the world premier of the newjames bond movie and its record—breaking opening weekend box office certainly helped to create a positive, optimistic mood in the days leading up to the festival. bond right now is the only show in town. certainly in this town. 772 screens around the nation, it's the widest opened film ever. good luck going to try and see a film that isn't bond in uk cinemas this weekend. and i really thought it was a tremendous bond movie, a very different bond movie, but one that nevertheless is essential viewing. and daniel craig's tenure as bond has been essential to keeping that franchise going, and he's magnificent in it — a british actor who's a global star, probably the biggest star that everyone's talking about in the world right now, and it's been a long time since that mantle has belonged to a brit. and there's a film directed by british film maker ridley scott opening at the box office this weekend — the last duel. what have you heard about that? the historical drama is a difficult one at the moment. do people want to see these epics anymore? ridley scott's had success with the sci—fi, the fantasy genre, but his epics, robin hood, for example, have been less successful and i'm wondering if that's an appetite that belongs to a bygone era. well, we caught up with ridley scott and he talked to us about the last duel and gave us some impression of how he thought it would perform at the box office. i tend to play big internationally and less big in the united states. particularly now china, japan, italy and france. and so they love the period thing. i request a duel to the death. and ridley scott is really pleased that his film is going to be seen finally in cinemas, a sentiment widely shared at the london film festival, where many movie—goers were finding joy once again in the cinema going experience. we can't let that go awayjust because we have platforms of what i like to call towers of ether, �*cause you pull the plug and they're gone. i think cinema is essential. we have to keep those rooms open as soon as we can get rid of... we'll never— it's gonna be a while before can get rid of this terrible thing that's occurring but i think it will eventually go and cinema will definitely return. many of the films shown at the london film festival were launched elsewhere. at the venice, telluride, toronto and new york film festivals, but the opening picture, a western called the harder they fall, was a world premiere. it comes from a british filmmaker who is also a singer songwriter. we asked bbc culture film critic nicholas barber to review the picture for talking movies. think of an actor who has played a sheriff, or an outlaw, or a cowboy in a western and you might picture clint eastwood orjohn wayne. whoever it is, though, the chances are that the actor you think of will be white. because although one quarter of all real—life cowboys were black, the proportion on—screen has always been much, much smaller. james samuel's the harder they fall goes some small way towards redressing that balance. samuel is a black british musician and producer whose debut film is a revenge western in which almost every character, hero or villain is played by a black actor. the main hero, played byjonathan majors is nat love — a sharpshooting vigilante who rides around montana, gunning down wanted criminals and becoming a wanted criminal himself in the process. the main villain, played by idris elba, is rufus buck, a ruthless bandit who murdered nat�*s parents when he was a boy. so when rufus is sprung from his prison cell by his loyal sidekicks, among them lakeith stanfield and regina king, nat is soon in hot pursuit along with his own gang, including his on—off girlfriend played by zazie beetz and a marshal played by delroy lindo. i don't know who you are. the interesting thing is that race and racism aren't subjects which come up too often. they're mentioned once or twice, but samuel has chosen not to write an overtly political screenplay. he lets the casting make his point that african—american characters have always been underrepresented in westerns, but the film itself is a riproaring, blood splattering tale of bank robberies and shootouts with an energy and an attitude taken straight from quentin tarantino. the harder they fall is hugely entertaining and seriously stylish in a post—modern sort of way. the soundtrack bursts with hip—hop and funk and reggae, and production design suggests a graphic novel or a music video rather than a traditional western. rufus buck's saloon, for instance, is painted deep blue and gold and the dancer inside is painted deep blue and gold as well. as radical as the casting is, the most remarkable aspect of samuel's film is that you soon stop noticing the colour of the characters and start concentrating on the colour of the costumes and the buildings instead. the harder they fall certainly went down well here in london where it got the festival off to a rollicking start. sir kenneth branagh�*s new film, belfast, had its london launch during the festival. it is a very personal story about his own experiences as a young boy growing up in a protestant household in belfast in the 1960s, just as the troubles began to make an impact. the story is told from the point of view of the young boy who is played brilliantly by newcomerjude hill. for kenneth branagh, this is a film in which he had a huge emotional investment. it is based in part on a tumultuous time in his tightknit belfast community where the pressures brought by the troubles eventually led to his family moving to england. life of the boy at the centre of the film, branagh, is most definitely disrupted. it is a semi—autobiographical account of a nine—year—old boy whose life is very settled and full, which is then turned upside down. and the story of the film is this nine—year—old boy finding a way to navigate with his family