British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[Nedoflanders]

Originally Posted by Dan8700

This is bad news, as I am (was) very interested in the set. Thanks for posting 'cause I already own the CC edition of that masterpiece, and was thinking about selling it... now I know I won't! Did you notice other issues with the other Woodfall films?

Yet to finish the set, but I couldn't see anything wrong with the other films I've watched ('Look Back in Anger' and 'The Entertainer'; the two previously released titles are just the same discs). Of course, a second opinion would be handy.

[logboy]

any examples of folk managing to trigger a recall? wondering about 'actor's revenge', cos i've got it and not watched it - but opened, oddly - so tempted to perhaps mail it to them ... ?!

[Yami]

Fantastic news about Nil By Mouth; one of the best British films of the 90s, and one that has been criminally hard to get for years. Always seemed like it was just a matter of time before the BFI rescued it, and I'm glad to see that they finally have!

[s-hell]

Originally Posted by s-hell

The aspect ratio on the BFI (2.3:1) seems good to me. The Daiei logo at the beginning doesn't look compressed vertically, and the frame enlargements in Ian Breakwell's 1995 BFI Film Classics book are sized similarly, 109 x 49 mm = 2.25:1. So I guess that it's rather the Criterion's image which is stretched vertically a bit (to 2.39:1).

Originally Posted by Dan8700

Hi, sadly the BFI got wrong the AR as well: as I said, the Japanese BD has the exact same ratio and framing of the Criterion disc; in short, they just "ported" the JP disc, as BFI should have done - but they didn't, they even altered it. Totally awful.

I don't know how Daieiscope was handled in the 1960s, and there may be good reasons for presenting the film in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. But judging from the dimensions of the Daiei logo at the beginning, the BFI aspect ratio doesn't seem like a problem to me. The logo at least doesn't look distorted.

Leaving aside the encoding issues, I don't think you should make such positive remarks as "the BFI got wrong" or "totally awful" without some facts to support them. Criterion are not infallible, and Kadokawa wouldn't be either. I can't definitely say what aspect ratio the Japanese editions (blu-ray, DCP) have, their website just says "scope", and Amazon says "2.35", like for the BFI. Are you sure the Kadokawa version is 2.39:1?

https://www.kadokawa-pictures.jp/off...ou/video.shtml
https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E9%9B%AA%E4%B9%8B%E4%B8%9E%E5%A4%89%E5%8C%96-4K-Master-Blu-ray-%E9%95%B7%E8%B0%B7%E5%B7%9D%E4%B8%80%E5%A4%AB/dp/B013DIH48G/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1543922309&sr=8-9&keywords=%E3%80%8E%E9%9B%AA%E4%B9%8B%E4%B8%9E%E5 %A4%89%E5%8C%96%E3%80%8F

[s-hell]

Originally Posted by Nedoflanders

I noticed similar problems with 'A Taste of Honey' in the recent Woodfall set (authored by White Label Productions).
The macroblocking in the final scene is so horrendous, I'm amazed others haven't addressed it.

Originally Posted by Dan8700

It looks like several UK releases from important labels are not getting reviewed anymore (what about Rivette's The Nun and the Melville set, for instance?), so we're kinda left in a "sea of ignorance"...

I guess most people have the usual pile of unwatched films. I also have the Woodfall set, and not watched a single film so far. Wondering how many of the recent BFI released are concerned...

[rapta]

Originally Posted by Yami

Fantastic news about Nil By Mouth; one of the best British films of the 90s, and one that has been criminally hard to get for years. Always seemed like it was just a matter of time before the BFI rescued it, and I'm glad to see that they finally have!

Yes, Nil By Mouth is good news but in even better news it sounds like in 2019 we'll also be getting a Hirokazu Kore-eda box set including Marabosi, After Life, Nobody Knows and Still Walking; a Blu-ray upgrade of Robert Siodmak & Edgar G Ulmer's People on Sunday; Jack Clayton's Room at the Top; and Alexander Korda's The Private Life of Henry VIII.

There's also mention of a theatrical re-release of Preston Sturges' The Lady Eve, but no mention of a Blu-ray yet...

[BarnDoor]

Originally Posted by rapta

Yes, Nil By Mouth is good news but in even better news it sounds like in 2019 we'll also be getting a Hirokazu Kore-eda box set including Marabosi, After Life, Nobody Knows and Still Walking; a Blu-ray upgrade of Robert Siodmak & Edgar G Ulmer's People on Sunday; Jack Clayton's Room at the Top; and Alexander Korda's The Private Life of Henry VIII.

There's also mention of a theatrical re-release of Preston Sturges' The Lady Eve, but no mention of a Blu-ray yet...

This was posted on the previous page, though I don't believe there's any mention of Henry VIII getting a Blu-ray release as yet.

[Yami]

Yes, it's a terrific slate but Nil By Mouth undoubtedly the highlight for me - I could get all of the Kore-eda's right now if I were so inclined, but it's great to hear that I can pick them all up together for a cheaper price. I'd be more excited if they were doing Shunji Iwai or Shinji Somai sets.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by BarnDoor

This was posted on the previous page, though I don't believe there's any mention of Henry VIII getting a Blu-ray release as yet.

