Anne Billson can be contacted on Twitter, where her username is @AnneBillson, or on Facebook, where she’s the Anne Billson with the Cyrillic letters. (Note to Russian speakers – she doesn’t really live in Petropavlovskkamchatskiy. This is just a ploy to throw potential stalkers off the scent. Unless, of course, you’re a potential stalker, in which case she totally does live there.)
Or you could leave your message here. Please note that if you write things she considers unkind or unnecessary, she will remove the message, and you will not only be blocked, but also cursed with the Curse of Billson for the rest of your life, which after the Curse of Billson will be a very unpleasant one. And you don’t want that.
MULTIGLOM 
Hi Anne, we would like to have you as a guest for the 10th edition of the Lumiere Film Festival in Lyon, which will be awarding the top prize to Jane Fonda this year, with special guests including Javier Bardem and Golden Lion winner Alfonso Cuaron. I look forward to hearing back from you. All the best, Lise @ the festival press office.
I just read your 1985 interview with George Miller. I did not realize that in 1985 he was talking about a female hero in a Mad Max setting, but he makes a good point about Aunty Entity as a female hero turned tyrant. I still have not seen Fury Road, but I recall most reading an article or ‘review’ of the movie online that complained that the woman was the hero of the movie and not Mad Max and that it was backdoor Hollywood feminism. That’s a polite summary of the review whose tone wasn’t polite at all. We had a laugh about it at work. I have, of course, seen all three of the original Mad Max movies several times. The post-apoc movie that I found most pleasantly surprising in recent years was The Book of Eli which I thought was very well done, restrained, and just added enough of something new to the formulaic genre (with an ode to the Spaghetti Westerns). Thanks for the article.
Thanks for your comments. I did quite like the Book of Eli, though thought the villains could have been better written. Must watch Fury Road again – it’s great fun, and no one directs multi-vehicle car chases quite like Miller.
Seems to have been in the air, as Raymond Birn might say, Tom Baker publicly suggested a female Dr. Who around 1980 when he departed the show. They finally got there in 2018. There have been many gender shifts since 2000; Starbuck became a female as did Cain in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica in 2003. Star Trek finally had female starship captain in 1995. Enculturation of modernity.
Hello – thanks for your column on muses — much needed. Absolutely a creepy term meant to erase the personhood and creative existence of the woman and assign all credit for her work to the man. As I think about it, the only way a woman could avoid that was to be an on-screen bitch, and then it was all about how she had to be managed, that wildcat! Again, not actually a person, but the director’s property. Feh.
Please could we have more unusual photos of Sir Christopher lee he is the best iconic actor who acted Dracula wonderfully,
Hello Anne,
I want to ask you if it is possible to publish a small article with a link to my website at https://www.theguardian.com. I think the article would be interesting.
My website provides translation services for subtitles from one language to another, the translation is done automatically via google translator with the ability to edit that subtitle after it is translated to get a clean translation of subtitles from one language to another . We have three types of subtitle translators on the website and one can even translate up to 20 subtitles at once. Please take a look at my website and if you decide to publish an article with my website I would be very grateful.
Best regards,
Slaven
Hello Slaven, I am not sure I understand. Are you asking me to write an article for you, or do you want to reproduce an article I have already written?
Ciao Anne. New lockdown in Italy, so days in Salento to read all your articles and order your books. Love cats and blocks of flats, punk days in The Oval long gone but impressed with your photograph of the wall of books in Clapham in the late 1970’s. And will watch the du Maurier films hopefully in the order you have just listed them in The Guardian….no need for the new Rebecca.
Hey Shelagh, Good to hear from you! Salento, eh. One day I’ll be able to travel again… Lockdown here in Antwerp too – bars and cinemas just shut down for the second time, so nothing for it but to plug on with the new novel… Not seen the new Rebecca but 100% recommend The Queen’s Gambit, best mini-series in years. x
Well. Your gambit of recommending The Queen’s Gambit really played off. Excellent.
Maybe when you will be able to do a move travel wise you can come to Salento. The Tricase Film Festival is something Miss Mirren goes to!
More recommendations please.
The first two seasons of GLOW are great, but I got bored during the third.
The GOOD PLACE is delightful nearly all the way through. Best not to read anything in advance.
RUSSIAN DOLL is good.
