British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[Fnord Prefect]

Originally Posted by jcmw98

Has anyone got the Alan Clarke boxset? If so, is it worth dropping 90 quid on it or should I wait for some sort of sale?

Maybe invest the Contact and/or the Firm standalone blu-rays and if you like them sell them on and invest in the full boxed set. Penda's Fen is my favourite of the standalone releases, however it is somewhat more avant garde than his other work and unlike the other two it doesn't contain an additional play meaning it's not an accurate representation of his body of work.

[Kauno]

Originally Posted by jcmw98

Has anyone got the Alan Clarke boxset? If so, is it worth dropping 90 quid on it or should I wait for some sort of sale?

Ask Alan Clarke, my friend.

[kristoffer]

Wages of fear is a must buy if they use the Criterion master.

[billlythekid]

Originally Posted by jcmw98

Has anyone got the Alan Clarke boxset? If so, is it worth dropping 90 quid on it or should I wait for some sort of sale?

I traded in a few things to CEX and ended up with a voucher for £67. Managed to get the set from their website for a tenner. Fast delivery and in excellent condition despite being a used copy. Terrific set.

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by kristoffer

Wages of fear is a must buy if they use the Criterion master.

Criterion masters are really not the automatic best you can get, however good some of them are. My understanding is that the delay with this release was because BFI didn't merely want to go with an existing master, but was waiting for the outcome of the extensive restoration being done.

[nitin]

Originally Posted by kristoffer

Wages of fear is a must buy if they use the Criterion master.

Wages of Fear will be a must buy precisely because they wont be using the existing Criterion master but a new 4k restoration.

[kristoffer]

Ohh, even better!

[kristoffer]

If only BFI would use the Criterion master of Seven Samurai. I was very disappointed with the BFI BD.

[nitin]

Originally Posted by kristoffer

If only BFI would use the Criterion master of Seven Samurai. I was very disappointed with the BFI BD.

Apparently they couldn't afford to and so just used what they could get from the Japanese.

[Yami]

Originally Posted by nitin

Apparently they couldn't afford to and so just used what they could get from the Japanese.

Who have since restored it in 4K. Though I'll be surprised if the BFI go back to it anytime soon.

[NjabPhungula]

Originally Posted by Yami

Who have since restored it in 4K. Though I'll be surprised if the BFI go back to it anytime soon.

That's the sad part. I mean, "Seven Samurai" is film studies 101. Anyone who is interested in "foreign-language" cinema has heard of it. It's what one might think of as a popular title. I don't see the BFI struggling to make a profit from releasing the 4K resto (assuming they are able to get it). I myself have the BFI Kurosawa Samurai blu-ray collection set and I would most definitely welcome the opportunity to buy a better edition of the film, with or without new bonus features but of course those would be welcome and might entice people to double-dip if a new transfer isn't enough to convince them.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by nitin

Apparently they couldn't afford to and so just used what they could get from the Japanese.

Was it from Toho, or from their own BFI Archive? For some reason I thought it was the latter...I'm in France at the moment so can't check my box set.

I still think their Seven Samurai is watchable, but obviously not as ideal as the Criterion. Assuming they're not returning to any of the same Kurosawa titles in the immediate future, I'd love for them to upgrade some of his other titles - especially Ikiru, Red Beard, Drunken Angel, Stray Dog, High and Low, or The Bad Sleep Well.

I did ask someone in the BFI team last Autumn but they said there were no specific plans for Kurosawa, nor any other Japanese stuff, which is obviously a shame as they do have the rights to some excellent titles they're just gonna let go. On the plus side, perhaps Criterion will seize these once BFI let them, and we might soon get their edition of Teshigahara's Woman (in the/of the) Dunes released over here...as well as several Ozu, Kurosawa, and probably a few others I can't remember off the top of my head.

[nitin]

Originally Posted by rapta

Was it from Toho, or from their own BFI Archive? For some reason I thought it was the latter...I'm in France at the moment so can't check my box set.

I still think their Seven Samurai is watchable, but obviously not as ideal as the Criterion. Assuming they're not returning to any of the same Kurosawa titles in the immediate future, I'd love for them to upgrade some of his other titles - especially Ikiru, Red Beard, Drunken Angel, Stray Dog, High and Low, or The Bad Sleep Well.

I did ask someone in the BFI team last Autumn but they said there were no specific plans for Kurosawa, nor any other Japanese stuff, which is obviously a shame as they do have the rights to some excellent titles they're just gonna let go. On the plus side, perhaps Criterion will seize these once BFI let them, and we might soon get their edition of Teshigahara's Woman (in the/of the) Dunes released over here...as well as several Ozu, Kurosawa, and probably a few others I can't remember off the top of my head.

Not sure, I was under the impression it was from Toho but perhaps it isn't.

Also, I am really really hoping Criterion do Red Beard and/or The Bad Sleep Well this year (would also take Stray Dog but the first two would be ideal).

[Jr7936]

Im shocked the German concentration camps blu dropped to 19 gbp on amazon.co.uk
it's even better that's it region free since i don't see it getting released in North America any time soon but i could be very wrong about that

[NjabPhungula]

Originally Posted by rapta

Was it from Toho, or from their own BFI Archive? For some reason I thought it was the latter...I'm in France at the moment so can't check my box set.

I'm quoting from the set:

The films in this collection were mastered in High Definition by Toho in Japan, and made available to the BFI. Each film is presented in its intended theatrical aspect ratio with original mono audio.

Seven Samurai was restored by Toho in Japan, using an original 35mm fine grain positive, and delivered to the BFI. Further digital restoration was undertaken by the BFI, at Deluxe Soho, to remove instances of film damage, emulsion-warping and frame jumping.

[mattyl149]

I went to HMV today and picked up the German Concentration Camp release, well I nearly did because as I was checking the Amazon website to see if some titles had been pushed back, I checked the price of this. It was £18.37 as opposed to HMV's price of £24.99

I put it back on the shelf

With regards to the Frantz Fanon release, my HMV online order was cancelled and it doesn't appear to be in stock on Amazon. The price also seems higher than I was expecting

[Jr7936]

Amazon had it in stock when it was around 18 gbp. I think the lowest it got last night was 18.25 gbp
Now the price is back to closse to over 20 gbp

Originally Posted by mattyl149

I went to HMV today and picked up the German Concentration Camp release, well I nearly did because as I was checking the Amazon website to see if some titles had been pushed back, I checked the price of this. It was £18.37 as opposed to HMV's price of £24.99

I put it back on the shelf

With regards to the Frantz Fanon release, my HMV online order was cancelled and it doesn't appear to be in stock on Amazon. The price also seems higher than I was expecting

[Fnord Prefect]

I was hoping that being a BFI release German Concentration Camps Factual Survey would last week drop to £10.99 on HMV.com like the Quay Brothers Collection did, but for whatever reason it's stayed at around the RRP. Perhaps it's because they're listing it as a boxed set rather that a dual format release?

Frantz Fanon has disappeared from the BFI's own online store so it's either seriously delayed or cancelled. Was disappointed that HMV.com cancelled my order due to the £10.99 price lock down, especially as their new BFI guide price appears to be be (an admittedly perfectly reasonable) £12.99.

[fdm]

Guess I should have put a price watch in place sooner rather than later... I wasn't brave enough to keep the order in place, as the price was (and is once again (back to over £27)) a bit too steep, so cancelled it a few days back. If only I'd read my emails before I went to bed this morning....

So what's this look like, a regular single clear case thing?

[billlythekid]

Gutted i missed it on Amazon, hoping it ends up on sale somewhere down the line.