British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by Aclea

Check out his superb 1985 Northern Ireland movie Contact tonight on BBC4 at 10pm: it's incredibly tense at times - especially the abandoned car sequence - as it follows a British patrol. It helps that it definitely doesn't end up with the main character meeting an alien taking the form of his dead father.

I hope that's on I-Player only just seen this.

Originally Posted by Ste7en

I've finally ordered that Robbe-Grillet set. I'm not quite sure what to expect.

I'm not in the slightest bit interested in erotica, but it looks like an interesting set.

It's a strange one but a good one I picked it up for around £20 a long while ago.

[Aclea]

It is, but only via the today's BBC4 schedule function at the moment.

[justwannaboogie]

Originally Posted by jackranderson

Derek Jarman’s Blue is now £6.79!
I got this in HMVs 2 for £25 just a couple of months ago.

https://www.base.com/buy/product/blu...c-bfib1341.htm

Good opportunity to pick up Derek Jarman Vol 2 before it goes oop as well. £40 on base and amazon.

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by Aclea

It is, but only via the today's BBC4 schedule function at the moment.

I'll have a look ..

In other news I ordered The Caretaker for the princely sum of £6.79

[Fnord Prefect]

Originally Posted by Si Parallel Universe

I hope that's on I-Player only just seen this.

Direct link for anyone interested for Alan Clarke's Contact:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0009m8n/contact

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by Fnord Prefect

Direct link for anyone interested for Alan Clarke's Contact:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0009m8n/contact

Thank You

[moviegeek1992]

Originally Posted by Ste7en

I've finally ordered that Robbe-Grillet set. I'm not quite sure what to expect.

I'm not in the slightest bit interested in erotica, but it looks like an interesting set.

I'm actually only interested in the set if it's more erotica than arthouse, but from I've read of the film's, they do seem a bit pretentious, hence why I haven't pulled the trigger on this price drop. If someone who is a fan or has the film's can chime in in regards to their genre or style, it'd be much appreciated.

[ravenus]

Haven't seen the others but Trans-Europ Express (which I have on the Kino release) was quite interesting, and definitely a product of the guy that wrote Marienbad. It has some rape fantasy element too, which was apparently a big thing with RG, who was involved in an S&M relation with his partner.

[Aclea]

That's the only one I'm interested in, but I doubt it'll get a solo release over here now and I'm not interested enough to import.

[billy pilgrim]

Originally Posted by moviegeek1992

I'm actually only interested in the set if it's more erotica than arthouse, but from I've read of the film's, they do seem a bit pretentious, hence why I haven't pulled the trigger on this price drop. If someone who is a fan or has the film's can chime in in regards to their genre or style, it'd be much appreciated.

IMHO all of the films in the set were pretty pretentious. Took me completely out of the films. I guess they're just not my style. I disliked them so much that I've already sold my set a while back.

[jackranderson]

Is Revolution The Directors Cut a decent release? I know it’s generally considered a very bad film but I’ve no idea about the Directors Cut. Would be a blind buy / watch regardless.

[Aclea]

Well, it's shorter, doesn't have one character returning to life in the last reel after being decapitated (perhaps their head just grew back?) or the unintentionally hilarious offscreen lines "We want our freedom too!" "Shut up, you negroes!" that were added after preview cards complained abut there being no black characters and Pacino had a few decades to work on his dodgy Scoddeesh accent for the new narration, but it's still one of the grottiest looking epics ever made and it loses the best shot in the picture (an elaborate single take scene through throngs of celebrating crowds that takes in what looks like most of Kings Lynn that was added, along with the resurrection of one of the key players, after bad previews to stop the film ending on a downer*). It's not so much an improvement as a different take on a misbegotten, frequently badly acted (honorable exception: a young Sid Owen. Worst offenders: Joan Plowright's Mrs Slocombe playing Widow Twanky turn as Kinski's mum and Annie Lennox's unforgettable delivery of the line "There's freedom in. Them. Mus. kets. boys..." where she seems to lose the will to live mid-sentence) and atrociously written and rewritten (often while the actors waited for new pages) misfire.

There's a good battle scene despite some dodgy camerawork but it's all too easy to see why this became the biggest box-office disaster in British film history (the US take was around 1.3% of the massive for the day budget: even Heaven's Gate lost less) - something the mutual admiration society extras on the disc studiously ignore despite the massive crisis it caused across the industry when most sources of movie finance ran a mile from British films for the next decade (it was as if Channel 4, George Harrison and Palace Pictures were the only game left in the UK). It's probably worth seeing once just to take in the hubris and to try to work out what Hudson thought he was going for (the film is remarkably unfocused when it comes to the overall vision thing), and at the current price it's not taking too much of a financial hit picking up the disc and ebaying it after.


* If you do only see the director's cut - and it's not a film that leaves you wanting to see another cut after seeing whichever version you opt for - do give the last ten minutes or so of the theatrical version a spin to see the theatrical ending: it's the most accomplished bit of filmmaking in the film despite the absurdities of the scene.