First two seasons of FARGO are fab, though it went sharply downhill in the third.
First season of LEGION is legit mind-blowing but in the second season it went downhill pretty fast.
MINDHUNTER is compelling (even if you’re fed up with serial killers, as I was) but grim.
SUCCESSION takes a few episodes to get going, but once it takes off it’s a blast, and very addictive.
Finally, if you haven’t already seen it, have plenty of time on your hands and are willing to concentrate (if you don’t watch properly you will miss half the pay-offs later on), THE WIRE is one of the best TV shows ever made. Dickensian in scope, though the last season was a bit rushed.
hello -missing you and need feedback on art and photo since we depend on your past experience
as Intern’l arts voyager- can we send images ? Ciao and dewa mata
Hi Nina, good to hear from you. I think you already have my email address. x
Hi Anne. It seems impossible to contact you so I’m going to try it here – hoping for a response. I’m currently studying (Film) my last year at Ravensbourne University here in London and I’m working on my dissertation about the Female Gaze. If possible, it would be amazing to get an interview with you – zoom or in person. Whatever works for you. I’m on twitter/instagram/facebook (@mathilderikner and/or Mathilde Rikner) but I do also have an email (matrikner@gmail.com) – please give me a shout! x
Hi, I live in Belgium, so face to face meetings aren’t feasible right now, and I use Zoom as little as possible. I would be happy to answer some written questions – but not TOO many, please! I’ll mail you my email address. all the best AB
Great ghost list in the Guardian. Saw The Haunting aged 14. Terrified me, in the cinema, never forgotten the experience.
You forgot the original, “Changeling”. I think around1980. That rocking chair at the top of the stairs and a brilliant unexpected ending!
I like The Changeling, but never found the ghost very scary – it’s just a poor little boy seeking justice/revenge.
Hi Anne, my name’s Nick and a while back I stumbled across a movie I had never heard of, it completely blew me away and so ever since I’ve been desperately trying to convince everyone across movie fandom to give it a shot and hopefully drag it out of complete obscurity. The movies called ‘The Beast of War’ aka ‘The Beast’ from 1988, Directed by Kevin reynolds staring George dzundza – Jason Patric and Steven bauer, it was only released in two screens across the whole of the U.S. By columbia pictures, and I kid you not when I say this is the best Hollywood film you’ve never heard of. Quentin tarantino’s old writing partner Roger avery has it down as the best movie of 1988 on letterboxd, and he also has it down as one of his 20 desert island films with ‘Apocalypse now’ being the only other war film. The film has a rating of 7.3 on imdb, 3.5 on letterboxd, but not a single critics review on rottentomatoes, but it does have an audience score of 84%. I’m starting to get more and more podcasts to check it out and review it while letterboxd reviews seem to be on the increase now. I think it would be great if companies like Criterion or Shout factory etc could get their hands on it and give it the exposure it clearly needs. Please seek this film out, it’s available on dvd and streaming, so it won’t be difficult to track down and if you do see it let me know if you agree with me that this might be one of the 10 best american movies of the 1980s, one way or another we need to find a way to raise this movies profile and prevent it from continual obscurity once and for all. Just check out the trailer. Thank you.
Hi Nick, Thanks for your message. I did see this film back in the 1980s, though it clearly didn’t have the impact on me that it had on you. If you want to raise a movie’s profile, the best way is probably to do a blog or podcast about it, or even tweet about it. Have you thought about WHY you liked it so much? That might be an interesting starting-point for a blog post or letterbox review. All the best AB
Hi, Anne! My name is Matías Carnevale and I work as a cultural journalist here in Argentina. I’m also an occasional translator: I translated poems and essays by Heathcote Williams, Carl Sandburg, and Julian Barnes, among others.
I once read your story about Jonesy, the cat in Alien, but I can’t find it now. Would you please share it with me? I’m a big fan of the first 4 Alien films, and –if you allow me to– I’d like to translate the story.
PS. If you can read in Spanish, I could send you a book I wrote on 70s and 80s American science fiction films.
Hi Matías, thanks for your message. Sorry it has taken me so long to reply. After one year of lockdown I’m going a bit mad, I think, and my organisational skills (never great to begin with) are currently all over the place.
