British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[Vakulinchuk]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

Do you mean Turksib (which is volume 1) or Battleship Potemkin (which is volume 2)? Only the latter needed a recall and a "V2" repressing.

Oh, my bad, I meant Potemkin/Drifters. I thought it was vol.1. Strange, the number of volume isn't specified onto the cover.

I've yet to get Turksib, but will do for sure.

Also, I wonder... if the problem in the first pressing of Potemkin/Drifters was in the HD master (I'm reading the thread in the Criterion forum), and since it's a dual format release, the problem should carry over the dvd disc as well, right? Not that I'm interested into a replacement of the dvd... having the correct Bluray is all I'm crossing fingers for.

[Kalvar]

I pre ordered Love On The Dole for £14.99. It was shipped yesterday but is now £10.99 today (release date). Will Amazon automatically will refund the difference?

[richwood]

Originally Posted by Kalvar

I pre ordered Love On The Dole for £14.99. It was shipped yesterday but is now £10.99 today (release date). Will Amazon automatically will refund the difference?

You should get an automatic refund tomorrow.

[ravenus]

You should automatically be refunded. If not, a simple e-mail does the trick.

[tenia]

Originally Posted by ravenus

If not, a simple e-mail does the trick.

I just did that yesterday with Beyond the Valley of the Dolls : 5 min on the chat and they refunded me the difference.

[BarnDoor]

Richard III (1995) coming in May. Good job I didn't go for the Twilight Time edition:

Richard III is also being screened at BFI Southbank, will be part of the international touring programme and re-released by the BFI in a DVD/Blu-ray Dual Format Edition on 23 May, with brand new additional material, including new audio commentary.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/n...akespeare-film

[TJS_Blu]

Abel Gance’s ‘NAPOLEON’ to receive nationwide theatrical and home entertainment releases

[CouncilSpectre]

"50 year project" - feck me!

[Knaldskalle]

Originally Posted by TJS_Blu

Abel Gance’s ‘NAPOLEON’ to receive nationwide theatrical and home entertainment releases

I had the great pleasure of seeing this on the big screen in Oakland in 2012. Seeing the Triptych was mindblowing (aspect ratio of 4:1!) and live orchestra conducted by Carl Davis himself. Without a doubt the greatest experience I've had in a movie theater!

And the movie's not bad, either.

FWIW, the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris made a similar announcement a couple of years ago, with Francis Ford Coppola. They will restore a different version, the "Apollo Version", that originally didn't have the Triptych, but the Triptych will be added to the new restoration. That version is also expected to be released on home video.

I'm guessing they'll letterbox the Triptych in both cases, diminishing rather than increasing the experience, but that's what happens.

Triptych in Oakland, right after the screening:

[Show spoiler]

[rapta]

Just noticed this on Amazon too:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beat-Girl-DV.../dp/B01B68QM10

Perhaps there's going to be a Q2 announcement soon? Maybe tomorrow, as they often announce things properly on a Friday.

[Yami]

There are some others up on Amazon as well:

Expresso Bongo
I Am Belfast
Akenfield
The Firm

Finally some Alan Clarke from the BFI!

[BarnDoor]

I thought Flipside was due to return this year? If so, Akenfield seems like a decent bet from those. The Firm perhaps not given that it's more well-known. But I'd certainly love to see some more Alan Clarke. Hopefully a small Blu-ray collection of his TV output is in the works.

[rapta]

Yeah I had heard they were releasing Mark Cousins' I Am Belfast at some point, so I might go for that. As for The Firm, sounds good as well! Those are the only films I was already aware of, and I'm happy to blind-buy either of them. If they're going to do more Clarke, I'd love to see Elephant get a release at some point.

The others I'm not so interested in...I wonder if one or two of them will be Flipside? Or are they ditching that range?

Also, Richard III is up: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Richard-III-...dp/B01B6B46UQ/

[tenia]

All the titles uploaded today are :

Beat Girl (Edmond T Greville) : April 18th (DF BD / DVD)
Expresso Bongo (Val Guest) : April 18th (DF)
I Am Belfast (Mark Cousins) : May 23rd (LE DF)
Richard III (Richard Loncraine) : May 23rd (DF)
The Firm (Alan Clarke) : May 23rd (DF)
Akenfield (Peter Hall) : June 20th (DF)

Napoleon should be released in Nov '16 so that will be Q4.


I'm wondering too about Flipside. Sam Dunn said it should be back in 2016, but I still see nothing (though Beat Girl looks like a good candidate).

