British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[SilverBlueSnow]

[QUOTE=rapta;13375065]Wow, really? Do we know this for sure or are they just slow at restocking places? I remember there was a scare last year when it looked like some titles were OOP but actually they just hadn't been restocked.

I ordered some things (including Alan Clarke set as I feel stock may be getting low) from BFI Shop and they told directly the BFI stock of War Trilogy is now completely sold out.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by SilverBlueSnow

I ordered some things (including Alan Clarke set as I feel stock may be getting low) from BFI Shop and they told directly the BFI stock of War Trilogy is now completely sold out.

Cool, gladly I got it ages ago (and the Ingrid Bergman set more recently). Haven't watched it yet though, but planned on doing so soon - saw the Bergman doc and remembered I should probably start watching Rossellini's early work.

[dumb_dutchman]

Originally Posted by Darby1985

It's a numbered limited run of 3000. It's been out for 2 years now so I'd say it's probably really OOP. Selling that many over 24 months isn't a stretch. The Bergman box came out just a few months later, so may not be too far behind.

Of course, what makes BFI's The War Trilogy more desirable is that, once it goes OOP and becomes scarce, there is no Criterion version to fall back on, unlike the Bergman set.


Update: There were 5 copies, as of yesterday, selling for 30 pounds each on AMZ from an independent seller. These are gone, and you are now looking at 50 pounds minimum for the set.

[Sleazeaddict]

Guys, what do you think about Pasolini's Trilogy of Life, should i grab BFI or Criterion ?

[Mr. Thomsen]

I wonder whether Criterion will upgrade their War Trilogy release now BFI's is OOP.

Could be they think that 2,000 copies is all the market can take of these titles. Then again, the BFI was locked to region B ...

Are the rights solidly with the BFI in the UK, or is there a chance Criterion UK could release it?

[Olmo]

Originally Posted by Sleazeaddict

Guys, what do you think about Pasolini's Trilogy of Life, should i grab BFI or Criterion ?

I opted for the Criterion as it had the better reviews PQ-wise and has the superior supplements package.

On watching Arabian Nights a while back, I noticed a scene previously omitted from my old BFI DVD version, so there is a censorship issue with the BFI release I would imagine.

I could have easily done without it (*it involved the throat of a live dove being slit*) but just so you know.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by Mr. Thomsen

I wonder whether Criterion will upgrade their War Trilogy release now BFI's is OOP.

Could be they think that 2,000 copies is all the market can take of these titles. Then again, the BFI was locked to region B ...

Are the rights solidly with the BFI in the UK, or is there a chance Criterion UK could release it?

BFI almost certainly still have the rights as they also have released them on DVD. They generally hang onto rights for quite a long time, so Criterion would have to wait quite a while if they were interested in porting their set over here. Wouldn't make much sense either since a majority of UK collectors will already have either bought the UK BFI set or imported the US Criterion one.

Both Rossellini sets from the BFI were limited to 3000 copies, by the way, and numbered too. That's roughly the standard print-run for most limited editions these days, and it was available for £15-20 for at least the last year. Was a no-brainer for me, and not surprised it has gone OOP! I got the Rossellini Bergman set more recently and only paid £12.99, which was also a bargain (even if the Criterion transfer is better on Journey to Italy).

[witchmania]

Has anyone picked up the Lino Brocka set? Would be curious to hear some thoughts on it if so.

Also, has it been confirmed that it comes in a hard outer case, as the photo on the previous page suggests?

[Fnord Prefect]

Originally Posted by witchmania

Has anyone picked up the Lino Brocka set? Would be curious to hear some thoughts on it if so.

Also, has it been confirmed that it comes in a hard outer case, as the photo on the previous page suggests?

Haven't picked it up yet, however judging by the photo it looks like exactly the same construction and texture of slightly oversized thin cardboard slipbox used to package the recent Quay Brothers blu-ray set rather than the rock hard stock used for Arrow's Hills Have Eyes set. To me the apparently dinked top lefthand corner makes the package look a little more rounded than it should.

