This week Chris Deacy is joined by Sofia Akin to discuss the films: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Titanic, Sliding Doors, and The Holiday.
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00:00 [Music]
00:12 Hello and welcome to Kent Film Club. I'm Chris Deesey and each week I'll be joined by a guest
00:17 from Kent to dive deep into the impact certain films have had on their life. Each guest will
00:23 reflect on the films which have meant the most to them over the years. And every week
00:27 there will be a Kent Film Trivia where we quiz you at home about a film that has a connection
00:32 to the county. And now let me introduce you to my guest for this week. After completing
00:37 her studies in journalism, she has since joined the team here not only as an on-screen reporter
00:43 and presenter but also a programme producer. She is Sophia Aitken.
00:47 Hello.
00:48 Welcome Sophia. So the boots on the other foot.
00:50 It is, yeah. Lovely to be here Chris.
00:52 And I don't know your films in advance so I'm literally going to turn to the screen.
00:55 Okay, we have talked in the past about how-
00:57 Are you surprised about this one?
00:58 I'm not. So which one have you gone for?
01:01 So this is Goblet of Fire, the fourth one. But I must say firstly Chris, it was really
01:04 hard to pick a favourite film so I have a bone to pick with you about that one. But
01:09 this is the one I went for in the end because it's one that I particularly liked growing
01:14 up. One that I can probably watch at any time. And at the moment I'm actually in the middle
01:18 of doing a marathon with my parents. Every year we'll watch them all back and this is
01:22 the one we're currently on. We're a little bit behind because we usually try and finish
01:25 it in time for Christmas. But I like this one because it brings people in from other
01:29 schools and it kind of, it's just a little bit interesting. It's a little bit more different
01:33 from the other films and I think it's where the films start to get a little bit more mature
01:37 and it's when you see things maybe start to get a little bit darker, a little bit more
01:41 interesting you see the plot really start to develop. So this is the one I've gone with.
01:45 And I have to ask as well whether you've read any of the books because that's often the
01:49 way in isn't it? Some people know the films and love the films then turn to the books.
01:53 But in which order did you do things?
01:54 So actually yeah I'm a little bit of a fake fan because I actually only started reading
01:59 the books this year and I've absolutely adored the films since I was a child. But I actually,
02:03 when I was younger I read the first three and then I'm not sure why I never continued
02:07 them because I love the first three. I just never continued them. And this year I was
02:11 like you know what I'm going to actually commit and I'm going to read them all this year.
02:14 And it's really interesting what you learn from the books that aren't in the film. Like
02:18 one tiny detail in particular that's really interesting. In the films he's known for having
02:23 his mother's eyes and he's got bright blue eyes the actor. But in the books he's got
02:27 green eyes. So even a minor detail like that I was really shocked by. But you learn loads
02:31 of other little secrets and little things that aren't in the films and you kind of feel
02:35 like you have these little secrets that maybe those who have just watched the films don't
02:38 know about. So I'm really enjoying reading those. I'm only on the second book so I think
02:42 I probably won't finish them by the end of the year. That would be pretty impressive
02:45 wouldn't it?
02:46 It certainly will be. And when you then get to your favourite film, I don't know, maybe
02:50 you'll approach it with some trepidation because there's so much riding on it. Because you've
02:54 got so much investment in the film. So I guess it could go either way.
02:58 That's it, yeah. It's got big shoes to fill because I've always really liked the film.
03:03 But it's one of the slightly chunkier books so I think I'm going to really take my time
03:07 with it and I'm excited to sort of learn a few new things. Because the interesting thing
03:11 about the films actually is there are different directors that do the different films. So
03:15 I think each film, while it's quite similar in the theme of the films, they all have a
03:20 slight different take to it. So it'll be interesting to see how this director has chosen to take
03:26 the book into something a bit different. And the other thing about films is the music that's
03:30 throughout. I think soundtrack is so important in a film and I just love the Harry Potter
03:35 music takes me back to being a child and just makes me feel so nostalgic. And it just makes
03:41 the films, is having that music. Something that you don't get in the books actually.
