British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[mattyl149]

Originally Posted by Yami

I'm hoping the BFI finally get round to some Kurosawa releases this year. And Dreyer would be good too while they're at it...

They've released a lot of Kurosawa on DVD, and as they have re-packaged them into different DVD sets, I don't see any blu-ray releases for a while. They have also released four Dreyer films, and again I don't see these being released on blu-ray yet

As Criterion have just released Godzilla on blu-ray and BFI have already previously released it on DVD, then I wouldn't mind if BFI were also to release it on blu-ray as well

[Yami]

That's a good point but they did say Seven Samurai was coming in October 2010 then I think they said October 2011. I don't see what the delay is as I would be very surprised if the Kurosawas aren't among their best selling titles. And regarding the Dreyer titles, according to Amazon they were released back in 2006 - 6 years ago! That doesn't seem an unreasonable time before an upgrade.

[omonoba]

Originally Posted by rkish

Not a loser in that group! I own them all!

I plan on buying all of the Ozus that are released by BFI...don't forget about the Ozu silents (The Student Comedies) coming out in Feb.

BTW...you will LOVE The Great White Silence!

I've been telling friends about "The Great White Silence" and will be having a viewing party for it as soon as I receive the order.
I also plan to order all BFI's Ozu releases eventually and will get another batch of movies sometime next month - Late Autumn, An Autumn Afternoon and perhaps the Student Comedies.
Do you know if BFI has made public a release schedule for the remaining Ozus?

[kristoffer]

Originally Posted by Yami

I'm hoping the BFI finally get round to some Kurosawa releases this year. And Dreyer would be good too while they're at it...

Amen! I can't understand the hold-up! Maybe they are trying to get a good print from Criterion and they can't agree on a price?

[rkish]

Originally Posted by omonoba

I've been telling friends about "The Great White Silence" and will be having a viewing party for it as soon as I receive the order.
I also plan to order all BFI's Ozu releases eventually and will get another batch of movies sometime next month - Late Autumn, An Autumn Afternoon and perhaps the Student Comedies.
Do you know if BFI has made public a release schedule for the remaining Ozus?

Not that I'm aware of. The only commitment they've made, is to try to release all 33 of his existing films by the end of 2012. They have currently released 14 films. After "The Student Comedies" is released, that will make it 19 films. That would leave 14 films to release this year, in order to achieve that goal. That would be 7 releases, as they seem to be releasing them in pairs. That's either two releases every couple of months or one release a month for this year. As I think it's unlikely that, that is what will happen, I don't think they'll hit their goal.

[pro-bassoonist]

DVD ONLY:

On 20 February, the BFI adds four rare silent comedies by Yasujiro Ozu to its ongoing collection of the Japanese master’s work, which will eventually include all 32 of the surviving films he made for the Shochiku Studio.

The Student Comedies, a handsome 2-disc box set, brings Ozu’s student-themed silent comedies to DVD for the first time, with newly commissioned scores by Ed Hughes, as well as the rare surviving fragments of his 1929 film I Graduated, But …

Disc One:
Days of Youth (1929)
Ozu’s earliest surviving film follows students Watanabe and Yamamoto as they unknowingly compete for the affections of the same girl.

I Flunked, But … (1930)
With exams looming, Takahashi finds a creative way to avoid doing his revision in this roguish comedy reminiscent of Harold Lloyd’s The Freshman.

Disc Two:
The Lady and the Beard (1931)
Graduate Okajima finds that his impressive beard, worn in traditional style, makes it impossible to find a decent job or make a good impression. Ozu’s cheerful comedy focuses on the tension between tradition and modernity, a theme he revisited in some of his most profound post-war work.

Where Now are the Dreams of Youth? (1932)
Hirano and his friends are happily enjoying a carefree college life, but when tragedy strikes everything changes. Scripted by Ozu’s long-term collaborator Kogo Noda, this film subtly moves from light to dark and questions the durability of friendship.

The discs are accompanied by a 38-page illustrated booklet with newly commissioned essays from Asian cinema experts Tony Rayns and Alexander Jacoby.

Pro-B

[omonoba]

Originally Posted by rkish

Not that I'm aware of. The only commitment they've made, is to try to release all 33 of his existing films by the end of 2012. They have currently released 14 films. After "The Student Comedies" is released, that will make it 19 films. That would leave 14 films to release this year, in order to achieve that goal. That would be 7 releases, as they seem to be releasing them in pairs. That's either two releases every couple of months or one release a month for this year. As I think it's unlikely that, that is what will happen, I don't think they'll hit their goal.

Thanks for the info rkish! I also saw your post on the Criterion sub-forum about the book on Ozu - "Ozu and the poetics of cinema". Really excited about that! Hopefully I can find some time this weekend to start reading it.

[rkish]

Originally Posted by omonoba

Thanks for the info rkish! I also saw your post on the Criterion sub-forum about the book on Ozu - "Ozu and the poetics of cinema". Really excited about that! Hopefully I can find some time this weekend to start reading it.

You're very welcome my friend! Glad you were able to download the book...I think you'll enjoy it! I'm anxiously waiting for the next Ozu BDs to be announced by BFI...I hope it's some/all of the remaining films from the Criterion "Late Ozu" Eclipse set...

[rkish]

Hey...anyone that's interested in "The Great White Silence"...buy it NOW! Currently 7.99 BSP on Amazon UK...

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-G...Blu-ray/20182/

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by rkish

Hey...anyone that's interested in "The Great White Silence"...buy it NOW! Currently 7.99 BSP on Amazon UK...

