British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[Immersion]

Originally Posted by Reduman

I have to say that I have blind bought almost all of the BFI's [I]Flipside[I] series movies -- although I had never heard of most of them before! Rarely have I come across a bad movie yet. Now I trust the "brand" so completely that I will usually order the titles as soon as they come up and at least promise to hold some interest for me. I especially love the style of the 1960s films. It is simply fab that these films, which prior to the advent of DVD/Blu-ray would most likely never have seen the light of day again, can win over new audiences and possibly gain new fans. That's what makes today's technology so great!

I agree. British cinema during that period was some of the most interesting outside of Japan, France, and Italy. The Flipside series is actually more interesting than the BFI world/normal releases, and I think this series is one of the best available. BFI also do a great job on adding in a lot of extras, as well as some dual-film releases, and nice booklets! Not bad at all for the £12-13 or so that a lot of sites charge.

It seems Zavvi have shipped my Duffer BD already, and being my first preorder I didn't know stores shipped 5 days before the scheduled release date But I guess the 17th is not set in stone?

[rkish]

Now that I have a region free player, I'm starting to add more of the BFI and MoC titles to my collection.

I'm currently jumping on the Ozus...already have Tokyo Story...Late Spring and Early Summer are enroute. I've preordered Equinox Flower and will wait on Good Morning for now.

I want to order The Valley, as I'm a big fan of Obscured by Clouds.

Can anyone that has seen The Valley comment on it?

[charnier]

Unfortunately, I cannot comment on it Rkish, as I also have not seen it.

Nevertheless, I'm going to take a leap of faith on this one - generally, you cannot go wrong with Pink Floyd attached to anything and considering how the BFI treat their releases, I'm willing to back them up with a blind buy (even if I'm wrong occasionally )

[Buffalo66]

I just watched my first ever BFI blu-ray; Red Desert.

I'm now a big fan of Monica Vitti!

[Mr. Brightside]

Originally Posted by Buffalo66

I just watched my first ever BFI blu-ray; Red Desert.

I'm now a big fan of Monica Vitti!

This is my fave Blu-ray so far. Can understand why you're now a big Vitti fan. Any aspiring actress should watch her in this film. Terrific performance.

[rkish]

Originally Posted by charnier

Unfortunately, I cannot comment on it Rkish, as I also have not seen it.

Nevertheless, I'm going to take a leap of faith on this one - generally, you cannot go wrong with Pink Floyd attached to anything and considering how the BFI treat their releases, I'm willing to back them up with a blind buy (even if I'm wrong occasionally )

Thanks charnier! I'll likely order it. It sounds as if it's in the league of a "visually based film", backed up by a good music score. Not unlike Fantasia.

[rkish]

Here's a "user review" of the VHS version of The Valley from IMDB. I think this is a pretty good overview of the film and reason enough for me to check it out:

"The Valley is not for everyone's taste but is still worth a look. Sometimes looking like a cross between Jimi Hendrix's Rainbow Bridge and National Geographic, the Valley pretty much centers on the same themes of the former although it exhibits a much more lucid character development, not to mention poetic discourse. The Valley brings up many ideas of its era: free love, mind expanding drugs, psychedelic music, and ontological excursions. However, the foremost point seems to be a clash between the first and last cited, and sometimes presented sporadically.

The film follows a girl who latches on to group of hippies on an expedition for the `Valley obscured by Clouds.' Her primary motive is to collect rare feathers for her husband in France, but she inevitably falls in love with two of the hippies. Amongst their infidelities and hypocrisies, the group manages to find aid with a friendly New Guinea native tribe who slaughter pigs and perform ritualistic dances. Finally, the group makes their way back on the path, but do they?

Although somewhat slow at moments (i.e., the group's interaction with a peaceful African tribe) the Valley primarily has a steady pace; however, this minor flaw is (!) obscured by the beautiful cinematography and scenery. I enjoyed a large percentage of this film (especially the incidental music composed by Pink Floyd) but the ending a bit abrupt, a quality that may upset some viewers wanting more. Nevertheless, the Valley is still a great film with a beautiful story and beautiful images.

Note: about the music, if you're looking for another Pink Floyd album in this movie, forget it! As mentioned above, it's purely incidental and few of the Floyd's songs are in this film. Go buy the complete soundtrack in the stores."

Other reviews, for those interested:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069451/usercomments

[pro-bassoonist]

BFI RECEIVES MAJOR DONATION TO ‘RESCUE THE HITCHCOCK 9’ CAMPAIGN FROM THE FILM FOUNDATION

The BFI’s campaign to Rescue the Hitchcock 9, a worldwide fund-raising initiative to support the urgent restoration of Hitchcock’s nine surviving silent films, has just received its largest single donation to date.