03:45 Yeah and I suppose it also depends doesn't it on the order in which you watch them. Because
03:50 was this the first one that you saw or did you watch all the films in the correct sequence?
03:54 So, I, funny enough, I don't ever remember not having Harry Potter in my life because
04:00 I was, the first film came out when I was a baby. So I actually grew up watching them
04:05 all so I don't remember ever watching the first one. But then it was nice because then
04:10 the new films were coming out in the cinema and I'd go and watch them with my family and
04:14 my parents, my brother and sister. And probably the most, the bit I remember, the film I remember
04:19 seeing the most is the Half-Blood Prince. I'm not going to spoil anything about the
04:22 film because viewers should go and watch it. But there's quite a pivotal scene in the Half-Blood
04:27 Prince and I just remember seeing that in the cinema was just something else. But yeah,
04:32 this is another film I do remember. I probably watched this film the most as a child. It's
04:37 one of the ones I really did like the most.
04:39 So you've grown up with the film and I guess the film was growing up with you as well in
04:42 that sense. But are there particular sequences, any particular scenes that stand out?
04:47 I like, I mean, for those who don't know the plot of the film, they're working towards
04:53 winning a cup. There are a number of different schools, they all enter somebody within the
04:59 cup and they have to win it. So I think the most interesting ones are where they're doing
05:04 those challenges. They have to do several different challenges and then each challenge,
05:08 one of the characters will win it. And I think there's a scene where they're in a maze and
05:13 it's a little bit spooky and it's the final scene where they're trying to win the cup
05:17 and it takes a slight different turn and it's really interesting. So I'd say, yeah, probably
05:21 those ones where they're doing the challenges and probably that final challenge where they're
05:25 trying to get the cup is really interesting.
05:27 And I think the acting as well because you have all these great British thespians and
05:31 you know, the Harry Potter films are well known. We've talked about it on Kent Tonight
05:35 after Sir Michael Gambon died. But is there anybody who really stands out performance
05:41 wise in Goblet of Fire?
05:42 I think most of them are really incredible actors but I do really like Rupert Grint who
05:48 plays Ron because he actually had no previous acting experience. So I think it's really
05:53 impressive actually because I think he's a very natural actor. It almost seems like he's
05:58 just playing himself and he doesn't try too hard and he comes out with these little remarks
06:02 that are just really, really funny. So I'd say, yeah, Rupert Grint has got to be up there
06:06 but I do think the main three do work really well and pair really well, the three of them
06:11 together.
06:12 So, but yeah, if I had to pick I'd say Ron is most impressive because he's had no previous
06:16 acting experience and he was just a child when he started it. But you can see their
06:20 acting develop throughout the films so that's really interesting as well. And the final
06:24 two, Deathly Hallows, are the ones that I've actually been more into recently. I know I
06:28 picked this because it's my ultimate favourite but the Deathly Hallows I think is the ones
06:31 actually at the moment I've been watching a lot more because you can see how much they've
06:34 developed throughout the films.
06:35 Okay, well you're clearly a fan. I buy that one. Alright, well it's time now, Sophia,
06:39 to move on to your second chosen film and this is a classic. You've gone for Titanic
06:44 which of course I have seen.
06:45 Yeah, of course. It's one of my all-time favourites. The reason I chose the Titanic is because
06:52 back in 2012 it was actually the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ship. So that was when
06:57 I, I guess my fascination with the film but also with the Titanic historically, that's
07:03 when that happened because it was all over the news. The film was being shown in the
07:07 cinema so I kind of went down a few rabbit holes and did a little bit of research about
07:11 the Titanic and I knew about it before but finding out more about it was, it was really
07:17 interesting to find out about what had happened. So I had to watch the film and it's two of
07:21 my favourite actors, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. I just think that they're incredible
07:25 and yeah, I had to watch the film which of course isn't completely based on fact but
07:29 it's based on say couples stories that would have been on the ship. So yeah, it's an interesting
07:34 one for sure.
