CINEMA Man Of Iron. Today, 1pm, Hong Kong Arts Centre Lim Por Yen Film Theatre, $50, students $30, Urbtix Documentary and drama have seldom been so successfully interwoven as in Man of Iron, directed by Andrzej Wajda and shot under intensely difficult circumstances in Gdansk in 1980/81 during the emergence of the Solidarity movement. This is a sequel to his 1977 film Man of Marble and features footage shot during the shipyard strike, including appearances by Lech Walesa in both the documentary and fictional sequences.
A cynical, vodka-soaked journalist undertakes to smear an activist leader on behalf of the secret police but has to re-examine his own loyalties and beliefs as the strike progresses. A crucial cinematic document of a turning point in Polish history and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, and still gripping viewing almost 18 disillusioning years later.
MUSIC Peter Scherr and Dave Packer, Tuesday, 9.30pm, The Jazz Club, $50 The old problem of prophets being without honour in their own home towns applies with a vengeance to locally based jazz musicians. Everybody is surprised how good they are when they see players like Packer and Scherr backing international artists at the Jazz Club, but only a small number seem to turn out for their performances as featured artists in their own right.
This is a pity, because Packer is a superb modern jazz pianist of international standing who just happens to live here, while Scherr is a supple and supportive bassist with considerable improvisational powers as a soloist to boot.
They make a fine duo and are well worth hearing.
CLASSICAL MUSIC Stefan Palm, Saturday, 1pm, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, free Now here's an unusual way to start the weekend - a 30-minute organ recital which gives the office workers of Tsim Sha Tsui the opportunity to grab a little bite-sized culture before lunch. Stefan Palm is a German organist who made his name as a child prodigy, giving his first recital at the age of 11. He is in his 30s now and has spent many of the intervening years touring the world, but is now in his prime as a musician. This programme comprises pieces by Bach, Liszt and Messiaen. Free tickets are available from the enquiries counter.