I'd be happy to be proved wrong on all counts.

[witchmania]

Originally Posted by Fnord Prefect

Haven't picked it up yet, however judging by the photo it looks like exactly the same construction and texture of slightly oversized thin cardboard slipbox used to package the recent Quay Brothers blu-ray set rather than the rock hard stock used for Arrow's Hills Have Eyes set. To me the apparently dinked top lefthand corner makes the package look a little more rounded than it should.

I'd be happy to be proved wrong on all counts.

Ah, yes, I think you might be right - it's probably the same card stock as the Rossellini sets as well.

Really want to take the plunge on it, but it is a bit on the pricey side. Having said that, it sure looks like a great package. The extras look very impressive.

[mattyl149]

Originally Posted by witchmania

Has anyone picked up the Lino Brocka set? Would be curious to hear some thoughts on it if so.

Also, has it been confirmed that it comes in a hard outer case, as the photo on the previous page suggests?

I haven't got my Rossellini set near me to compare, but the Lino Brocka case is in between the flimsy cardboard and the hard outer box

[rapta]

I'll be getting it myself fairly soon, and probably from HMV as they seem to send things in thicker mailers than Amazon. Looks like a great set, but shame the artwork's a little poor this time.

[javi92]

Waiting for a price drop on Amazon.

[rossbirks]

Originally Posted by witchmania

Has anyone picked up the Lino Brocka set? Would be curious to hear some thoughts on it if so.

Also, has it been confirmed that it comes in a hard outer case, as the photo on the previous page suggests?

I haven't watched any of the films yet but I can confirm the outer case is the standard BFI cardboard/gloss box that is on things like Edvard Munch and the Quay set. Two clear case amarays inside with their own wraparound artwork, text-free apart from their titles. Thick booklet held in one of the cases. Lovely set. Can't wait to get stuck into the discs themselves.

[aewb]

Originally Posted by javi92

Waiting for a price drop on Amazon.

It's only £28, how low do you want it to go? That is less than two Indicators!

[nitin]

25.99 at base, and they also remove VAT.

[huntauk]

Grabbed it for £24 new on eBay. Should arrive tomorrow, looks a great set & excited to get stuck into two films from a director I wouldn't have heard of if WCP & BFI hadn't restored & released the set.

[senseabove]

Looks like the BFI version of Film/Not Film is up on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B06X3VVH5Q/

All the same extras as the two Milestone discs, minus the 1961 production of Waiting for Godot starring Zero Mostel and Burgess Meredith on the Milestone release of "Film".

[witchmania]

I took the plunge on the Lino Brocka set, and have so far watched Manilla In The Claws Of Light and the vintage Tony Rayns documentary on Filipino cinema. I found MITCOL to be really impressive, but unremittingly bleak - you can certainly see the influence of Italian neo-realism, and it does an excellent job of delineating the various mechanisms of corruption and how they impact on society's poorest. You can imagine how revelatory and powerful it must have been for foreign audiences seeing it on the international festival circuit, at the time.

It was a real joy to see the Tony Rayns doc too. It's pretty unthinkable that something like that could be commissioned by Channel 4, or really, any other TV broadcaster nowadays - despite there being far more channels available. Even the more niche outlets like BBC Four or Sky Arts would be unlikely to go anywhere near something like that.

Anyway, really looking forward to delving into the rest of the set.

[rapta]

I'm gonna get that set once the pre-orders die down a bit. I just bought two Arrow Academy sets (The Human Condition, Dekalog) and a couple of Criterion titles, but I can't let this one slide for too long. Archival or not, Tony Rayns is always a good person to rope into your release - I've noticed him pop up nearly everywhere at the moment; whether it's Eureka, Indicator, BFI, Arrow, Second Run or Criterion. He's very much in demand at the moment, and not just for Asian cinema.