07:35 Absolutely and I did see this because I'm obviously just on the basis of what you've
07:39 divulged a little bit older than you and I saw this when it came out in '98 and there
07:43 were times when you'd have like 10 screen multiplexes that were only showing Titanic.
07:47 Maybe one other film might be squeezed in, in like a late night slot. So this was a really
07:51 big deal and of course it won multiple Oscars. So when you first saw this, I'm guessing it
07:56 was on the small screen.
07:58 It was on the small screen. You know what it was? It was a video tape as well. It was
08:01 like a VCR that I put into the video recorder. I think I'd got it from a charity shop or
08:07 something because I'd become so fascinated with researching it. My parents were like,
08:11 well you should watch the film so I went to the charity shop and bought it and I think
08:15 I'm just such a sucker for a romance. It's almost a little bit Shakespearean style, star
08:20 crossed lovers that perhaps aren't destined to be together. Quite a tragic love story.
08:25 Yeah I'm just a sucker for a romance and I think the way they did it was really good
08:29 but also as I was saying with Harry Potter, the music I think really adds to the kind
08:33 of enjoyment of the film. There's that lovely Irish music throughout and what's really interesting
08:38 with the Titanic is quite a few of the songs throughout, they're all a version of the anthem
08:44 My Heart Will Go On, which you'll know from the Titanic. They're all a slight different
08:49 version of it so if there's a sad part in the film they'll play a slightly more sombre
08:53 version and if there's a happy part it'll be slightly higher notes. So that was really
08:57 interesting. I think that's great and it shows you the different themes and emotions in that
09:02 scene.
09:03 Yeah and also when I saw the film, of course there was the rather famous Celine Dion soundtrack,
09:09 but there is something about this film and the music and the fact that as you say, because
09:13 Leonardo DiCaprio of course was in Romeo and Juliet, the Baz Luhrmann film, just a few
09:17 years before that. But this is a film where you know from the outset that it's arguably
09:23 not going to have a happy ending because we know what happens to the Titanic but it turns
09:27 into a different kind of genre. It becomes a romance and actually at the end they go
09:31 to a lot of effort to try and make sure that this is a sad film, a poignant film, but it's
09:36 not quite as downbeat as you might expect a film about the sinking of the Titanic to
09:40 be.
09:41 Yeah, that's it because I think for those who will know the film, Rose, the protagonist,
09:47 is she comes from a very wealthy background, yeah a background of parents who are very
09:52 wealthy. Jack comes from the complete opposite, he has nothing and he kind of just gets on
09:56 the boat on a whim. But they have this, they meet each other and there's something that
10:00 they can both offer to each other that they don't have in their lives and it's a very
10:04 quick paced, yeah a little bit similar to Romeo and Juliet in that way in the fact that
10:08 Rose's parents certainly wouldn't approve of her being with Jack, but they do it anyway
10:15 and yeah it's interesting because when you think of the Titanic you know what happens
10:20 and you know historically that the ship sunk, but I'm sure there will have been many couples
10:25 on that ship that did fall in love. So Rose you see comes away with kind of a new take
10:32 on it and she's happy that she's met Jack.
10:34 And also of course you mentioned nostalgia in relation to Harry Potter, but here you've
10:37 got Gloria Stewart who is playing the 100 or so old woman and of course she's much older
10:45 now looking back at the younger version played by Kate Winslet reflecting on her life and
10:50 the love that didn't die. I saw it again in 3D not too long ago and it still works, it's
10:55 magic.
10:56 It really does, doesn't it? It's one of those films, yeah I think you can just watch it
11:00 again and again and it's of course a really emotional film so every time you watch it,
11:06 it's almost as if you're seeing it for the first time and it kind of just pulls on your
11:09 heart strings that little bit more and yeah every single time. It's such a gripping film,
11:15 it's a long film but I think it needs to be because it needs to capture how the actual
11:20 event happened at the time, how the ship sunk at the time. So yeah it's really interesting
11:25 but every time I watch it, it's almost as if I'm seeing it for the first time.