through this period of intense change. it is a very personal story. why did you want to tell, or put together a film, about this part of your life at this moment in time? i think the lockdown provoked a sense that the story of a film, which has its own lockdown — a street that has a barricade erected at either end of it and which you have to register to get in and out of — had — had, for me, some resonance with the kind of life that we have had to live over the last 18 months. we're trying to have a peaceful march for civil rights... we're gonna have these guys... over the years, the conflict in northern ireland has provided filmmakers with strong ingredients for dramatic storytelling. many films addressed aspects of the conflict directly. in kenneth branagh�*s belfast, the troubles are evident, they are not really explored. the film is set during a very tumultuous time, a political time, but it is not a politicalfilm, is it? no, i think that because it is seen so purposefully through the ideas of a nine—year—old, this is someone who doesn't really understand — will be forced to — but doesn't understand at that level what politics really means. for him, it is a big enough challenge, and it is a simple — and ultimately for the world it is a profound challenge — to sort of understand, "well, why are these people i was playing with yesterday now people i can't play with?" kenneth branagh�*s black—and—white memoir has been likened to alfonso cuaron�*s oscar—winning roma of a few years ago. belfast was well received in london, as it has been elsewhere on the festival circuit — particularly at the toronto film festival, where it won the people's choice award — often a precursor to academy awards glory. there were many strong documentaries in the london film festival lineup this year and among them, mothers of the revolution, which took a look at the thousands of women who participated in protests at greenham common in berkshire over the proliferation of nuclear weapons. emma jones reports. we knew there was this place called greenham common, with foreign missiles on our soil. we had to do something. we knew we were crazy, but we had to do it. a0 years ago, in 1981, a group of women marched from wales to raf greenham common in the countryside surrounding london in protest at american nuclear weapons being kept at the british base. they stayed. they say the fear of nuclear annihilation spurred them on, despite years of hostility from some press and public. the idea of more publicity from this film didn't necessarily appeal. i felt apprehensive, to be honest, because having lived at greenham and knowing what the media focus was on about greenham and then ifinally met briar, and i remember saying to her "you are not going to make us look like idiots, are you?" because that had happened at greenham. and she said "no, i wouldn't do that to you". and i think really very quickly, itrusted her. all these women with one purpose had come together. narrated by actress and politician glenda jackson, the film shows the consequences these protesters paid. some left children behind at home. they often suffered brutal treatment. that was the first time i was really scared. we got targeted in the press, in the early days, very specifically, so like the daily mail did a double—page spread on us and basically classed us as terrorists and things like that, and bad mothers, and our children should be taken away from us and all this stuff. yet, the documentary argues the greenham women have their place in history. mikael gorbachev of the soviet union would name them later as an influence, after he had signed a treaty with ronald reagan in 1987 that would lead to the removal of nuclear missiles from the base. why do you think it has taken so long for a definitive documentary about these women to be made? i think it is because greenham was a women's peace camp and women — what women do never gets given as much attention. you can'tjust stay at home, you have to go... the film's pink and yellow branding echoes the sex pistols' iconic album cover and makes its own call to modern—day female activism. some of those original protesters might prefer the purple, white and green of the suffragette movement as they argue they were the movement's successors. these women changed our future. welcome to soho, which has long been home to a section of the british film and television community. and this year, one of the big titles at the london film festival is set right here in this neighbourhood. it's a picture called last night in soho, and it comes from acclaimed british filmmaker edgar wright. set in the present day, it tells of a london fashion student who travels back in time to the 1960s. the film is the story of fashion student eloise's harrowing journey. freshly arrived in london, she is transported back to a world of excitement and horror in the 1960s soho underworld. edgar wright told me why he wanted to make this movie, partly set in the 1960s. i guess sort of an obsession with the decade, starting with my parents�* record collection, but then it was an attempt to so explore why i was so obsessed with the decade i was not alive in. and also then the dangers of romanticising the past and the danger of using phrases like the "good old days" to imagine everything was great and nothing was bad. and in terms of genre, people describe the film as a psychological horror — is that how you see it? yeah, i mean, i guess by the nature of the story, it starts as one thing and slowly morphs into a psychological thriller and i think in a way, that represents eloise's journey in the movie. her trips back into the �*60s are initially very glamorous and alluring, and then things take a darker turn. last night in soho is a film which really references the 1960s, especially its music and cinema. so it is a celebration of all that was wonderful about british film