the flicker club: June 2011

After three month's preparation, we finally let loose our day long tribute to Edgar Allan Poe.

The morning saw the arrival of two large vehicles. In the first was a pop up screen and projector provided by our friends at Nomad for the various films we intended to show during the day and, in the other, a precious cargo of Poe memorabilia provided by The Edgar Allan Poe Society.

The Poe collection and screen were all installed in the lovely Stoke Newington Town Hall. The screen filled the stage and the collection ran the length of the hall. There were film posters, first edition books, original daguerreotypes and all manner of gothic paraphernalia.

We opened for business with a lively, funny and informative panel discussion about the life, work and influence of Edgar Poe.

Barry Forshaw was master of ceremonies and we were extremely fortunate to have such literary luminaries as Pat Cadigan, Christopher Fowler, Stephen Jones, Nicholas Royal and Kim Newman as our guest speakers.

Never before have we witnessed an hour long discussion about madness, murder and the macabre with so many laughs. Thank you to our delightful panel.

Then we screened the great Steven Berkoff's version of 'The Tell Tale Heart'. We had had the enormous pleasure of seeing Steven's one man show many times before but this rare screening of a show he recorded in South Africa was a unique experience. Every subtle nuance of Poe's text, all the horrific and comic potential are captured in this extraordinary performance.

After the screening, Steven stepped on stage to talk about the incredible understanding of psychology at the heart of Poe's work and how it was this aspect of Poe's genius that inspired and fed Steven's portrayal. This was a terrific insight into the imagination and creativity of a unique artist.

Steven Berkoff was doing the honours of unveiling our specially commissioned bust of Edgar Allan Poe.

We had planned a street closure at this point but our friends from Hackney Council were nowhere to be seen. Never mind, the hundreds of people gathered claimed the road for themselves and even the delayed motorists entered into the spirit of the occasion, stepping out of their cars and cheering us on. The British public at its best collectively paying homage to an American. Who'd have thought it?

The bust was revealed, white stone glistening in the sunshine and huge applause all round. We all shared a little moment of history. Wouldn't Mr Poe have been delighted?

And then.. an evening screening of Roger Corman's 'The Masque of the Red Death' paid tribute not only to Poe but also to the film's star Vincent Price on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of his birth.

The screening was supported by an eerie collection of wraiths quoting fragments from the works of Edgar Allan Poe amidst the candle light. Thank you to the Carney Ville Players for providing the Spooks.

And a special thank you to Emma Molony for joining us on the night and creating a beautiful bespoke image for the evening, which you can see at the top of this page.

The night was rounded off nicely when our dear friend and supporter, The Right Honourable Sam Bain, agreed to be our treasured Patron. We Are Thrilled.