[rapta]

Originally Posted by tenia

All the titles uploaded today are :

Beat Girl (Edmond T Greville) : April 18th (DF BD / DVD)
Expresso Bongo (Val Guest) : April 18th (DF)
I Am Belfast (Mark Cousins) : May 23rd (LE DF)
Richard III (Richard Loncraine) : May 23rd (DF)
The Firm (Alan Clarke) : May 23rd (DF)
Akenfield (Peter Hall) : June 20th (DF)

Napoleon should be released in Nov '16 so that will be Q4.


I'm wondering too about Flipside. Sam Dunn said it should be back in 2016, but I still see nothing (though Beat Girl looks like a good candidate).

Yeah, I was thinking Beat Girl and Akenfield seem like sure contenders for Flipside (although Beat Girl giving off a similar vibe to Expresso Bongo, so maybe not). Murder in the Cathedral certainly seems like it could've been a Flipside title as well, to give another example.

Perhaps they're doing Flipside titles but not under the same banner? The Flipside artwork certainly makes them seem like part of a 'collection', despite them all being quite different and a few of them from quite well-known directors (e.g. Deep End, Privilege, That Sinking Feeling). I know I was kinda thrown by the Flipside title and didn't quite know where to start, so maybe they've recognised this and decided to tone down the name (or get rid of it).

[tenia]

Final product-wise, there isn't a lot of difference between a Flipside release and a non-Flipside one in contents or in the way the movies are treated.

[ISmith1979]

Originally Posted by rapta

Yeah, I was thinking Beat Girl and Akenfield seem like sure contenders for Flipside (although Beat Girl giving off a similar vibe to Expresso Bongo, so maybe not). Murder in the Cathedral certainly seems like it could've been a Flipside title as well, to give another example.

Perhaps they're doing Flipside titles but not under the same banner? The Flipside artwork certainly makes them seem like part of a 'collection', despite them all being quite different and a few of them from quite well-known directors (e.g. Deep End, Privilege, That Sinking Feeling). I know I was kinda thrown by the Flipside title and didn't quite know where to start, so maybe they've recognised this and decided to tone down the name (or get rid of it).

Unless I've missed any releases I don't feel BFI have released anything bizarre enough to fit the Flipside label for a while now. Which is a crying shame, as it bought Duffer & a lost Andy Milligan to the world. I for one deeply miss Flipside & long for its return.

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by Fnord Prefect

IMO however the non-Flipside branding of Murder in the Cathedral probably had more to do with a lack of confidence re it's sustainability as a catalogue item so they appear to be going the same route as they did with Riddle of the Sphinx, a very Flipside non-Flipside title, and marketed it as a limited edition with an implied promise of a much cheaper to manufacture DVD only edition once it's sold out.

I trust the Flipside brand. I have bought neither Riddle of the Sphinx and Murder in the Cathedral, but would have happily blind-bought if they had that Flipside seal of approval stamped on them. Because Flipside, to me, always means something rare and interesting from British cinema/TV regardless of it's a genre I'm interested in or not.

[Spiderwalk]

I Start Counting (1970) would be a perfect candidate for Flipside. It never had an official DVD release, such a shame as it's a little gem!.

[Spiderwalk]

Originally Posted by Fnord Prefect

Indeed. That's why I'd be surprised if the BFI have totally dropped the branding, as many folks (myself included) view it as if not a seal of quality a sign that the contents will be interesting and memorable.



Great movie. An early 70's British thriller featuring a young Jenny Agutter as the lead and a score by Basil Kirchin, seeking out a copy was a no brainer for me.

It was a United Artists release meaning, barring some sort of legal SNAFU, it'll now be part of the non-directly controlled by Warner's section of MGM's catalogue and probably available for license.

Actually, Trunk Records are releasing Basil Kirchin's score for that very movie later this year and as they've broadly co-ordinated releases with BFI once before, a selection of Jeff Keen's tape experiments released around the time of the BFI's Blu-ray collection of his films, maybe the movie is finally on the way?

Either way, a Blu-ray or even an anamorphic DVD of ISC would be a day one purchase for me.

Do you own an original VHS (if such a thing exists) or, like me the bootleg DVD-R sourced from a Channel 4 broadcast?

Thanks for the info. I've only seen it on TV, but it made a big impression on me at the time. I will definitely pick up the soundtrack (love the Jonny Trunk releases!).