The Film Foundation (chair: Martin Scorsese) is supporting the project, in partnership with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, with a generous donation of $275,000 which will go towards the restoration of The Lodger, The Ring, Blackmail and The Pleasure Garden.

Donations have been coming in from around the world thanks to support from the online community and international press coverage from The Times of London to the New York Times, and reports everywhere from Japan to Saudi Arabia and New Zealand. The campaign is off to a great start but we still need more contributions to help us reach our target.

Martin Scorsese said, “I’m thrilled that these films will be preserved and made available with the best possible prints for audiences to enjoy. Hitchcock remains an enduring influence on world cinema, and these early works provide a wonderful glimpse into the development of his signature style.”

Amanda Nevill, BFI Director said, “We are delighted to acknowledge this very generous grant from our friends at The Film Foundation and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Hitchcock belongs not just to Britain but to the world, and we are grateful that so many people share our passion for his work.”

Hitchcock is internationally recognised as one of Britain's greatest ever film-makers. 30 years since his death he remains one of the world's most influential and important directors.

Hitchcock's early films are among the finest achievements of British silent cinema. On its first release The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1926) was acclaimed as a masterpiece and his subsequent films refined his techniques of stunning visual composition, richly cinematic storytelling linked to dramatic invention, which are uniquely Hitchcock.

New digital techniques mean that the BFI’s team of technical experts are now in a position to restore scratched and damaged negatives and produce much improved viewing copies. The surviving nitrate materials for these films bear the marks of wear and tear over the decades.

As the campaign continues we are happy to receive even small amounts to help us reach our target. Members of the public who would like to save an important and historic film can contribute by visiting http://www.bfi.org.uk//saveafilm.

THE HITCHCOCK 9:
THE PLEASURE GARDEN (1925), THE LODGER (1926), DOWNHILL (1927),
EASY VIRTUE (1927), THE RING (1927), THE FARMER'S WIFE (1927), CHAMPAGNE (1928), THE MANXMAN (1929), BLACKMAIL (1929)

http://www.bfi.org.uk/about/media/re..._hitchcock.pdf

Pro-B

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by Buffalo66

I just watched my first ever BFI blu-ray; Red Desert.

I'm now a big fan of Monica Vitti!

A few photos can be seen here:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/album.php?albumid=28

Pro-B

[Buffalo66]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

http://www.bfi.org.uk/about/media/re..._hitchcock.pdf

Pro-B

Great news! Scorsese should get an award for his contributions to the world of cinema.

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

A few photos can be seen here:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/album.php?albumid=28

Pro-B

Beautiful..

[Micheal]

Help someone please

just checked the HMV website and they have deleted life of brian, anyone know why

heres the link to it http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProduct...;-1&sku=731471

[pro-bassoonist]

Grab the U.S. version then:



Pro-B

[Micheal]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Grab the U.S. version then:



Pro-B

why's the uk one deleted though? some new release planned or something?

[Marius Bava]

There were any news about the Kurosawa releases in the last days/weeks?

I'm thinking of buying the Naruse boxset, although I have the movies in good spanish editions. Any remote possibility of BD upgrade? There are HD materials of it?

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by Micheal

why's the uk one deleted though? some new release planned or something?

Perhaps it is simply out of stock at the moment.

Pro-B

[Marius Bava]

Thank you for the answers, Michael.

[Reduman]

Originally Posted by Immersion

I agree. British cinema during that period was some of the most interesting outside of Japan, France, and Italy. The Flipside series is actually more interesting than the BFI world/normal releases, and I think this series is one of the best available. BFI also do a great job on adding in a lot of extras, as well as some dual-film releases, and nice booklets! Not bad at all for the £12-13 or so that a lot of sites charge.

It seems Zavvi have shipped my Duffer BD already, and being my first preorder I didn't know stores shipped 5 days before the scheduled release date But I guess the 17th is not set in stone?

Yes, I received my copies of "Duffer" and "Private Road" today (January 21, 2011). At ca. 15 quid a pop (from amazon.co.uk), including taxes and 2-3 day shipping, they're a steal! Now that the VAT rate has increased to 20% in the UK, I am getting my goods slightly cheaper (erm ... by 1% to be exact), as the German VAT rate (Mehrwertsteuer - Mwst) is slightly lower at 19%. There's always a silver lining somewhere ... even in these grim economic times ...

[AnimeOnBlu]

New BFI release (and preorder):

[Buffalo66]

Originally Posted by AnimeOnBlu

New BFI release (and preorder):

Awesome!

[McCrutchy]

Originally Posted by AnimeOnBlu

New BFI release (and preorder):

Originally Posted by Buffalo66

Awesome!

Seconded, been waiting months for a pre-order. Be interesting to see how well this one sells...