British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[wabrit]

Originally Posted by The Hornets

Don't think the no DVDs was anything to do with Network, more that people no longer buy the type of films that the BFI release on DVD. Their refuseniks customers who stuck with DVD have obviously either died off, moved to BD or stopped buying discs.

Think the BFI said their DVD sales had fallen off a cliff hence abandoning the format. Guess therefore the forthcoming final BTF Collection DVD is very much finish the DVD series and that buyers of transport documentary film releases tend to be older DVD only buyers like my father-in-law.

Yes, Network was a bellwether for the viability of archive TV on DVD. Just to quote Ben from the book of face:

If I thought that [releasing on DVD] was a viable option I'd explore it, but it just isn't these days. Some authoring facilities aren't doing DVDs at all now, and I think the sad demise of Network says a lot about how many people are buying archive TV on DVD. Lots of the stuff we've done over the years probably wouldn't fly now.


Which is a terrible shame really.

[Le Grande Blu]

The BFI just uploaded a trailer for a new 4k restoration of Powell & Pressburger's wonderful I know Where I'm Going! for a cinema reissue later this month, so hopefully a disc release is round the corner.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Blu

The BFI just uploaded a trailer for a new 4k restoration of Powell & Pressburger's wonderful I know Where I'm Going! for a cinema reissue later this month, so hopefully a disc release is round the corner.

I watched it when it was available to stream as part of The Film Foundation's Restoration Screening Room and it looked and sounded pretty great. But I think home video rights are still with ITV, so probably won't be coming to UK Blu-ray from BFI (more likely ITV put out a no-frills Blu-ray themselves, as they did with A Matter of Life and Death, rather than let Criterion release it here).

[MifuneFan]

Extras for the Ozu 3-film set are up:

Extras

• All three films newly restored and presented in High Definition
• New audio commentary on Dragnet Girl by Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns
• New audio commentary on Record of a Tenement Gentleman by Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp
• New audio commentary on A Hen in the Wind by film critic Adrian Martin
• **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with essays on the films by Bryony Dixon, Tony Rayns and Jonathan Rosenbaum and notes on his score for Dragnet Girl by Ed Hughes

Also Bluebeard's Castle. Not sure if it was mentioned yet, but you also get a postcard set if you pre-order from BFI

https://shop.bfi.org.uk/pre-order-bl...e-blu-ray.html

Extras

• Newly restored by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation in association with The Ashbrittle Film Foundation and presented in High Definition
• Optional audio track of the English translation commissioned by Michael Powell and sung by Norman Foster and Ana Raquel Satre
• Newly recorded interview with film scholar Ian Christie (2023, 21 mins)
• Picture business: Michael Powell at Dartmouth (1980, 16 mins): A short documentary depicting Powell's time as Artist in Residence at Dartmouth College in 1980
• An image gallery of production designs by Hein Heckroth
• Optional English subtitles
• **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Fully illustrated booklet featuring writing by Michael Powell, Bertrand Tavernier, Ian Christie and Lillian Crawford.

[manicsounds]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Extras for the Ozu 3-film set are up:

http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparison....php?fid=65841

"Dragnet Girl" features a 2022 4K restoration.
"Record of a Tenement Gentleman" features a 2023 4K restoration.
"A Hen in the Wind" features a 2022 4K restoration.

All three restorations are making their home video debut here. I had a glimpse at all three and they are miles ahead of previously released DVD and Blu-ray editions.
Also both sound films have optional restored & unrestored audio tracks.

[Harffyn Teuport]

Originally Posted by Olmo

That’s a shame, they’re fantastic pieces of work.

It’s strange that if the series hasn’t been a flyer it’s still produced three volumes?

I know we should be grateful for what we have, but it would be such a disappointment to not see more get released. The restorations have been top notch and it was a revelation to see the likes of A Photograph, Just A Boy's Game and A Hole In Babylon for the first time. Especially A Photograph, that was so unnerving and really stays under your skin.

[Django100]

Received 'Short Sharp Shocks 3' this morning.

[justwannaboogie]

EO and The Ballad of Tam Lin are down to £7.90 on rarewaves. Enys Men is also under a tenner, but I might wait for the next BFI sale for that one.

[CelestialAgent]

One of the best films of the past year for a third of the cost of the Janus disc, with an insightful essay, fun CFF oddity, silhouette animation and a comprehensive overview of the filmmaker’s career from Poland to Hollywood and back.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by justwannaboogie

EO and The Ballad of Tam Lin are down to £7.90 on rarewaves. Enys Men is also under a tenner, but I might wait for the next BFI sale for that one.