My Day by Jones is available in my book Cats on Film (available in paperback and kindle) but if you’re serious about translating it I could let you have a PDF file of the book. All I ask in return is that if you sell it for publication anywhere, you share the publication fee with me.
My Spanish is terrible, but I would still love to see your book.
Thanks for your kind reply, Anne! I’ll send my book to an e-mail address of your choice.
Would you please share the PDF with me? Selling translations is a little bit more difficult than selling fiction, and even harder than selling non-fiction, but I’ll do my best.
Hi Anne, I was just wondering RE your article, ‘My favourite film aged 12: The Charge of the Light Brigade’ – also a favourite of mine. According to the BBFC it was released at 138 m, but the longest version available now is 125 m. Since there seems to be very little information/interest around this film, do you know anything about the stuff that’s missing from it? Regards, Brogan
I don’t have twitter & how in the world does one use Cyrillic letters to find your Facebook page to contact you? Seriously. Google certainly wasn’t much help. I’m wondering if I’m missing something.
Be that as it may, I’ll leave a comment here on your Guardian article on the top 20 duels. Yes, I understand the subjective nature of such lists & that you’re certainly immensely perceptive & knowledgeable. There are certainly sentimental favorites of yours that are bound to creep in with all of 20 duels to choose from – but some of your sentimental Japanese choices crowding out the overwhelming consensual reality of the vast majority – on what are considered the all time works of genius is well, beyond me. See if you disagree on second thought. Considered by so many to be the very best sword fight ever filmed is Toshiro Mifune in Kobyashi’s Samurai Rebellion. So great a classic normally considered to eclipse all other Japanese sword duels, that Tarantino paid undisputed, substantial homage to it in Kill Bill 1 in terms of Uma Thurman’s otherwise incomparable sword fight scene. Not just one but both omitted from your list? It’s your list of course so I’ll leave it at that in terms of sword fighting. You introduce a gun fight & a superlative choice you made in terms of Barry Lyndon but I would submit the duel in Ridley Scott’s The Duelists is no less extraordinary & soulful. It was as you’re certainly aware an homage to Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon & commonly regarded as a better, deeper more entertaining film. I can live with that omission if I have to but including all time greatest duels involving guns as well & no mention of The Good, the Bad & the Ugly’s duel at the end? I can understand a note at the end as to why you didn’t include these undeniable classics & masterpieces that still resonate so profoundly – but but not even that? It’s your privilege to be as quixotic as you like of course & your choices were never less then intelligently entertaining as far as they went (& some I couldn’t agree with more) but if you were merely a hack, I wouldn’t have bothered with this. Best.
It was one-on-one sword fight duels, not guns, pistols or light sabres. And, as you so rightly point out, this sort of list is by its very nature subjective. I’m sorry if I omitted your favourites. Indeed, if I were to make a list like this a week from now, it would probably be different. It’s only a list!
I just clicked on your Barry Lyndon link & can know see it was the sword fight & not the musket duel you ere referring to so I’ll happily retract my gun duel remarks.
Thanks a lot for your article on Cinema’s greatest duels. Did you forget to include MGMs Scaramouch with Stewart Granger and Mel Ferrar. I think it lasted five minutes or so?
Kind regards Howard
You must have missed it, because I included it!
Hi Anne,
My name is Lucy O’Leary and I am a journalist at the University of Central Lancashire.
I am currently working on a written feature piece that discusses the change in landscape and nature of cinema; in the wake of the power and popularity of streaming services and how many are coming to favour these over the physical, immersive experience of cinema.
If you would be willing to discuss this with me, I’d love to hear from you.
My email address is: lucyohleary@gmail.com
Very best wishes,
Lucy
Hi Lucy, it’s an interesting subject but I would need to give it some thought and make notes and possibly even do some research, and it’s a tricky time of the year for me what with deadlines, tax paperwork and so on, so I’m afraid I don’t have the time to help you out at the moment. I reckon your best bet would be to find someone who has already written an article on the subject, which means they would already have done the background work and formed their views on it, and thus would probably be better positioned to spare you the time to discuss it. I’m sorry I can’t help more, but wish you the best of luck. Anne
Hi Anne,
My name is Lucy O’Leary and I am a journalist at the University of Central Lancashire.
I am currently working on a written feature piece that discusses the change in landscape and nature of cinema; in the wake of the power and popularity of streaming services and how many are coming to favour this over the physical, immersive experience of cinema.
