At The Cinema at Gloucester Guildhall this week: We play host to the most powerful man in the world....'J.Edgar'

March at The Cinema at Gloucester Guildhall continues this week with J.Edgar, the eagerly awaited return to the director's chair of the legendary Clint Eastwood. With a career as an actor and director that would probably cover a thousand of these blog posts, he is widely recognised for playing The Man With No Name in Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy (A Fistful Of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly) and of course who could forget his unforgettable performance as Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry films. His achievements in directing have likewise received much critical and commercial acclaim with most recent credits including Million Dollar Baby, Changeling, Gran Torino and Letters from Iwo Jima.

His latest project takes him into the biopic genre and, as candidate for a dramatic re-telling of their life and career past, selects perhaps one of the most powerful, controversial and enigmatic figures of the 20th Century. Best known as the creator and director of America's Federal Bureau Investigation, J.Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio-The Aviator) was the true face of law enforcement in the United States for over 50 years with the Palmer Raids of 1919-1920 his lasting legacy that saw the arrests of more than 500 radical leftists. He was a man who was feared and admired yet reviled and revered in equal measure. Behind closed doors however, lay dark secrets about his sexuality that had the potential to destroy his life, image and career. This film, though of course not entirely accurate to historical fact, aims to unearth through flashback the troubled past of this much troubled figure.

Penned by Academy Award winning Dustin Lance Black (Milk), and featuring an all star supporting cast including Armie Hammer (The Social Network), Naomi Watts (Fair Game) and the incomparable Dame Judi Dench (currently starring in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel which opens here next week) as Hoover's mother, total credit has to be given to DiCaprio who provides a powerhouse performance in the lead role that sees him play Hoover from his young adult years right up until (thanks to the make-up department) his late 70s when he died in 1992. It was enough for him to be deservedly awarded a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Actor.

Appearing in the Top 10 films of 2011 for both the American Film Institute and the National Board Of Review, don't miss your chance to see this compelling and engaging film buoyed by a fantastic central performance.

Check out the trailer below:

J.Edgar (15) runs from Friday 16th-Thursday 22nd March 2012

**NOTE**

J.Edgar is just one of many films that will be up for discussion at our monthly film club-Gloucester Cinematics. If you would like to talk about this, or any other films you've seen at the Guildhall or even elsewhere over the past month, then why not come along and share your opinion with other like-minded people in the relaxed environment of The Place- The Guildhall's cafe/bar area. The next session is on Wednesday 28th March at 8pm. More details about the Gloucester Cinematics can be found on the 'Cinema' section of the Gloucester Guildhall website.