Born in 1912 into a Viennese publisher’s family of social democratic conviction, Wolfgang Suschitzky was an eyewitness to the 20th and 21st centuries, with a career spanning well over 70 years. Aside from his rich body of work as a stills photographer, he collaborated on some 200 documentary and fiction films as cinematographer, and is probably best known for his work on Get Carter. Wolf discovered his love for photography very early on and always saw it as a profession of freedom that could be followed in any country, irrespective of its spoken language. In 1934, faced with the rise of Austro-Fascism and consequently Nazism, Wolf emigrated first to Amsterdam, and the following year to London where he lived until his death in 2016 at the age of 104.
During the early years of WW2, he was deemed an enemy alien, resulting in a temporary working-ban. Thankfully, Paul Rotha hired him as a cameraman for his documentaries, and they continued to work together for many years. While the majority of Wolf’s work consists of factual films, his sharp eye for the real world would also inform his stylistic approach in fiction such as The Small World of Sammy Lee.
This mini-season, a collaboration between the Austrian Cultural Forum London and The Garden Cinema, strives to introduce you to the fascinating life and work of this humanist artist who kept his optimistic curiosity and generosity throughout his long life. Wolf always considered himself a lucky man.
Brigitte Mayr and Michael Omasta of Vienna based publishers Synema, who have researched and written extensively on Wolf Suschitzky and worked on several books with him, will introduce each screening in the programme.
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Full Programme:
Get Carter
Thursday 29 May, 7.45pm
The Garden Cinema
Get Carter will be introduced by Brigitte Mayr and Michael Omasta from Synema Vienna, and is preceded by the short documentary, Wolfgang Suschitzky - Photographer and Cameraman. Legendary British star Michael Caine is Jack Carter, the London gangland enforcer who returns to his hometown of Newcastle to avenge his brother’s untimely death. Rarely has the criminal underworld been so realistically portrayed than in this 1971 masterpiece. Shot on location, Wolf Suschitzky's camera work bares unflinching witness to the bleakness of 1970s Newcastle and unremittingly depicts an atmosphere of decay and despair. Unsurprisingly, Get Carter's style influenced many gangster films to come but few come close to matching this classic.
Mike Hodges, UK, 1971, 134m.
Entertaining Mr Sloane
Friday 30 May, 6pm
The Garden Cinema
Entertaining Mr Sloane will be introduced by Brigitte Mayr and Michael Omasta from Synema Vienna. Based on Joe Orton's stage play of the same title - which was labelled the dirtiest show in town - this screen adaptation tells the offbeat story of a brother and sister who take in a lodger and using blackmail, persuade him to join them in a perculiar ménage à trois. Wolf Suschitsky considered Entertaining Mr Sloane as one of the funniest films he ever had the pleasure of working on, and rated the cast as among the best of what England had to offer.
Douglas Hickox, UK , 1970, 94m.
Wolfgang Suschitzky Shorts Programme
Saturday 31 May, 4pm
The Garden Cinema
This programme of short films will be introduced by Brigitte Mayr and Michael Omasta from Synema Vienna. Wolf Suschitzky was always fond of the short form: its playfulness, and the creative freedom that comes with it. While this selection aims to illustrate the versatility of Wolf's work, it also pays tribute to Jack Chambers, father of The Garden Cinema's owner Michael Chambers, who was instrumental in securing a work-permission for Wolf and consequently saved him from incarceration on the Isle of Man as an enemy alien during the early years of WW2.
Various, UK, 1946-1968, 105m.
The Small World of Sammy Lee
Sunday 1 June, 5pm
The Garden Cinema
The Small World of Sammy Lee will be introduced by Brigitte Mayr and Michael Omasta from Synema Vienna. Sammy Lee, compère of a shabby Soho gentlemen's club, and inveterate poker player, needs to raise dosh within five hours to pay off his gambling depth. Wolf Suschitzky's camera closely follows Sammy's attempt to save his neck from the wrath of his bookie, through Soho, to the East End, and back. The film is not only a great black comedy but document of a London long gone.
Ken Hughes, UK, 1963, 107m.Sun 01 Jun
Lunch Hour
Thursday 5 June, 7pm
ACF London
Based on John Mortimer's play of the same title, Lunch Hour tells the story of an illicit rendezvous between nervous London co-workers.
Directed by James Hill, photographed by Wolfgang Suschitzky UK 1962, 64 min
Moments
Wednesday 25 Jun, 7pm
ACF London
When a disillusioned middle-aged man, who has lost all appetite for life, checks into an Eastbourne out of season hotel to bring an end to it all, he encounters a carefree, optimistic woman who tries to reason him out of suicide. Poetically observed and atmospherically photographed with the accuracy of a foreigner's eye, this film represents another facet in Wolfgang Suschitzky's eclectic body of work.
To book tickets to screenings at the Garden Cinema please click HERE
Garden Cinema, 39-41 Parker Street
London WC2B 5PQ
www.thegardencinema.co.uk
