British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[huntauk]

Watched Alice last night, and was really captivated by how dark it was! Slabs of rump steaks crawling from pot to pot and decaying animals, I see why it might not be completely suitable for younger children. Not sure if I was reading the allegory the correct way, but the locked doors and the concept of the fantasy elements locked within the drawers ect, representing the creative repression of the communist regime? A reference of Svankmajer's own forced ban by the government for much of the 80's. Nevertheless it was an interesting one to watch, even if I won't likely revisit for a long time.

Really looking forward to Eyes Without A Face. Only seen it once in a lecture years ago, and was rather tired so need to watch again and the accompanying shorts look intriguing.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by huntauk

Really looking forward to Eyes Without A Face. Only seen it once in a lecture years ago, and was rather tired so need to watch again and the accompanying shorts look intriguing.

Wasn't there an announcement this was held up again? I haven't seen or heard of a revised release date since then, and I can't seem to find a press release indicating there's a delay. Everywhere's still saying the 22nd...can't wait for this one either!

[Aardvark_DK]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

Buy the criterions

You don't know Kristoffer. He will never, ever go region free. Doesn't matter if his favorite film is only available in A - he just won't do it.

[huntauk]

Originally Posted by rapta

Wasn't there an announcement this was held up again? I haven't seen or heard of a revised release date since then, and I can't seem to find a press release indicating there's a delay. Everywhere's still saying the 22nd...can't wait for this one either!

I think somebody posted earlier in the thread about the delay announcement. It's the first I'd heard of it also. The retailers have history in waiting to the last minute to update release dates but hopefully were still all set for the 22nd. Interestingly enough in the Horror Nation module I took, the weekly playlist for the last 2 weeks was Shivers then Eyes Without A Face

[rapta]

Originally Posted by huntauk

I think somebody posted earlier in the thread about the delay announcement. It's the first I'd heard of it also. The retailers have history in waiting to the last minute to update release dates but hopefully were still all set for the 22nd. Interestingly enough in the Horror Nation module I took, the weekly playlist for the last 2 weeks was Shivers then Eyes Without A Face

Yeah I looked into it and only found the same quote on the Criterion forum in a thread about Eyes Without A Face. MovieMail and the odd other place usually update the release date first but they're all still saying 22nd. I guess we'll find out next week!

[nitin]

looks like A Farewell to Arms is the same source as the Kino disc with minutely better encoding (caps available at dvdbeaver, BFI's disc has a tad better grain solving to my eyes)

[Michael Harper]

Anybody got any pictures of the Akira Kurosawa Samurai Collection?

[rapta]

Okie dokie, so Franju's Eyes Without A Face (Dual Format Edition) has a new release date of November 17th according to Amazon.

That'll be over 9 months since I first ordered it! New record, BFI? 2 months seems a little drastic...perhaps it's a preliminary date for now?

It will be worth the wait though!

[Judex]

Originally Posted by rapta

Okie dokie, so Franju's Eyes Without A Face (Dual Format Edition) has a new release date of November 17th according to Amazon.

That'll be over 9 months since I first ordered it! New record, BFI? 2 months seems a little drastic...perhaps it's a preliminary date for now?

It will be worth the wait though!

That belongs to Stromboli original release date of 13th May 2013.
Closely followed by Journey to Italy release date of 19th August 2013.

Neither have seen the light of day yet.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by Judex

That belongs to Stromboli original release date of 13th May 2013.
Closely followed by Journey to Italy release date of 19th August 2013.

Neither have seen the light of day yet.

I believe that was due to a possibility of a Rossellini set, if I'm not mistaken. But yes, they've never been certainly 'cancelled', which is frustrating - all it would take is an email response or something. I found that my questions to them on the Herzog delays via their YouTube channel took a while but they actually answered (whereas emails or tweets did not get responses).

Anyway, much like Artificial Eye often do it seems to have been put on hold in general...maybe they've been focusing efforts on Robbe-Grille/Herzog/Franju and the British Sci-Fi sets and will move onto that soon. Who knows!

[Judex]

Originally Posted by rapta

I believe that was due to a possibility of a Rossellini set, if I'm not mistaken. But yes, they've never been certainly 'cancelled', which is frustrating - all it would take is an email response or something. I found that my questions to them on the Herzog delays via their YouTube channel took a while but they actually answered (whereas emails or tweets did not get responses).

Anyway, much like Artificial Eye often do it seems to have been put on hold in general...maybe they've been focusing efforts on Robbe-Grille/Herzog/Franju and the British Sci-Fi sets and will move onto that soon. Who knows!

I think it was a possibility of a boxset. They're also releasing Rome, Open City. So they could be waiting on that and doing one "bigish" boxset.

I've had responses from them the few times I've asked on Twitter.
The thing I find baffling though, is they never seem to announce or promote their home video releases very much on Twitter.