[jackranderson]

[Show spoiler]

Originally Posted by Aclea

Well, it's shorter, doesn't have one character returning to life in the last reel after being decapitated (perhaps their head just grew back?) or the unintentionally hilarious offscreen lines "We want our freedom too!" "Shut up, you negroes!" that were added after preview cards complained abut there being no black characters and Pacino had a few decades to work on his dodgy Scoddeesh accent for the new narration, but it's still one of the grottiest looking epics ever made and it loses the best shot in the picture (an elaborate single take scene through throngs of celebrating crowds that takes in what looks like most of Kings Lynn that was added, along with the resurrection of one of the key players, after bad previews to stop the film ending on a downer*). It's not so much an improvement as a different take on a misbegotten, frequently badly acted (honorable exception: a young Sid Owen. Worst offenders: Joan Plowright's Widow Twanky turn as Kinski's mum and Annie Lennox's unforgettable delivery of the line "There's freedom in. Them. Mus. kets. boys..." where she seems to lose the will to live mid-sentence) and atrociously written and rewritten (often while the actors waited for new pages) misfire.

There's a good battle scene despite some dodgy camerawork but it's all too easy to see why this became the biggest box-office disaster in British film history (the US take was around 1.3% of the massive for the day budget: even Heaven's Gate lost less) - something the mutual admiration society extras on the disc studiously ignore despite the massive crisis it caused across the industry when most sources of movie finance ran a mile from British films for the next decade (for the next decade it was as if Channel 4 and Palace Pictures were the only game in the UK). It's probably worth seeing once just to take in the hubris and to try to work out what Hudson thought he was going for (the film is remarkably unfocused when it comes to the overall vision thing), and at the current price it's not taking too much of a financial hit picking up the disc and ebaying it after.


* If you do only see the director's cut - and it's not a film that leaves you wanting to see another cut after seeing whichever version you opt for - do give the last ten minutes or so of the theatrical version a spin to see the theatrical ending: it's the most accomplished bit of filmmaking in the film despite the absurdities of the scene.

Can always count on you, thanks

[Lea74]

I just went nuts over at base.com and ordered this lot for £67.90 (£6.79 each) seem like bargains.
All blind buys but I watched some trailers on YouTube and read some reviews to help me decide.
I have been interested in getting Symptoms due to liking the recent José Ramón Larraz boxset from Arrow and also went for Her Private Hell to add another Norman J Warren title to my collection to go along with the recent Indicator boxset, so hopefully I will enjoy these too.

[Si Parallel Universe]

Symptoms is very interesting

[castor]

Originally Posted by moviegeek1992

I'm actually only interested in the set if it's more erotica than arthouse, but from I've read of the film's, they do seem a bit pretentious, hence why I haven't pulled the trigger on this price drop. If someone who is a fan or has the film's can chime in in regards to their genre or style, it'd be much appreciated.

Robbe-Grillet's first film on his own, The Immortal One, I like a lot, but I think he went downhill after that. But The Man Who Lies is pretty good, and Trans-Europ Express isn't bad. I didn't like Eden and After or Successive Slidings Into Pleasure at all. I'd say Successive Slidings is the only one of these that's more erotica than arthouse.

[Vault of Horror]

Originally Posted by Lea74

I just went nuts over at base.com and ordered this lot for £67.90 (£6.79 each) seem like bargains.
All blind buys but I watched some trailers on YouTube and read some reviews to help me decide.
I have been interested in getting Symptoms due to liking the recent José Ramón Larraz boxset from Arrow and also went for Her Private Hell to add another Norman J Warren title to my collection to go along with the recent Indicator boxset, so hopefully I will enjoy these too.

Nice haul.

I seem to be in a minority but I don't like Symptoms much. Mind you, Vampyres aside, I haven't liked any Larraz films I've seen.

Psychomania, Deep End, Beat Girl and Eyes Without a Face are all definitely worth having. You won't be disappointed with any of those. I haven't seen any of the other BFI discs you've ordered so can't comment.

[gouryella]

[Show spoiler]

Originally Posted by Lea74

I just went nuts over at base.com and ordered this lot for £67.90 (£6.79 each) seem like bargains.
All blind buys but I watched some trailers on YouTube and read some reviews to help me decide.
I have been interested in getting Symptoms due to liking the recent José Ramón Larraz boxset from Arrow and also went for Her Private Hell to add another Norman J Warren title to my collection to go along with the recent Indicator boxset, so hopefully I will enjoy these too.

All Flipside titles minus 1 (Eyes Without A Face) if I'm not mistaken. You'll have to start collecting them all now if you haven't already.

[CouncilSpectre]

^^ DEEP END is a personal favourite. Great release that one

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by gouryella

All Flipside titles minus 1 (Eyes Without A Face) if I'm not mistaken. You'll have to start collecting them all now if you haven't already.

Yeah and two ; Joanna & The Party's Over are now OOP