British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[moreorless]

Originally Posted by magnetiques

Any of the Sacha Vierney films would be an insta-buy from me, but particularly A Zed & Two Noughts and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover are some of my dream UHD releases—along with the likes of Pather Panchali and Marienbad (weird SC haven't done that yet tbh).

Cook, Thief, etc seems like the most obvious Greenaway UHD based on fame/look but I'm guessing the rights are still held by Fabulous Films who don't really seem likely to put any UHD out.

[CelestialAgent]

The BFI have acquired the film Pretty Red Dress.

https://variety.com/2022/film/global...ss-1235419122/

[trobrianders]

Originally Posted by moreorless

Cook, Thief, etc seems like the most obvious Greenaway UHD based on fame/look but I'm guessing the rights are still held by Fabulous Films who don't really seem likely to put any UHD out.

Fabulous Films seem a funny outfit. I was really grateful they released Northern Exposure on blu, my favourite 80s TV show. And I understand they restored the original music that featured in the show and threw out the repeated use of the mawkish tune which had been used as filler on previous DVD releases. But what are Fabulous Films all about? I can't really tell. Usually a label has a feel about it. A great pity we're not going to see a great transfer of Cook, Thief... anytime soon. That would really be something.

[moreorless]

Originally Posted by trobrianders

Fabulous Films seem a funny outfit. I was really grateful they released Northern Exposure on blu, my favourite 80s TV show. And I understand they restored the original music that featured in the show and threw out the repeated use of the mawkish tune which had been used as filler on previous DVD releases. But what are Fabulous Films all about? I can't really tell. Usually a label has a feel about it. A great pity we're not going to see a great transfer of Cook, Thief... anytime soon. That would really be something.

To be fair the existing one isnt really that bad, besides the print damage at a view points its pretty good in colour/detail.

It does seem like the kind of thing that would have quite a wide appeal to several different lables that do UHD if the rights did open up though.

[trobrianders]

Oh you know I've avoided it but maybe now I'll give it a try. It's fairly inexpensive too last time I checked.

[moreorless]

Originally Posted by trobrianders

Oh you know I've avoided it but maybe now I'll give it a try. It's fairly inexpensive too last time I checked.

It certainly very watchable, print damage is limited to a few moments and I'd say besides that decent scan, not great but not aweful either.

[trobrianders]

BFI's release of The Draughtsman's Contract just a couple of weeks away too.

[BarnDoor]

A few new 2023 titles have appeared on Amazon:

The Juniper Tree (23rd January)

Fanny and Alexander (27th February)

Children's Film Foundation Bumper Box 4 DVD (27th February)

Coupled with the delays to the Bergman set and Watership Down, this may be it for January and February.

[M A]

Originally Posted by BarnDoor

A few new 2023 titles have appeared on Amazon:

The Juniper Tree (23rd January)

Fanny and Alexander (27th February)

Children's Film Foundation Bumper Box 4 DVD (27th February)

Coupled with the delays to the Bergman set and Watership Down, this may be it for January and February.

Glad they are doing an individual release for Fanny and Alexander so people can get a version with better compression without buying the entire Volume 4 (assuming they own the criterion set)

[trobrianders]

Originally Posted by BarnDoor

A few new 2023 titles have appeared on Amazon:

The Juniper Tree (23rd January)

Fanny and Alexander (27th February)

Children's Film Foundation Bumper Box 4 DVD (27th February)

Coupled with the delays to the Bergman set and Watership Down, this may be it for January and February.

I've been eyeing up the Arbelos Films blu of The Juniper Tree for months. Just didn't want to shell out £40 so great to see this BFI release.

[rapta]

Nice! I think I wondered out loud if The Juniper Tree might make it here, but assumed it’d be Indicator or Eureka who brought it here (or Radiance perhaps). Great to see BFI step up and acquire it for the UK, I’ll definitely be getting that!

[CelestialAgent]

I’ll be curious if Fanny has any extras not on the Criterion release. I’ll probably skip the DCP screening in December though as I would rather watch the TV miniseries cut first.

[trobrianders]

I'm now a bit confused. Is the criterion blu that has the tv of F&A really so much worse than other versions? Or are we only talking marginal encode differences? I'm going through the criterion set in its running order and haven't reached F&A yet.

[Sifox211]

I had the standalone Blu of F&A before I sold it to buy the set. I don't recall seeing anything amiss when I watched it (TV version). Maybe it matters if you're a pixel peeper or have great eyesight, but unless its glaring my attention is on the thing I'm watching, not the encode.

I even bought the Arrow BD of Koyaanisqatsi because so many people were saying it was superior to the Criterion. I couldn't see any difference (65" OLED, six feet distance). Sold it and kept the Criterion.

[trobrianders]

A fellow non-pixel peeper whose opinion I can trust! Thanks.

[StLouisRibs]

Criterion reencoded the TV version disk for their box set, and the night scenes look considerably better than on the standalone. But it’s the same transfer. I fully expect the BFI release to be that little notch better many of David M’s encodes end up being but I won’t expect it night and day.

[minister_x]

Will the BFI one also run at 25fps for the television cut? (I don't know whether or not that's the original framerate, I'm just intrigued.)

[sjt]

Originally Posted by minister_x

Will the BFI one also run at 25fps for the television cut? (I don't know whether or not that's the original framerate, I'm just intrigued.)

Well it most certainly ought to, since that is how it was originally broadcast in (PAL, 50Hz territory) Sweden, though it is possible that it was actually shot at 24 since it was filmed on 35mm stock on equipment that may not have had a 25 fps option. Criterion's edition is of course predicated on a transfer for the USA (NTSC, 60 Hz territory) achieved on a telecine in an incredibly incomprehensible process called 2: 3 pulldown which effectively stretches every four frames of 24 fps film into five frames of video but doesn't impact on running time (it's all to do with the technical differences between their electricity's cycle and ours, and the different vertical number of lines between the TV broadcast systems which result).

I'm now going to lie down for a bit.....

[Akibiyori]

Originally Posted by sjt

Well it most certainly ought to, since that is how it was originally broadcast in (PAL, 50Hz territory) Sweden, though it is possible that it was actually shot at 24 since it was filmed on 35mm stock on equipment that may not have had a 25 fps option. Criterion's edition is of course predicated on a transfer for the USA (NTSC, 60 Hz territory) achieved on a telecine in an incredibly incomprehensible process called 2: 3 pulldown which effectively stretches every four frames of 24 fps film into five frames of video but doesn't impact on running time (it's all to do with the technical differences between their electricity's cycle and ours, and the different vertical number of lines between the TV broadcast systems which result).

I'm now going to lie down for a bit.....

Umm…the film was shot at 24 fps and 2:3 pulldown has nothing to do with the Criterion edition which is 1080/24p (the DVD 20 years ago would have been but not the Blu-ray.)

All other Blu-ray versions of it have been in 24p as well.

[trobrianders]

If it is 24fps I very much hope the missing 1fps is included in the extras.