11:29 Brilliant, well thank you Sophia. That's about all the time we have for the first half of
11:33 the show. However before we go to the break we have a Kent film trivia question for you
11:37 at home.
11:39 Which historic war film was centred around Rochester Castle? Was it A) Ironclad, B)
11:47 The Eagle or was it C) Centurion? We'll reveal the answer right after this break. Don't go
11:54 away.
12:06 Hello and welcome back to Kent Film Club. Just before the ad break we asked you at home
12:10 a Kent film trivia question. Which historic war film was centred around Rochester Castle?
12:17 I asked was it A) Ironclad, B) The Eagle or C) Centurion? And now I can reveal to you
12:24 that the answer was in fact A) Ironclad. Although the film itself takes place around Rochester
12:30 Castle, it was actually filmed in the Welsh countryside where a replica of the castle
12:35 was created. Did you get the answer right? Well it is time now Sophia to move on to your
12:41 next chosen film and this is a classic, Sliding Doors. Why have you chosen this film?
12:47 So this is a film I watched with my parents when I was really young and it immediately
12:53 resonated with me because the concept of the film is actually something I think about every
12:57 single day and the concept for those who don't know is how every small decision you make
13:03 in your life could have such a big impact on everything else. And the character, it
13:07 shows her life in two different ways. In one way she got on the tube and in one way she'd
13:12 missed her tube. And I won't spoil too much but in both realities you see actually her
13:16 life is so different from that split second of missing her tube. She can meet different
13:20 people, she can make different lifestyle choices, she can discover things that she's not learnt
13:24 about. It's something I honestly think about every day. Say I'd left the house five minutes
13:28 earlier today, what could I have missed? Or say I'd burnt my toast and left five minutes
13:32 later, what could I have missed? It's always something that I think about so it had to
13:37 be a choice because it's something I think about every day is those Sliding Doors moments.
13:41 And I saw this also like Titanic in 1998 and the funny thing about it is that when I watched
13:47 it I thought why hasn't somebody made this film before? I suppose Groundhog Day deals
13:50 with similar themes. But you're right, there's a premise in this. It's by a British director
13:55 who was Joey Inbred, the sitcom in the 80s. But it was one of those sort of films that
14:00 felt like it has such a universal theme. Why haven't there been loads of Sliding Doors
14:05 films like this before? Maybe they were in an alternate universe.
14:08 Yeah, it's so true. It's such a, yeah, almost like a common sense thing. Why hasn't it been
14:13 made sooner? And as you say, I guess there are certain films that do have those elements
14:18 to it. I think it was so almost revolutionary because it's something that we can all relate
14:23 to and I think it's also known as the butterfly effect, isn't it? Where every little thing
14:27 you do could have, so say it could have such a big impact on that day, as I was saying
14:31 before I'd left the house five minutes earlier, or say you make bigger decisions like, I don't
14:34 know, taking a job or going on holiday, how much more of an impact that could actually
14:37 have on your entire life. So I think everyone that watches this will in some way be able
14:42 to relate to it and I think it's interesting how they've made both aspects of her life
14:47 really different from that one decision. And it's like every time I get on a tube now it
14:51 reminds me of this film because I'm like, imagine if I missed it. What would have happened?
14:55 Because I've had moments in my life as well where I knew somebody at university, or rather
15:00 I didn't know, we all went to the same events. We've met up now after 30 years and we realise
15:04 we're all at the same events but we're always like one table apart. And I realise that that's
15:08 a sliding doors moment in my life, but it's almost as though we could have met 30 years
15:12 ago and spoken, but 30 years later we did. So there are elements here of destiny and
15:16 fate and chance and magic.