[Opdef]

Very excited about the release of The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands, with it eventually appearing on Blu-ray in January. Seems in a a similar vein to The Great White Silence and Epic of Everest - two of the most deserving BFI Blu-rays yet released:

The BFI National Archive is pleased to announce that the world premiere of a new restoration of a major British silent film, The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands (1927), will be unveiled as the BFI London Film Festival Archive Gala screening, presented in partnership with American Express®, on 16th October 2014, at the Queen Elizabeth Hall followed by a nationwide release in cinemas, with a simultaneous release on BFI Player and later issued on BFI DVD.

This virtually unknown film offers a stunning recreation of two key battles faced by the Royal Navy in the early days of World War One, almost exactly a century ago. The battle of Coronel took place on 1 November 1914 and the battle of the Falkland Islands on 8 December 1914. The first major engagement between German and British ships at Coronel was a terrible defeat for Britain with the loss of two warships achieved by Admiral Graf von Spee. Later the British responded in a desperate bid to save the morale of a nation at war.

The film will have a stirring new score, commissioned from award-winning composer Simon Dobson, whose previous work includes a musical commemoration of the Penlee lifeboat tragedy. The score will be performed, appropriately, by 24 members of the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines in honour of the 24 members of the band who lost their lives with the sinking of HMS Monmouth at the battle of Coronel.

Directed by Walter Summers, this moving epic of war at sea shows just how the battles were fought. Royal Navy ships were used and filming took place in the open seas around Malta with the Scilly Isles standing in for the Falklands. Scenes of naval warfare have rarely been captured on film with such a degree of authenticity. No models and no trick photography were employed, although some interiors were recreated in the studio. A special screening was held at Balmoral for King George V and critics heaped praise on the film.

This was an age when captains still heroically and tragically went down with their ships, alongside thousands of sailors on both sides who lost their lives.

[Olmo]

Originally Posted by rapta

Okie dokie, so Franju's Eyes Without A Face (Dual Format Edition) has a new release date of November 17th according to Amazon.

That'll be over 9 months since I first ordered it! New record, BFI? 2 months seems a little drastic...perhaps it's a preliminary date for now?

It will be worth the wait though!

Called into my local HMV (Newcastle Upon Tyne) for a couple of Truffaut's earlier and in the Blu-ray World Cinema section there is a space cleared and a sign 'Eyes Without a Face' out on Monday; Pre-order your copy now.

Plot thickens...

[rapta]

Originally Posted by Olmo

Called into my local HMV (Newcastle Upon Tyne) for a couple of Truffaut's earlier and in the Blu-ray World Cinema section there is a space cleared and a sign 'Eyes Without a Face' out on Monday; Pre-order your copy now.

Plot thickens...

That is weird...implies they have the stock out back. Either that or they had that pre-order case up over a week in advance?

I guess we'll find out what's happening soon (i.e. today or tomorrow). My Amazon order is still set for delivery on Monday, despite the Amazon listing now saying November 17th. So either Amazon are wrong or HMV are...I'm inclined to say the latter is more likely.

[huntauk]

Was just popping in to see if anyone's order had been shipped yet, seems a resounding no. Reckon November is accurate, but lets hang in hope that stock floods in on Monday.

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by huntauk

Was just popping in to see if anyone's order had been shipped yet, seems a resounding no. Reckon November is accurate, but lets hang in hope that stock floods in on Monday.

The BFI's own webstore has moved it back to November now too, so it must be right.

http://shop.bfi.org.uk/pre-order-eye...l#.VByPFUutnqs

[rapta]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

The BFI's own webstore has moved it back to November now too, so it must be right.

http://shop.bfi.org.uk/pre-order-eye...l#.VByPFUutnqs

Yes the date from several other sites corroborates this. So sit back and wait for November 17th to happen I suppose! I will watch it in a double-bill with Spione if all goes to plan

'Best possible' sounds like we'll be getting free masks with our copies. Fingers crossed!

But in all seriousness, maybe a slipcover's gonna be on this one. I hope so - the best artwork in a long while on a BFI release!

[Olmo]

Originally Posted by rapta

That is weird...implies they have the stock out back. Either that or they had that pre-order case up over a week in advance?

I guess we'll find out what's happening soon (i.e. today or tomorrow). My Amazon order is still set for delivery on Monday, despite the Amazon listing now saying November 17th. So either Amazon are wrong or HMV are...I'm inclined to say the latter is more likely.

Unfortunately it looks as though HMV hadn't indeed been notified as to the date change. Rang them this morning and it hasn't come in.

17th November it is then...

[Sifox211]

Base.com have a load of titles reduced to £7.89, including:

The Epic of Everest
Sleepwalker
L'age d'Or
Late Autumn
Deep End
Theorem
Aguirre, Wrath of God (Limited Edition Blu-ray Steelbook) (!!!!!!!!)
Alice
Opening Night

While I'm here, also Mouchet at £6.79.

[malcy30]

Originally Posted by Sifox211

Base.com have a load of titles reduced to £7.89, including:

The Epic of Everest
Sleepwalker
L'age d'Or
Late Autumn
Deep End
Theorem
Aguirre, Wrath of God (Limited Edition Blu-ray Steelbook) (!!!!!!!!)
Alice
Opening Night

While I'm here, also Mouchet at £6.79.

One caveat is Base.com ship everything in jiffy bags so a dangerous option for steelbooks