Retrospective Cinema at GFF24

In a year celebrating three milestone anniversaries for Glasgow Film, it's no shock that the special events and free morning screenings take a look back at the classics and lesser-shown favourites from these times. But what came as a pleasant surprise was the sheer volume of older film screenings across numerous strands unrelated to Glasgow Film’s history. This is a subjective, non-comprehensive guide to the diverse range of retrospective programming to be found throughout the festival.

The second of many collaborations between Marlene Dietrich and director Josef von Sternberg, this romance is responsible for the enduringly alluring image of Dietrich smoking in an iconic top hat and suit. It's a moment that still has sapphics in shambles, making it the perfect start to What Will the Men Wear? , an inspired curation highlighting queer, outlandish fashion in Old Hollywood cinema. This special screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Invisible Women hosted by season curator, Rosie Beattie.

As an up-and-coming Ginger Rogologist, the prospect of a Dolores del Río retrospective sent me into a frenzy. Would this include a rare chance to catch Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire's first collaboration on the big screen? Thankfully the answer was yes. While it was that dancing duo that drew me to this film in the past, a rewatch will allow me to fully focus on Del Río, the main star. This screening will be introduced by Invisible Women.

After sharing the screen with Elvis and Ginger and Fred, Dolores will face her most unexpected co-star yet: herself! Del Río plays identical twins in this Spanish noir, which was remade decades later with Bette Davis. After having been on my radar for a few years, now is the time to check this original version off my list, and what better way to do so than with a sound system and audience? This screening will also be introduced by Invisible Women, the curators of the Wild Flower, Flaming Star: The Films of Dolores del Río strand.

The focus of last year's Invisible Women-curated retrospective, Lee Grant returns to GFF, this time as a director of fiction. Having neither seen nor heard of the film before the programme was announced, this new restoration will surely surprise me in one way or another. You can see a much younger Melvyn Douglas in Ninotchka, screening a mere 14 hours later!

The last of four selections from 1939 — both Hollywood's Golden Year and the year GFT's cinema was built — this free screening of Ninotchka provides me with another opportunity to whittle down my to-watch list. But if one Greta Garbo vehicle isn’t enough for you, you can catch one of her earlier performances in Queen Christina. Garbo shines as the nonconforming monarch, a great pre-code role that is ripe to be re-interpreted. This screening will be introduced (virtually) by film historian and author Laura Horak.

Scorsese of the Month returns to GFF with a brand spanking new restoration of one of the director's lesser seen works (even his daughter Francesca hasn't seen it, she admits in her podcast (I'm a hog for a good nepo baby)). Filled with wonderfully offbeat supporting performances and a rare leading role for Griffin Dunne, it's an absurdist comedy where everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Whether it's your first time or your fortieth, energies at this crisp screening are sure to be high.

What can I say? No programme is complete without some Christopher Doyle cinematography and a wee sob! Playing as part of Love is Sweet, Oh!, alongside Bend it Like Beckham and a rare chance to see Love Jones in the cinema.

Tickets are available now for all screenings, excluding those from Our Story So Far, the free morning retrospective. Free tickets are available on the door from 10am on the morning of each screening.