15:18 There are, aren't there? Yeah, that's really interesting. It's weird when those situations
15:22 happen and you realise that you were at the same place as somebody all those years ago
15:27 and you may have crossed paths with someone or say you grew up in the same area and you
15:31 never knew but you meet years down the line. It is really interesting. I think that's why
15:35 this is so powerful, it's because we've probably all had a moment and unfortunately we'll never
15:40 know. We'll never actually know the reality, maybe in a parallel universe somewhere, but
15:43 we'll never know. Say if we did miss our tube once, we'll never know what would have happened
15:49 if we hadn't, we hadn't. So that's why I think it's interesting, this film, because you can
15:52 see the potential realities and sometimes I'm sure there wouldn't really be much difference,
15:57 but other times you could meet someone that has a big impact on your life or you could
16:01 meet someone that gives you a job or you could, yeah, it's so interesting that every small
16:06 decision you make you don't really think about it but it can have such an impact on your
16:11 life.
16:12 I think that's such an important point and you just made me think though that there is
16:14 one way I guess in which it could work is if somebody is on the tube in front of you
16:18 or the bus in front of you and they tell you a story afterwards and you think, hang on,
16:22 if I'd been on that bus I might have met so and so. I know somebody once who chose not
16:27 to go to a restaurant for a meal and it turns out that they were a big James Bond fan and
16:30 Timothy Dalton apparently was at that restaurant and they were like, if only I'd gone with
16:34 my parents. Who knows, maybe my life would have been completely different.
16:38 That is true, yeah. You almost need somebody to be like, can you get on the tube just to
16:42 tell me if that version of my life is going to be better. Yeah, it's interesting isn't
16:47 it that different realities.
16:48 I've got to ask because there are these two versions of her life. Do you sort of watch
16:53 it and sort of think, is there one that really resonates or do they both resonate? Do you
16:58 watch it and think, gosh this is my life or this could be my life or in a parallel universe
17:03 this is already my life?
17:04 Well there's a version, without spoiling too much, where she discovers something quite
17:09 big about her life and of course that's the version I'm like, well good because she needed
17:14 to find out. But her discovering that may then stop her from meeting someone or from
17:21 doing another thing in her life. So it's kind of weird that they can sort of overlap. If
17:24 you take one path in life it may give you certain opportunities but you may miss out
17:30 on something that you would have got if you'd taken that other path in life. So you can't
17:34 always have the best of both worlds, can you?
17:37 Absolutely and it's such a film that resonates. So is this a film that is carried with you?
17:43 Every time that you watch it do you pick up on something different? Do you sometimes see,
17:47 maybe at a different stage of your life as you get older, do you think, oh that really
17:51 resonates. Maybe it's something that you didn't pick up on first time.
17:54 Yeah, definitely. I think it's important as well that it's a female protagonist because
17:58 you can definitely relate to certain aspects of her life. When I was younger, I watched
18:02 it when I was very young, there were parts of it that perhaps I couldn't really resonate
18:07 with and now once you're older you can resonate with other parts and be like, oh something
18:10 similar has happened to me. Or perhaps if I do these things, similar things will happen.
18:15 I guess it teaches you a lesson about your values and certain things and I think what's
18:20 important is she has this growth and she realises certain things of perhaps she deserves better
18:25 and perhaps actually missing the tube was a good thing or maybe it wasn't. You'll have
18:29 to watch and see.
18:30 Well I'm definitely going to watch that again. Well thank you Sophia. It's time now to move
18:34 on to your final chosen film and oh this could not be more appropriate because it is the
18:39 Christmas season. I have seen this film once on the big screen, once on the small screen
18:44 in the last two occasions, The Holiday.
18:47 I had to pick a Christmas film during the festive season. It was only appropriate. I
18:53 wanted to pick The Holiday because I absolutely, I must say, I adore most Christmas films.
