@james___bell

Senior Curator of Fiction @BFI National Archive. Formerly of @sightsoundmag. Editor of BFI Compendium series. Programmer of BFI Southbank ‘Deep Focus’ seasons

 London
Joined March 2010
  • Tweets1.7K
  • Following1.4K
  • Followers2.3K
127Media
I've written a blog about rare post-war British melodrama The White Unicorn in which Margaret Lockwood is subjected to more heartache than any woman should endure. bfi.org.uk/inside-the-archiv…

The White Unicorn: a “tale of babies, boudoirs, lingerie, misunderstanding husbands”

This forgotten British melodrama from the 1940s, starring Margaret Lockwood, contains what one critic called “The most violent fight between women ever filmed.”

bfi.org.uk
2
17
42
2,900
James Bell retweeted
BFI
@BFI15 Jun 2025
As the BFI Film on Film Festival comes to a close, we'd like to extend a huge thanks to the BFI National Archive team (a handful of whom are depicted here), whose work has underpinned the whole weekend. Photo: David Briggs
A group of people, most wearing long white coats, posing for a photo

ALT A group of people, most wearing long white coats, posing for a photo

4
10
109
29,668
I've written another blog about a forgotten British feature, with a major Hollywood star in the lead role. bfi.org.uk/features/edward-g…

Edward G. Robinson’s rare British film: remembering 1930s fish-out-of-water drama Thunder in the...

Frustrated in his Warner Bros career, gangster movie star Edward G. Robinson came to the UK in the 1930s to play a brash marketing man visiting from across the pond. Robinson’s arrival caused much...

bfi.org.uk
4
18
78
2,448
James Bell retweeted
BFI
@BFI16 Jun 2025
574,000 feet worth of film passed through BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX over the last several days 🎞️ It took 104 separate film prints, 287 individual reels, approximately 109 miles of film and 24 projectionists to bring the BFI Film on Film Festival to life.
1
17
2
136
9,167
Replying to @magentabias
Wasn’t expecting how emotional I’d be attending this. It was a truly special night. Thanks to @james___bell and team for making this happen. And congratulations to everyone involved for this 2nd edition. 👏 👏 👏
1
1
5
202
Living inside a dream last night with Kyle MacLachlan at #BFI Southbank 🤩😍😍 #TwinPeaks
1
1
10
1,811
Great 1st day @BFI #FilmonFilm . 3 standouts were I Walked with a Zombie & a brilliant Nitrate of the surprisingly witty Dancing with Crime with a fun into from @ReelJoBotting . But @LostReelsUK packed screening of Last Summer along with intro with Mark Jenkin blew me away. – at Lambeth, London
1
4
334
And so to the final day of @BFI #FilmonFilm. A big Western, a British Crime caper, A 70s revenge thriller & a great b movie monster classic. 3 of these I've not seen before and the other never on the big screen. Looking forward to more fun with all my movie buddies. – at London, England
2
1
8
423
Also a huge shout out to Kitty Robertson from the @BFI National Archive whose fantastic intro & emotional tribute to Gene Hackman before the #FilmOnFilm screening of Get Shorty was just perfect & so we'll presented. A wonderful film a great way to finish the day. – at London, England
1
3
348
Anthony, Basil and Roderick Keys were all on the crew with him. There are still tickets left to see the film on 35mm nitrate tomorrow morning at 11.30 @BFI Southbank. #FilmOnFilm Image BFI National Archive shorturl.at/mGSrF

Dancing with Crime

A stunning Technicolor British melodrama showing from an original post-war nitrate print.

whatson.bfi.org.uk
2
5
11
4,598
A huge amount of work went into curating, inspecting, quality checking, cleaning, prepping, managing & transporting every film being screened at the festival. We hope you enjoy the results 📽️🎞️ #FilmOnFilm #KeepingItReel
2
4
193
Ahead of the #BFI Film on Film Festival which starts tomorrow at BFI Southbank, a big shout out to my colleagues across #BFINationalArchive who helped make it all possible, (just a few of them pictured here).
1
5
20
779
James Bell retweeted
BFI
@BFI5 Jun 2025
We're proud to be preserving the work of Jenn Nkiru in the BFI National Archive. Learn more about her artistry and some of the titles that have entered the collection at @sxswlndn this Friday. theb.fi/3Hqtsh8
1
3
8
4,815
For Paul Newman’s centenary at @BFI Film on Film this June, I’ll be doing an introduction of Martin Ritt’s mean-spirited 1963 neo-Western Hud. In 35mm, of course. Couldn’t be happier. whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/de….
4
12
1
45
8,401
Unmissable screening alert!! The black and white CinemaScope print of Martin Ritt’s Hud that were screening in the @bfi #filmonfilmfestival on Friday 13th June is beautiful, and just stunning seen large on the NFT1 screen. And a @christinalefou intro too!
Christina Newland@christinalefou5 Jun 2025
For Paul Newman’s centenary at @BFI Film on Film this June, I’ll be doing an introduction of Martin Ritt’s mean-spirited 1963 neo-Western Hud. In 35mm, of course. Couldn’t be happier. whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/de….
2
3
7
2,203
Neglected to shout about this before now, but I'm very excited to be introducing @DonBluth's AN AMERICAN TAIL, screening from a gorgeous release print, at the @BFI Film on Film Festival on Sunday 15th! 📽️
4
5
15
1,122
Very Sad. A fitting tribute is that The Outfit is being shown as part of the @BFI Film on Film Festival On Sun 15th June - And there are just 3 tickets remaining.
Film Noir UK@FilmNoirUK15 May 2025
Very sad to hear the passing of the great Joe Don Baker (1936-2025). Two fantastic #NeoNoir titles in the shape of The Outfit (1973) and Framed (1975) under his belt. A brilliant actor; so good in fact, he turned up as two different characters in the James Bond films! #FilmNoir
3
11
613
Last chance to see super rare British thriller Blackmailed (1951) before the 35mm print goes back to the archive. Dirk Bogarde and Mai Zetterling star. Weds 14 May 6.20 @BFI Southbank. Book here: tinyurl.com/4kw6b5s6 Images #BFINationalArchive
5
10
1
53
2,212
A big THANK-YOU to everyone who made the @lostreelsuk LAST SUMMER event the quickest sellout of the 2025 @BFI Film on Film Festival. It's going to be an amazing screening, I'm so looking forward to it!
1
5
13
689
It also looks like the @BFI are showing a nitrate print of the original 1934 THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, as part of their Film on Film festival: whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/de…

The Man Who Knew Too Much

The Hitchcockian spy thriller starts here, with Peter Lorre’s villain tormenting a British family that becomes embroiled in the murky world of espionage.

whatson.bfi.org.uk
1
3
156
Load more