If you would be willing to discuss this with me, I’d love to hear from you.
My email address is: lucyohleary@gmail.com
Very best wishes,
Lucy
Hi Anne,
I would love to interview you for my upcoming book on women in giallo. Could I contact you per email or FB? Thank you in advance! I’d be very grateful.
Marta
Hi Marta,
I’m sorry, but I don’t think I know enough about the subject to say anything of interest without doing a great deal of research beforehand, which would be impossible right now as my rent has just gone up and I need to direct all my energy into finding work to pay for the increase. There are many critics who know a lot more about giallo than me; I’m sure you can find someone who will be able to help. Best of luck.
Hello Anne,
I wanted to make you aware of a screening I’m organising in London, a film you have blogged about (in this very space) and I gather you’re an enthusiast of…BILLY THE KID AND THE GREEN BAIZE VAMPIRE. This hasn’t been shown in London since 2002 per my research and will be shown in 35mm – announcement soon! When I start promoting the screening would you be willing to chip in with support on Twitter and so on? I’m @LostVampires_UK on Twitter (follow me) and I can also be reached at the email below (geoff@lostvampires.co.uk). Hope you can help! Thanks!
Hi Geoff, yes! please keep me in the loop and I will definitely tweet about it. All the best, Anne
Anne, That is much appreciated! You should start seeing announcements on Twitter in a few weeks! Best, Geoff
pls contact ninak cause we need promo or maybe you have pics o me from gaku days- pls tell me
Hope I can assist too – ya can do reviews maybe too. bestest – lol to m. too
re: SOHO 1983: A GIRL’S GUIDE TO PEEP SHOWS, TOPLESS BARS & NUDE ENCOUNTERS
Just read your guide. I’m reaching out in the chance you may have a clear picture of the front of an old club, THE PINK PUSSYCAT that was in Soho. For the past 40 years I’ve been trying on and off to find the girl I should have married but instead broke her heart. I’ve hired a Private Detective agency in Belfast to try to locate her so I can have a letter delivered to her. Any information you have on the club, if any, would be great appreciated. Let me know if this is something you might help with, and I’ll pay whatever fee you want. Here is my email: gaf1996@icloud.com
Thanks.
Gus
Sorry Gus, I don’t think I can help you. But if I do turn up a picture of The Pink Pussycat I’ll let you know.
I was hoping to interview you about your Let the Right One in book for our upcoming episode of The Projection Booth podcast about the movie. Could you drop me a line?
Hi Anne!
Are you familiar with Annie Wersching’s work? She passed away recently and we at TRT World’s Arts and Culture programme ‘Showcase’ are planning a homage segment. I was hoping you could join us on Thursday at 1430 GMT via skype to talk about her.
Please let me know if you’re available and interested to join us.
Sorry, only just saw this. But wouldn’t have been able to help you anyway as I am not familiar with her work. All the best, Anne
Hi Anne. I just watched ‘Warriors’, and I thought of you. I enjoyed the movie, it’s short, punchy and direct. I hope you’re well.
Hi Graham, Good to hear from you! How are you? Did you see the pictures of you on my Screen on the Hill post? x
I’ve seen them now! What’s worse, my moustache or the jumpers?
But those are some wonderful photos, thank you. I shall send the link to my kids, and they will have a right old giraffe.
Yes I’m well, live in Oxfordshire. I’ll put no more details on the website but all good. Still alive yay
Hello Anne! I work at a bookstore in Texas that hosts a monthly BFI Book Club where we read a selection from the series and discuss the film and its critique. For the month of October, we will be reading your assessment of John Carpenter’s THE THING. It has become a tradition to reach out to the authors and ask if they’d like to send a small statement that I read at the top of our discussion. There is no obligation to participate, but I would be remiss not to ask. I look forward to diving into your writing next month and watching the film for the nth time (the film will be a nice shake-up for our club after the one-two of August’s PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK and September’s JEANNE DIELMAN).
Hi Lewis, thanks for choosing my book! (I hope you’re recommending the new edition, which has much better alignment of text with the illustrations, as well as a new introduction by me that plugs at least one gap in the original edition.) I’d love to provide you with an author’s statement. How long would you like it to be and when would you need it by?