I was gonna post this as I ordered all three last night! Decided under a tenner for Enys Men was fine as I was originally gonna preorder it (but didn’t in the end as I had a lot on that month).

Anyone still waiting for their BFI Store 3 for £20 order? Seems ages since I placed the order, feel like it should’ve been sorted by now…

[Modman]

Originally Posted by rapta

Anyone still waiting for their BFI Store 3 for £20 order? Seems ages since I placed the order, feel like it should’ve been sorted by now…

Yep, still waiting.

[Bes30]

I'm still waiting for my BFI order. I made it on the 14th of August
. Has to be some kind of record.

[JoePo]

Yep

[benkell]

Originally Posted by rapta

I was gonna post this as I ordered all three last night! Decided under a tenner for Enys Men was fine as I was originally gonna preorder it (but didn’t in the end as I had a lot on that month).

Anyone still waiting for their BFI Store 3 for £20 order? Seems ages since I placed the order, feel like it should’ve been sorted by now…

Yes still waiting,seems like an eternity since i placed my order, a couple of the titles i'm waiting on have been back in stock on Amazon for the last few weeks so don't know why the BFI haven't received any new stock.

[minister_x]

Whilst I was being slightly snarky in my post a month or so back, I'm genuinely not expecting to hear anything until after the London Film Festival ends. I would expect they have already received the stock, but have no staff with enough free time due to LFF commitments. Possibly they had hoped to deal with the sale before LFF but were hampered by the manufacturing issues and delays that affected everyone?

Originally Posted by minister_x

Yes, same here. Would at least appreciate an update with estimated timeframes, but the uncharitable cynic in me wonders if they're all tied up with LFF planning.

[Gerby]

Short Sharp Shocks Vol.3 is the strongest edition yet, there wasn't any of the films that i didn't enjoy.
Highlights for me being Strange Stories (1953) featuring two short stories. The first being an early John Guillermin film based on the short story Bartleby The Scrivener featuring the great John Laurie of Dad's Army fame playing Mr Bartleby.
The 2nd story is about a man who accidently kills someone on a train & escapes with his wife to Tazmania on a ship.
The Terminal Game (1982) is this really strange tale about technology and AI shot with a stark icy cold atmosphere which i really dug.
In my opinion though they saved the best for last because Wings Of Death (1985) is superb.
A young Dexter Fletcher stars as a drug addict going through withdrawals (at least that was my take on it) holes up in a dank scuzzy motel.
Featuring characters John Waters would be proud of & lighting schemes that evoke Mario Bava, this has some outstanding visual moments with a terrific experimental at times industrial soundtrack. Heck it even has some stop motion animation thrown in that works really well. Maybe the best short film from all 3 volumes. Looking forward to watching the extras on this film.
Highly recommended release.

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by rapta

I watched it when it was available to stream as part of The Film Foundation's Restoration Screening Room and it looked and sounded pretty great. But I think home video rights are still with ITV, so probably won't be coming to UK Blu-ray from BFI (more likely ITV put out a no-frills Blu-ray themselves, as they did with A Matter of Life and Death, rather than let Criterion release it here).

Why are ITV so stingy when it comes to releasing stuff?

[yukito]

Originally Posted by Gerby

Short Sharp Shocks Vol.3 is the strongest edition yet, there wasn't any of the films that i didn't enjoy.
Looking forward to watching the extras on this film.
Highly recommended release.

Can't wait to get home to watch my copy.

[WJA]

Originally Posted by rapta

Anyone still waiting for their BFI Store 3 for £20 order? Seems ages since I placed the order, feel like it should’ve been sorted by now…

I am still waiting too. Hopefully they throw in a copy of Targets, for staying patient and having to wait so long haha.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by fatboyslim142

Why are ITV so stingy when it comes to releasing stuff?

No idea, but I think it has been mentioned elsewhere that they only deal with large offers so it must be purely a financial roadblock that only labels like Network (with large bulk TV series licenses) and Criterion (keep throwing money at something 'til it sticks, dependant on the title of course) have managed to break through.

A shame as they are holding onto a couple of handfuls of key British filmmakers' output and not letting go for the prices smaller boutiques like BFI, Indicator, Eureka and Radiance would be dabbling in. Criterion haven't managed to crack them for UK rights either so that must be financial again (either ITV insisting on them paying the full license fee again for UK rights, or Criterion just lowballing them and not willing to pay very much to just replicate the same US release in the UK). It'll be interesting to see what they decide to do with I Know Where I'm Going, and other P&P titles collectors are clearly interested in owning.