in the �*60s — you know, hammer house and peeping tom, the powell and pressburger, all of that, all of those sort of elements are there, and yeah... # you got worries, all the noise and the hurries... the works of the 1960s classic pop female vocalists like petula clark are omnipresent throughout edgar wright's movie. i think a lot of those songs by the female singers of the time, they are big and emotional, like, heart—rending ballads — they always seem like they are stained with tears. there is something sort of melancholic and about them and bittersweet, which i always pick up on, and that is why i wanted to feature so many of them. last night in soho is providing audiences with an unsettling trip back to the 1960s, suggesting the feelgood decade was not all it might have appeared to have been. i think what you are trying to say with this film is, there was never a period in history where everything worked right. don't look back to the past but for the good times — create them in the present, create them in the future. i mean, that is the ultimate message. edgar wright's film had a big following in london but it seems to have divided critics. some were impressed. others felt the movie was unwieldy and that it didn't totally satisfy in delivering horror or social commentary. well, that brings our special bfi london film festival edition of talking movies to a close. we hope you have enjoyed the show. please remember you can always reach us online, and you can find us on facebook and twitter. so, from me, tom brook, and the rest of the talking movies team here in london, it's goodbye, as we leave you with a street musician performing in leicester square. # well you only need the light when it's burning low # only miss the sun when it starts to snow. # only know you love her when you let her go... # only know you've been high when you're feeling low. # only hate the road when you're missing home. # only know you love her when you let her go. # and you let her go. hello. i fancy you'll be delving into different sections of your autumn wardrobe through the week ahead. certainly some waterproofs required during the first half — we're going to see spells of wet and windy weather, punctuated by some sunnier moments, but temperatures will be a big contrast as well. to start the week, with low pressure across the atlantic, we're actually going to drag our air up from the tropics — some unusually mild air coming ourway. but as that low pressure pushes its way eastwards, we may see the return of sunshine more widely, but there will be a brief shot ofarctic air coming in from the north. that's a long way off to begin with, though, and it's the mild air taking hold through monday, beginning pretty mild notes for many for many in the morning rush hour. coolest with single—figure temperatures across the midlands, east anglia, south—east. best of the sunshine here lasting longest through the day as well. rain through the morning rush hour in northern ireland, spreading in across wales, western england and scotland during the morning and into the afternoon. and a bit further eastwards, it's not arriving to the channel islands, east anglia, south—east until later in the afternoon, and for some maybe not even into the evening. brighter conditions to end the day in some western parts but still fairly cloudy. temperatures, though, above where we'd normally expect this stage in mid october. heavy rain to end the day, then. east anglia and south—east, that gradually clears away. some dry conditions for a time overnight. best of the clear weather to the north and east but more wet and increasingly windy weather starting to push in from the south—west. probably one of the mildest nights of the week, then, monday night into tuesday, with temperatures higher in the morning then we'd normally expect during the afternoon! and that's because we have still got that area of low pressure just to the west of us, dragging in southerly winds. the warmest of the airjust ahead of these weather fronts which are going to spread rain more extensively across the country on tuesday. some heavy bursts, fairly erratic, that movement, northwards and eastwards, some seeing higher rainfall totals than others. brightening up across ireland later on, adding some afternoon sunshine potentially in east anglia and the south—east — even if it's on the hazy side. we could see temperatures get up to around 21 degrees. this stage in october, your average temperatures are around 10—14 degrees across the country. and we could be probably around those values through night and into thursday morning. low pressure still around across the country through wednesday night, and we're going to see more in the area of low pressure systems spreading their way northwards and eastwards. this one will bring heavy rain at times through the central swathe of the country, brightening up on the southern flank of it before more wet and windy weather arrives. not a bad day through the northern half of scotland, and sunshine and showers later in northern ireland. but whilst we'll see temperatures 17 or 18 in the south and east, it's turning cold across the north. that cooling trend continues into thursday. this is bbc news. welcome, if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm david eades. our top stories: 17 american missionaries and family members have been reported kidnapped by a gang in haiti. the family of the british mp david amess, who was stabbed to death on friday, has made a plea for tolerance, regardless of peoples�* religious or political beliefs. landslides and flooding in the indian state of kerala have left more than 25 people dead and dozens more missing. we have a special report from the afghan ministry for vice and virtue — what does the future hold women and girls under taliban rule? the earthshot for build a waste—free world goes to... ..the city of milan!