Cork Film Festival 1965: Restored reels capture international stars on Leeside
Trevor Howard chats to other dignitaries at Cork Film Festival in 1965.
It could so easily have never been found. The Cork International Film Festival team moved headquarters several years ago. As she was leaving one of the offices, festival CEO Fiona Clark noticed a cupboard previously hidden behind a filing cabinet. There, she discovered a pile of film reels, which she stored in boxes.
Eventually, they found their way into the hands of Dr Ciara Chambers, head of UCC’s department of film and screen media, who, through an archivist colleague at the Irish Film Institute (IFI), confirmed that they were in possession of a rare piece of documentary footage from the Cork International Film Festival’s tenth edition, 17 minutes of celluloid gold filmed.
“Watching it for the first time was a transformational experience,” says Clark. “It’s gorgeous, a love letter to Cork through film, which honours the heritage of Ireland's oldest film festival. I wasn't expecting to be so moved by it. I had tears at the end of it. It's 60 years old. It's of its time and the commentary is of its time, but its sentiment is so true today.
“If I sat down with colleagues to write a premise for a documentary about the film festival, what would we say? We'd want it to deliver the promise of our name, rooted in Cork, showcasing Cork, but international – for Cork audiences to have access to the latest and best, film in all its different forms, and very much about bringing people together. It was so innovative.”
Cork County Librarian and historian Pádraig Ó Maidín directed the documentary. His narration brings the footage vividly to life, musing about how “the comparative relaxation of watching films is complementary to the hard grind of debates and symposiums”, explaining that “at the daily press conferences the word goes out to many lands”. Ó Maidín also hints at the “distinguished personalities” in attendance.
The celebrity roll-call is eye-catching – Jack Lynch, a year before being made Taoiseach, actors such as Trevor Howard, Sylvia Syms, Cyril Cusack, and Noel Purcell, as well as filmmaker Louis Marcus, were in attendance. Seán Ó Riada can also be spotted milling around.
At the time, the festival’s patrons included Federico Fellini, Elia Kazan and Laurence Olivier. James Mason opened the festival, gamely accompanied by trumpeters from the Band of the Southern Command.
“When this film was made in 1965, you get a sense of a well-established cultural institution,” says Clark. “I read programme notes from the first festival, and you get a strong sense they were plucky and just went for it. There was a positive reaction and a huge pride in the city around it. By the tenth festival, it was a powerful, visible part of the Irish cultural calendar. My father-in-law tells me it was colloquially known as ‘the International’ – ‘Are you going to the International?’ It was a big deal.
“It was a very red carpet affair. People turned out to be seen as well as attend. There were social gatherings. I met a retired gentleman recently who said he was part of the hospitality committee. He had a yacht, so he used to take people up and down the Lee. I'm quite keen on a yacht myself! So, I think the festival was confident.”
The restoration of the 16mm film and its colouring was a painstaking process. The audio was on a separate magnetic soundtrack; it was muffled and has been enhanced. The film will be screened as part of this year’s festival, along with two short films adapted from Frank O’Connor short stories – O’Connor’s classic, directed by Dennis Johnston; and directed by Shelah Richards.
“Larry is based on Frank O'Connor's says Sunniva O'Flynn, IFI’s head of Irish film programming. “It's about a young boy who's discombobulated when his father returns home from an unidentified war, disrupting his intense relationship with his mother. It was shot in 35mm for broadcast on British television. The quality is beautiful.
“A lot of the filming is on the streets of Cork. There are lovely moments with shop front exteriors and interiors of shops, and lovely social detail. The kid’s toys are very basic. He potters around in the garden and puddles and things, with the voiceover explaining his frustration at being usurped by his father. It’s fascinating for therapists and anybody who has a mother fixation.”
- will screen at the festival’s opening night gala event, 7pm, Thursday, The Everyman. Also and will screen Saturday, November 15 at Briery Gap Macroom (12 noon), Cinemax Bantry (2.30pm) and Regal Cinema Youghal (2.30pm); and Sunday, November 16 at Triskel (2pm). See: www.corkfilmfest.org
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