Sorry mate, your post slipped me by somehow!

No mention of Henry VIII but they keep talking about it being a new restoration so I'd be surprised if it didn't get a disc too. That said, I just checked and the Network DVD was sourced via Granada/Carlton so ITV may end up releasing it here instead.

The Lady Eve is a Universal title here, and BFI have never licensed from them before (only Fox, MGM, Warner Bros). So if BFI don't, perhaps Indicator or Arrow might.

[Yami]

I'm inclined to think that The Lady Eve hasn't been licensed yet, as it's still listed as available on Hollywood Classics. Arrow of course said that they would do a Sturges box set if Sullivan's Travels sold well, which it sadly didn't despite me supplying every friend with a Blu-Ray player back in 2014 a copy.

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by Yami

I'm inclined to think that The Lady Eve hasn't been licensed yet, as it's still listed as available on Hollywood Classics. Arrow of course said that they would do a Sturges box set if Sullivan's Travels sold well, which it sadly didn't despite me supplying every friend with a Blu-Ray player back in 2014 a copy.

The funny thing is, I reckon had Arrow gone straight down the LE route, with Sullivan’s, Eve etc, from the off, that such a box set would have sold really well.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

The funny thing is, I reckon had Arrow gone straight down the LE route, with Sullivan’s, Eve etc, from the off, that such a box set would have sold really well.

Sullivan's Travels was released when they were still a bit hesitant with Arrow Academy though, right? The only LE's they released around that time were Cinema Paradiso, Koyaanisqatsi/Powaqqatsi, and at the tail end of 2014, the Borowczyk set. Before those it was all windowboxes, and most Arrow Video titles were coming out as steelbooks (hardly any box sets at all).

I reckon it was a victim of poor timing from Arrow's point of view. Much like the disappointing performance of both Naruse DVD sets from MoC and BFI, I don't think they should read into those sales figures too much. Sturges and Naruse would both do pretty well if a Blu-ray box set was in the offing - French labels like Wild Side and Carlotta didn't hesitate, so why should some of the leading labels in the UK market shy away from such an idea?

Whilst we're here, when the hell is a Sirk set gonna show up (or Sirk-Stahl)?

[DefLeppard]

Originally Posted by Yami

I'm inclined to think that The Lady Eve hasn't been licensed yet, as it's still listed as available on Hollywood Classics. Arrow of course said that they would do a Sturges box set if Sullivan's Travels sold well, which it sadly didn't despite me supplying every friend with a Blu-Ray player back in 2014 a copy.

Have got the Arrow release but had to cancel my purchase of Sturges box set on Amz.FR (bought during Black Friday sale ) after reading the review of the content as per which it's a 3BDs, 6DVDs release. Package looks great as seen on Wild Side's YT ad but shame that 6 films are divided between 3 BDs ;I am no AV expert to talk about compression etc or how it may affect the overall PQ but ~€45 for a DVD boxset like release wasn't worth IMO .

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by rapta

Whilst we're here, when the hell is a Sirk set gonna show up (or Sirk-Stahl)?

I’m surprised that “All That Heaven Allows” hasn’t been ported over to the UK yet.

[s-hell]

Originally Posted by DefLeppard

Package looks great as seen on Wild Side's YT ad but shame that 6 films are divided between 3 BDs ;I am no AV expert to talk about compression etc or how it may affect the overall PQ but ~€45 for a DVD boxset like release wasn't worth IMO .

45€ for the 6-film set? Not bad, considering it's now 120€. Wild Side prices fluctuate wildly, you always have watch out. They can do nice books, and I wouldn't dismiss 2 films on a BD-50 categorically - it can be done if the source material allows. The Sturges films are only between 64 and 100 minutes per film.

[DefLeppard]

Originally Posted by s-hell

45€ for the 6-film set? Not bad, considering it's now 120€. Wild Side prices fluctuate wildly, you always have watch out. They can do nice books, and I wouldn't dismiss 2 films on a BD-50 categorically - it can be done if the source material allows. The Sturges films are only between 64 and 100 minutes per film.

I know ,that's why I said I am no AV expert but the problem being there are already individual releases out there by CC and Arrow so it was a difficult choice to pick this one up with two films on a single BD.

[ouchmyfacehurts]

Why are the beauty and the beast discs by BFI getting replaced?

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by ouchmyfacehurts

Why are the beauty and the beast discs by BFI getting replaced?

Awful macro blocking on the initial batch. There is a replacement programme in effect now.

[ouchmyfacehurts]

Originally Posted by Si Parallel Universe

Awful macro blocking on the initial batch. There is a replacement programme in effect now.

Thank goodness. Any word on whether or not I'll qualify, being as I'm in the USA?

[hilderic523]

Originally Posted by rapta

Whilst we're here, when the hell is a Sirk set gonna show up (or Sirk-Stahl)?

A very important question. Also, I wish some good label were feeling particularly adventurous and released a set of Sirk's German films. Those seem practically forgotten now.