SouthbankNo Strings Attached: Puppets on Film
Having entertained us before the inception of cinema, it’s no surprise that marionettes, hand puppets and other forms of puppetry should play such a prominent role on the screen.
‘Little puppet, made of pine, wake. The Gift of life is thine.’
– Pinocchio
Whether it’s Muffin the Mule, Miss Piggy, Sooty and Sweep or Basil Brush, puppets have proven a staple of family screen entertainment for decades. Requiring physical dexterity, precise timing and incredible vocal talent to manifest a character is perhaps one of the least appreciated yet most difficult of performing arts. Puppetry has also been used to represent repression, murderous intent and all manner of dark themes, often made more chilling by their childhood association. The selection of films in this season celebrates the puppets and puppeteers that have and continue to entertain us, in defiance of our increasingly digital world.
Justin Johnson, season curator
Season programme
Godzilla
In the first entry of this long-running film series, the residents of Tokyo are terrified when the mighty Godzilla is disturbed from its sleep and wreaks havoc on the city.
The Empire Strikes Back
The Star Wars saga continues, with Master Yoda teaching young apprentice Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force.
The Dark Crystal
This live-action fantasy is a groundbreaking work of excellence in puppetry and animatronics from the mind of Jim Henson.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
A lonely alien is befriended by children who set out to help it return home.
The Muppets Take Manhattan
The Muppets take Manhattan and our hearts in this hilarious outing for Jim Henson’s loveable puppet ensemble.
The Muppets
The Muppets return in this musical treat that finds them attempting to save a theatre from closure.
Little Shop of Horrors (Director’s Cut)
In Frank Oz’s gleefully gruesome musical comedy, an alien plant with dreams of global domination takes up residence in a skid-row florists.
Alice
Alice in Wonderland is presented through the lens and wild imagination of great Czech auteur Jan Švankmajer.
The Puppetoon Movie
A selection of the finest work of George Pal is presented in this rarely seen celebration of his Puppetoon films from the 1930s and 40s.
Strings
This extraordinary film features a stunningly realised world whose occupants’ lives literally hang from a thread.
Eraserhead
David Lynch’s inimitable, surreal classic still manages to shock, thanks to the originality of its maker’s vision.
Magic
Anthony Hopkins is superb in Richard Attenborough’s uncharacteristically dark tale of a ventriloquist whose doll might just have a life of its own.
Child’s Play
A cursed doll with a murder complex terrorises an unsuspecting family in this knowingly schlocky horror.
The Double Life of Véronique
Krzysztof Kieślowski’s poetic masterclass tells the tale of two identical women whose lives only marginally intersect.
Being John Malkovich
The discovery of a portal into the mind of actor John Malkovich is the catalyst for comedy and high drama in this utterly original and surreal cult favourite.
Team America: World Police
Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s hilarious musical parody of the big-budget action genre is a strictly over-18 affair.
Annette
Leos Carax’s collaboration with Sparks finds Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard playing a couple whose daughter is a marionette puppet.
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared + Q&A with creators Becky Sloan and Joe Pelling
We celebrate the surreal, horrifying puppets of Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared with the show’s creators.
Yonderland + Q&A with Jim Howick and Laurence Rickard
The fantasy world of Yonderland receives a visit from Birmingham’s Debbie Maddox, who some of the residents believe to be the ‘Chosen One’.
Muppets and Fraggles: A Celebration + Q&A with co-creator and writer of Fraggle Rock Jocelyn Stevenson
Come and celebrate the world of Jim Henson and his on-screen universe of Muppets and Fraggles.
Television Puppets
A look at some of the most fascinating puppet personalities that have enlivened UK TV.
IMAX
Want more?
See the Member Library Lates: Puppets.
Temporary VAT-reduced rate for children: prices have been adjusted for all under 16’s tickets booked between 25 June and 1 September for screenings during the same period. BFI Riverfront will be closed until 5pm on 9 July.
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