18:58 I don't think there are many Christmas films that I've disliked but The Holiday, ironically
19:03 actually it's a film I would watch all year round. Not many Christmas films I would watch
19:07 all year round but while it is based at Christmas time, I wouldn't say the overriding theme
19:12 is Christmas. I think it just sort of happens to be set during Christmas and New Year but
19:18 the reason I like it is because I think it's about two women that are perhaps going through
19:24 a hardship in their life. Maybe they're having men let them down in their life and they take
19:29 a spontaneous decision to get away for Christmas, have a completely different life and they
19:35 essentially switch lives. They switch houses, cars, everything. So they meet people in their
19:40 life and then the other character meets people in their life. I think it's important because
19:44 it says a lot about discovery for the women and them realising that they can be independent
19:51 and they learn a lot about themselves and I think you come away from it thinking I want
19:56 to book a spontaneous holiday now so maybe over New Year that's what I'll be doing.
20:01 Absolutely and there is something a bit like Sliding Doors because you've got the American
20:06 Cameron Diaz who almost walks into a Richard Curtis rom-com and then you've got Iris, the
20:12 Kate Winslet character who goes into a Nora Ephron American rom-com and then you sort
20:17 of see their worlds collide.
20:18 Yeah, they have such different lives yet again. You see Kate Winslet lives in a little cottage
20:24 in Surrey and Cameron Diaz's character lives in a massive amazing home in LA so it is really
20:32 interesting and I think they can learn a lot from each other about, I guess Amanda, Cameron
20:38 Diaz's character can learn to maybe enjoy the simpler things in life and learn that
20:43 it's not always maybe about the extravagance and having a rich, sorry an extravagant home
20:50 and things like that and Kate Winslet's character learns that perhaps she does deserve more
20:55 and she doesn't need to settle for less and she realises a lot about herself and in the
21:01 film interestingly she watches loads of films where there are strong female characters and
21:07 I think she takes a lot away from that and it's really nice to see how they both develop
21:11 and interestingly both the characters maybe have, they take similar traits from each other
21:17 and maybe become a little bit more like each other.
21:19 And one of the most powerful scenes was with Eli Wallach who's the 90 year old screenwriter
21:25 who forms up a friendship with Iris and he says to her, "You're a leading lady but you're
21:31 acting like the best friend" and he talks about all these cute tropes and it's like
21:35 a deconstruction of the rom-com but also giving you the rom-com so it's like dissecting it
21:40 but also giving it to you with bells on at the same time.
21:43 Yeah and it's that moment and Iris says that she's never once had any of her therapist
21:49 say anything that has resonated with her that much and that's another nice aspect of the
21:53 film is the relationship she forms with the older man and she helps him, he's like a famous
22:00 director in Hollywood in the film and she helps him to, I guess he'd been sort of bed
22:06 bound and things like that and she's helped him to develop in his life and then he's helped
22:11 her to understand her worth so I think it's always really nice where you see two characters
22:16 perhaps both needing something and they can both offer that to each other and it's nice
22:20 when it's just a platonic relationship, you don't always need love although there may
22:24 be romance in the film, it's sometimes nice where you just see friendships in a film as
22:29 well where you can learn things from each other from two very different backgrounds.
22:33 I think just everything about the film is so nice, it's very cosy watching it based
22:37 at Christmas time but I think it's not just about Christmas, it's about the other elements
22:43 and the things that the main characters can learn and of course the two male characters
22:47 as well, they learn a little bit throughout too.
22:51 And do you feel, as with Sliding Doors, do you sort of resonate with both of their lives
22:55 or one of their lives, do you wish that maybe they'd taken a different path because they
22:59 all collide?
23:00 Well interestingly Iris is a journalist so perhaps maybe slightly resonate with her and
23:07 she lives in I guess one of the home counties and she wants maybe something a little bit
23:11 more in her life so it definitely is interesting in that way.
23:15 I think perhaps I can resonate with the both of them in certain ways because they're both
23:19 going through something in their life and they're both on a journey of self-discovery
23:23 so maybe that's what I'm doing, maybe I need to go on a journey of self-discovery as well.
23:28 This has been fascinating, Sophia brilliant choices, thank you so much.
23:31 Well I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today.
23:34 Many thanks to Sophia Aitken for joining us and being such a brilliant guest and many
23:39 thanks to you all for tuning in.
23:40 Be sure to come back and join us again at the same time next week.
23:44 Until then that's all from us, goodbye.
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