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-G...Blu-ray/20182/

Yeah, I paid 13GBP, and thought it was worth that. A great piece of early cinema given a loving restoration by the good folks at the BFI.

[Judex]

Amazon seem to have quite afew that are £10 or less, I got Ozu's Good Morning the other day for £7.69

[Cinemach]

I'm finally getting to watching some French Cancan after receiving it a few weeks ago (thanks LivingSocial HMV vouchers!)...and WOW! From just the opening moments absolutely one of the best Technicolor reproductions I've seen rendered on the format - I'd daresay top 3 for me. An absolutely fantastic-looking blu.

(The film's pretty good too. That Renoir fellow kinda knew what he was doing. Back to watching now).

[Judex]

Just watched Little Malcolm great movie.

Can someone recommend me some Flipside titles? i own Partys Over, Little Malcolm, Deep End, and i've seen Lunch Hour, and i have Her Private Hell on pre-order...so one with similar themes to those, thanks in advance.

[Yami]

Originally Posted by Yami

I'm hoping the BFI finally get round to some Kurosawa releases this year. And Dreyer would be good too while they're at it...

I'd also quite like Terence Davies, approved HD masters have been available for years now (thanks to the BFI themselves) but for some reason there hasnt been a Blu-ray release. Quite disheartening - id say he's one of, if not the, best post-war British filmmaker.

[mattyl149]

Do we have any news on when the next set of Dual Format upgrades are happening?

[Buffalo66]

Does anyone know if BFI is going to release any Hitchcock BDs this year?

[MacEachaidh]

Pardon my ignorance, but does BFI actually make public a release schedule?

I have the two BFI Tati releases, and would very much like to see the others - especially Mon Oncle and Trafic - get a release too. Any hope of that, does anyone know?

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by Buffalo66

Does anyone know if BFI is going to release any Hitchcock BDs this year?

Bad news I'm afraid. This is from an insider posting Jan 10th on the Criterion forum.

I wouldn't hold your breath: the BFI doesn't have the rights, so it's up to ITV or Studio Canal (depending on the title).

BFI have restored The Pleasure Garden, The Lodger, & Blackmail. Pleasure Garden will be shown in June & The Lodger in July, Blackmail's premiere is TBD. I'd assume that any disc releases will come after those dates, but not going to hold my breath (per MB's advise).

[Yami]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

Pardon my ignorance, but does BFI actually make public a release schedule?

I have the two BFI Tati releases, and would very much like to see the others - especially Mon Oncle and Trafic - get a release too. Any hope of that, does anyone know?

Well they obviously announce future releases but usually only a month or two in advance. They don't announce entire quarters like MoC do.

[McCrutchy]

Final specs for The Devils ON DVD ONLY:

Ken Russell’s The Devils
Starring Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed
with Dudley Sutton, Max Adrian, Gemma Jones, Murray Melvin, Michael Gothard, Georgina Hale, Brian Murphy and Christopher Logue

2-disc Special Edition DVD released on 19 March

Forty years ago, The Devils caused outrage amongst audiences and critics after one of the longest-running battles with the BBFC was resolved and the film finally opened in cinemas. Now recognised as a landmark in British film history, The Devils finally gets its DVD premiere on 19 March, released by the BFI in the original UK X certificate version, accompanied by a wealth of new and exciting extra features and a 44-page illustrated booklet.

The death of director Ken Russell, in November last year, sparked an outpouring of tributes from both the film industry and fans. This 2-disc Special Edition release of what many consider to be his greatest work is a justly fitting tribute to one of Britain’s true mavericks.

The Devils is based on John Whiting’s stage play and Aldous Huxley’s novel. In 17th century France, a promiscuous and divisive local priest, Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed), uses his powers to protect the city of Loudun from destruction by the establishment. Soon, he stands accused of the demonic possession of Sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave), whose erotic obsession with him fuels the hysterical fervour that sweeps through the convent.

With Ken Russell’s bold and brilliant direction, magnificent performances by Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, exquisite Derek Jarman sets and a sublimely dissonant score by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, The Devils stands as a profound and sincere commentary on religious hysteria, political persecution and the corrupt marriage of church and state.

Special features
• DVD premiere presentation of the original UK X certificate version;
• Newly filmed introduction with broadcaster and critic Mark Kermode (2012, 2 mins);
• Audio commentary with Ken Russell, Mark Kermode, editor Michael Bradsell and Paul Joyce;
• Hell on Earth (Paul Joyce, 2002, 48 mins): documentary exploring the film's production and the controversy surrounding its original release;
• Director of Devils (1971, 22 mins): documentary featuring candid Ken Russell interviews and unique footage of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies recording his celebrated film score;
• Original on-set footage with commentary by editor Michael Bradsell (2012, 8 mins);
• On-stage Q&A with Ken Russell (2012, 13 mins): an excerpt from a conversation with Mark Kermode filmed at the National Film Theatre in 2004;
Amelia and the Angel (1958, 26 mins): Ken Russell's second short, made by the BFI’s Experimental Film Fund; a delightful mix of religious allegory and magical fantasy;
• Original UK trailer
• Original US trailer
• 44-page illustrated booklet featuring new essays from Mark Kermode, Craig Lapper (BBFC), Michael Bradsell and Sam Ashby, plus film notes, biographies and credits

RRP: £19.99 / cat. no. BFIVD940 / Cert 18
UK / 1971 / colour / English language with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / 107 mins /
Dolby Digital mono audio (320kbps) / Original aspect ratio 2.35:1 (16x9 enhanced) / Region 2