How excellent! Yes, we are reading the 2021 edition with your new preface. It’ll be interesting coming in from a perspective of someone who grew up with the film as a canonized classic when you were writing from the position of a critical reappraisal. Really looking forward to it.
The other authors have just written a paragraph or so. I reached out to you well and early just in case there was some latency in getting my message, but you have until October 9th, which is when we meet for THE THING. Send it whenever you like it. (If you are unable to see my email through the comment details, you can reach me at lewis@interabangbooks.com.) Thanks so much!
Hi Anne,
I wanted to reach out and see if you would be interested in covering the world premiere of our TV Pilot the Fledgling at SITGES which features Juliet Landau (Druscilla, Buffy the Vampire Slayer). The synopsis is “When orphan Charlie finds out her father is alive, she sets out on a cross-country road trip to find him – her guides: the ancient vampire couple that just turned her into a “fledgling”.” I can also send you a trailer and a press release but want to keep it short here just to gauge your interest. Thanks so much!
Hi Cameron, sorry for the delay in replying – only just seen this. But I don’t generally cover TV, just films. Best of luck! all the best, Anne
Dear Ann,
I played in a band prag VEC and Sue did some design and printing for the band when she was at the RCA. I posted an one of her posters for pV on my Instagram ca3hin, but had forgotten her name. I wanted to credit her and with your permission link to this article and possibly use a couple of the images, with. credit of course.
all best
Nick Cash
Hi Nick, yes that should be fine, so long as I get a credit and maintain copyright. all the best, Anne
Hi Anne
I’m contacting you to see if you would be interested in attending the FIFCL 2024 (November 6 to 10, 2024 in Liège). Since 2016, the Liège International Comedy Film Festival has been the only festival in Belgium to reward comedies, and the only festival in Europe to reward international comedies, in all their forms. On the program for 5 days: previews, school screenings, film lessons, casting sessions for extras, master classes, conferences, workshops, networking, meetings with film crews, signing sessions, tributes, awards ceremonies…
Is this something you might be interested in?
Kind regards
Morgane
Hi, thanks for this. I would love to attend more film festivals, but unfortunately money is so tight at the moment that I can’t afford it. All the best, Anne.
I just watch a very strange remake of the Night of the Living Dead on Youtube. It’s the full film, with a new soundtrack and crazy color effects that seem to transform the movie into a completely new movie. It’s called Voltage Filter Cult’s Night Of The Living Dead 2024.
I’d send the link, but your email might flag it?
Anyway, this film maker has also remade other things on their YouTube channel. Like the famous Nightmare At 20,000 Feet episode of Twilight Zone. It’s much longer than the original ep, but you really get sucked into Shatner’s madness.
So I guess, it’s a recommendation of Voltage Filter Cult’s Night of the Living Dead 2024, but it’s also a question. Are filmmakers coming out of Youtube?
You should definitely check it out, it’s not like anything Ive ever seen. Oh and the zombie scenes are really imaginative. It’s just fun to watch, and the soundtrack makes you feel involved in the anxiety and intensity of the situation. Hard to explain really.
Thanks
K
I cited your Website on movie-mirror-moments in my book Silvered Screens: Mirrors and Self in Cinema (Amazon, 2024). (It deals with more than 700 such moments.) Would you be willing to cite my book on your Website.
William Washabaugh
your article https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/nov/28/denzel-washington-at-70-his-20-greatest-films-ranked
misses the great https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_(2012_film)
Yes, I’m sorry, I do realise I left out a lot of great films, but I only had 20 slots and Washington’s CV has very few duds. But that’s what Below The Line comments on the piece are for (too late now, alas, because they’re closed) – for people to disagree with the selection and make their own suggestions.
Hi Anne. I hope you’re well. I was wondering if I could use an excerpt from your George Miller interview? In return, I would happily pay a fee and clean the whole audio up of the interview if it’s poor quality?
Thank you,
Grant.
Sorry Grant, I no longer have the audio.
Hi it’s me -roomie- Its great to see your writing. How s Mari doin from older days? She traded many ideas with you with we lost touch w/ her- she was super as a friend. Also do ya have pics of us- I d love to see ? we wore Asian garb/ Pls do not publish my email too. come visit Tx N -i wrote 10 yrs ago remember?