British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[onetet]

Watched and thoroughly enjoyed both of these last night:



...and was particularly impressed with the job BFI did on these releases. Great prints, cool extras and booklets, and their decision to go region-free gives viewers all over the world the chance to explore an alternative timeline of UK film history. Will be buying a lot more of these titles.

[Buffalo66]

Originally Posted by onetet

Watched and thoroughly enjoyed both of these last night:



...and was particularly impressed with the job BFI did on these releases. Great prints, cool extras and booklets, and their decision to go region-free gives viewers all over the world the chance to explore an alternative timeline of UK film history. Will be buying a lot more of these titles.

No pictures showed up. Which BD's are that?

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by Buffalo66

No pictures showed up. Which BD's are that?

You can't see them? That's strange. What browser are you using?

Anyway, they're All the Right Noises and Separation.

[mattyl149]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

You can't see them? That's strange. What browser are you using?

Anyway, they're All the Right Noises and Separation.

I can see them

I've not got round to watching Separation yet

[Buffalo66]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

You can't see them? That's strange. What browser are you using?

Anyway, they're All the Right Noises and Separation.

I'm on the Tapatalk app for android.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[rapta]

My comment on the YouTube trailer for Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre restoration:

HI BFI - if you read these comments, could you tell us when Aguirre or Kaspar Hauser are to be release on Blu-Ray (Dual Format I presume)? You announced Aguirre back in April, but not a release date...

BFI response:

Apologies for the delay in replying. There's still no confirmed date - please keep an eye on our website for our forthcoming DVD/Blu-ray announcements (we'll be announcing Jan-March 2014 at the end of October).

So guess we'll have news very soon?

[Judex]

Classe tous risques is coming to blu in Feb.


This is getting shown at next weeks Leeds film festival. I'm looking forward to it even more now.

[pro-bassoonist]

NEWS/TRAILERs
https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=12501

The British Film Institute has announced that it will add four titles to its Blu-ray and DVD catalog between January and February 2014: J.B.L. Noel's The Epic of Everest (1924), John Akomfrah's The Stuart Hall Project (2013), Claude Sautet's Classe tous risques (1960), and The British Transport Films Collection Volume 12: The Driving Force.

The Epic of Everest

Silent documentary following the 1924 British Mount Everest Expedition during which mountaineers Andrew Irvine and George Mallory met their untimely deaths. The expedition marked the third attempt to make the first ascent of the mountain. It remains under debate whether Irvine and Mallory made it to the summit but they were last seen 800 feet from the top before they disappeared. Mallory's body was discovered in 1999 but Irvine's has never been found. The film was recorded by Captain J.B.L. Noel and captures the progress of the expedition. With a newly commissioned score composed, orchestrated and conducted by Simon Fisher Turner (The Great White Silence) featuring a haunting combination of electronic music, found sounds, western and Nepalese instruments and vocals. Released in a Dual Format Edition on January 20th.

Classe tous risques

Lino Ventura and Jean-Paul Belmondo star in this early 1960s French Italian crime drama adapted from the novel by José Giovanni. Abel Davos (Ventura), a gangster wanted for murder, has been hiding out in Italy for the last decade. After getting married and having children he feels ready to return to his native France but making it back home proves difficult. He ends up getting separated from his wife and finds himself on the run from the police with his two sons. After calling in a favour, however, he is assisted by fellow gangster Eric Stark (Belmondo) who tries to help them complete their journey without getting caught. Released in a Dual Format Edition on February 24th.

The Stuart Hall Project

The Stuart Hall Project (2013), the provocative and inspiring documentary from director John Akomfrah about one of Britain's most influential cultural theorists and political thinkers of the post-war period will be released on DVD on January 20th.

The British Transport Films Collection Volume 12: The Driving Force

The next collection of films in our best-selling BTF series focuses on the improvements, developments and new services offered by British Transport in the post-war period. The double-disc set is released on February 24th.

Pro-B

[Buffalo66]

I'll be getting Everest and the French thriller.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Pro-B

Very interested in the Everest film. I'm thinking it will be a great companion piece to Herbert Ponting's film of Scott's Antarctic expedition. On the other hand, no news about Nosferatu the Vampyre?

