Lynne Brighouse previews Quad's 2014 outdoor film festival – Summer Nights
BACK for its fourth year, Quad's Summer Nights Film Festival is all set to again present a selection of classic and contemporary films at interesting locations throughout Derbyshire.
Building on the success of the 2012 and 2013 events, Quad also plans to widen the focus further afield this year, to neighbouring counties.
Presented on a giant outdoor screen, the festival offers the chance to enjoy a unique outdoor cinematic experience in a wonderfully atmospheric setting.
This year's festival returns to the Derbyshire venues of Kedleston Hall, Calke Abbey and Hardwick Hall, as well as taking in Wollaton Hall in Nottinghamshire, Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire and Belton House in Lincolnshire.
Kedleston Hall, kicks off the tour with two screenings in July. One of the world's favourite cult party films, Rocky Horror Picture Show, with its tantalisingly strange cast of misfits and catchy sci-fi inspired tunes, will screen first.
It is contrasted by Alfonso Cuaron's Oscar-winning film, Gravity, a tale of two astronauts stranded in space, starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.
The spooky grounds of Calke Abbey will host two screenings in August, including Robin Hardy's The Wicker Man. Considered "the Citizen Kane of horror movies", this chilling tale sees policeman, Edward Woodward, travel to the isolated island of Summerisle in search of a missing girl that the locals claim never existed!
Glitz and Glamour follows next with Baz Lurhmann's journey into the roaring twenties. The Great Gatsby is his take on the great American novel by F Scott Fitzgerald, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire.
Gravity will make a second festival appearance at Wollaton Hall in August, joined by Grease – the ultimate High School Musical. Shot in the grounds of Wollaton Hall, The Dark Knight Rises featuring Christian Bale as Batman, Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and the wonderful Tom Hardy as the brutal Bat-breaking Bane, complete the trilogy of films.
Tales of Hogwarts are brought to Derbyshire's Hardwick Hall in August with the screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 – partially filmed in the grounds of the hall.
The mood then changes with the classic dance movie, Dirty Dancing, starring Patrick Swayze.
Waddesdon Manor, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire hosts two films in September. Billy Wilder's classic from 1969 Some Like It Hot– often voted the best comedy of all time – features Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, all at the top of their game.
Daniel Craig stars next as 007 in Skyfall, with a mission to keep a computer drive that has a list of British agents from being used against them.
Romance is in store at Belton House in Grantham in September with the screening of the classic love story, Casablanca, set during the Second World War War and starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.
A change of pace comes with the feel-good musical Mamma Mia, which is set on a picturesque Greek Island and offers the chance to sing-a-long to a wealth of Abba songs.
For details and to book tickets, call 01332 290606 or visit www.derbyquad.co.uk