[MacEachaidh]

Yep, the Everest film for me too. As you say, ravenus, it will sit well with The Great White Silence, and for me will be an interesting follow-up to a documentary I saw recently called The Wildest Dream, which detailed Mallory's obsession with the mountain and his and Irvine's last ascent, and was shot on the summit of Everest itself, starring Conrad Anker, the mountaineer who first found Mallory's body.

And, I too was hoping for word on Nosferatu. Isn't there some talk of a Herzog boxed set, or is that with MoC?

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by ravenus

Very interested in the Everest film. I'm thinking it will be a great companion piece to Herbert Ponting's film of Scott's Antarctic expedition. On the other hand, no news about Nosferatu the Vampyre?

Hello Ravenus,

There isn't an official press release yet.

Pro-B

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

And, I too was hoping for word on Nosferatu. Isn't there some talk of a Herzog boxed set, or is that with MoC?

I think you may be referring to the US announcement by Shout Factory

[MacEachaidh]

Ahh thanks mate, yes I probably was. Indirectly, anyway — had only heard mention of it, not seen an actual link.

So then, an announcement in the UK won't be related to that release. Unless it can benefit from licensing the restoration.

[rapta]

Posted this the page before:

My comment on the YouTube trailer for Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre restoration:

BFI response:

So guess we'll have news very soon?

Really anxious about these Herzog releases. How can they announce the first (and best) one in April, and the second a couple of months later, then not officially announce the third one but tease at it, and still not set a release date?! I'm desperate for Aguirre, Nosferatu and Kaspar Hauser!

[theprestige85]

Dunno if it's just me, but decided to check out to DVD version's of both A Woman Under The Influence & Shadows. Both look as good as blu ray versions. I mean, these are VERY strong DVD presentations and almost makes think I might as well had just brought the DVD. It certainly isn't my telly because the difference between the Terminator and the DVD is frighteningly obvious. As is the case of other blu's and their DVD companions. But I had a had time seeing any noticeable difference with Women Influence and Shadows...

[mattyl149]

Originally Posted by theprestige85

Dunno if it's just me, but decided to check out to DVD version's of both A Woman Under The Influence & Shadows. Both look as good as blu ray versions. I mean, these are VERY strong DVD presentations and almost makes think I might as well had just brought the DVD. It certainly isn't my telly because the difference between the Terminator and the DVD is frighteningly obvious. As is the case of other blu's and their DVD companions. But I had a had time seeing any noticeable difference with Women Influence and Shadows...

There are no separate BFI DVD releases for these, so you don't get that option

[tenia]

Originally Posted by theprestige85

Dunno if it's just me, but decided to check out to DVD version's of both A Woman Under The Influence & Shadows. Both look as good as blu ray versions. I mean, these are VERY strong DVD presentations and almost makes think I might as well had just brought the DVD. It certainly isn't my telly because the difference between the Terminator and the DVD is frighteningly obvious. As is the case of other blu's and their DVD companions. But I had a had time seeing any noticeable difference with Women Influence and Shadows...

There are some reasons for that, the utmost ones being that :

- The new Terminator BD comes from a brand new restoration, whereas the DVD is awfully obsolete. On the other end, BFI used the same HD material for their BDs and their DVDs.
- Cassavetes' movies, especially Shadows, have deep "roots" shootings, with very low budget and for Shadows and Faces a 16mm material. It's far from what Terminator would achieve 20 years later.

I'm not especially surprised by your saying, but BD does improve on DVD for Cassavetes' movies, at least by allowing a much better representation of the film grain, which is very difficult to get right on DVD, especially 16mm shot movies.

[nitin]

Shadows definitely looks way better.

With Woman Under the Influence, I agree difference isnt as obvious because of shooting style etc, but there is more texture and obviously much better compression.

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by theprestige85

Dunno if it's just me, but decided to check out to DVD version's of both A Woman Under The Influence & Shadows. Both look as good as blu ray versions. I mean, these are VERY strong DVD presentations and almost makes think I might as well had just brought the DVD. It certainly isn't my telly because the difference between the Terminator and the DVD is frighteningly obvious. As is the case of other blu's and their DVD companions. But I had a had time seeing any noticeable difference with Women Influence and Shadows...

I completely disagree. Even on a 50'+ screen it is very easy to see the advantages of the Blu-ray releases. As mentioned above, Shadows looks absolutely beautiful. On 100'+ screen, the differences are that much more obvious.

Maybe you can be fooled with The Killing of a Chinese Bookie on a smaller screen, but the trained eye can see the difference.

Pro-B