British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[darrellmaclaine]

It's highly likely the BFI Blu-ray cover is by Farrow Design, who do all the PSB sleeves including the original Battleship Potemkin album. The target audience for this is PSB fans and it primarily forms part of their discography more than it is designed as a Eisenstein catalogue release (which it also is of course, but that is a secondary consideration). If you don't like the cover it's because it's from a different school of commercial illustration - it has the grammar of an album sleeve, not a movie release.

This release - which as others have noticed is effectively a reissue of the 2005 CD album with a bonus Blu-ray rather than a boutique movie release in itself - is 20 years late as the original plan for a CD+DVD edition was unexpectedly scuppered for rights reasons. This is that, now, taking advantage of the excellent sales of It Couldn't Happen Here and allowing PSB to essentially use it to plug the gap in product left by the ongoing issues with the Dreamworld gig.

[Anthony Thorne]

Originally Posted by darrellmaclaine

It's highly likely the BFI Blu-ray cover is by Farrow Design, who do all the PSB sleeves including the original Battleship Potemkin album. The target audience for this is PSB fans and it primarily forms part of their discography more than it is designed as a Eisenstein catalogue release (which it also is of course, but that is a secondary consideration). If you don't like the cover it's because it's from a different school of commercial illustration - it has the grammar of an album sleeve, not a movie release.

This release - which as others have noticed is effectively a reissue of the 2005 CD album with a bonus Blu-ray rather than a boutique movie release in itself - is 20 years late as the original plan for a CD+DVD edition was unexpectedly scuppered for rights reasons. This is that, now, taking advantage of the excellent sales of It Couldn't Happen Here and allowing PSB to essentially use it to plug the gap in product left by the ongoing issues with the Dreamworld gig.

Really good info, thanks. The score does sound quite good - hopefully in a year or two the BFI can do another more sweeping release, the same way Eureka kept returning to the well for Metropolis.

[jackranderson]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

New BFI Trailer

New trailer for Battleship Potemkin (1925) | Music by Pet Shop Boys | In cinemas 22 Aug - YouTube

That got me pretty hyped up ngl

[The Hornets]

Originally Posted by darrellmaclaine

It's highly likely the BFI Blu-ray cover is by Farrow Design, who do all the PSB sleeves including the original Battleship Potemkin album. The target audience for this is PSB fans and it primarily forms part of their discography more than it is designed as a Eisenstein catalogue release (which it also is of course, but that is a secondary consideration). If you don't like the cover it's because it's from a different school of commercial illustration - it has the grammar of an album sleeve, not a movie release.

This release - which as others have noticed is effectively a reissue of the 2005 CD album with a bonus Blu-ray rather than a boutique movie release in itself - is 20 years late as the original plan for a CD+DVD edition was unexpectedly scuppered for rights reasons. This is that, now, taking advantage of the excellent sales of It Couldn't Happen Here and allowing PSB to essentially use it to plug the gap in product left by the ongoing issues with the Dreamworld gig.

This is also why it get's a Friday release and not a Monday. It is considered a music release similar to when artists release a BD of a concert along with the CD.

The PSB are plugging this plus the standalone CD and vinyl on their own website and selling in their web store.

Had read elsewhere that by releasing on a Friday, this means the BD+CD counts as a music sale along with the standalone CD and vinyl so will boost the titles chart position.

Artists make a big thing these days of chart position for physical music releases. Video not seen anything public on chart sales for a great many years in the UK and never had the same traction as music charts. Video retailers like HMV, Virgin, Woolworths and Our Price all had their own video charts back in the day but these were made up by each retailer and influenced by promotional payments by studios to boost chart position to get in store visibility and more sales. They always felt weird as a big new VHS or DVD release was at number 1 in the retailer charts with no sales record as they wanted to hype it to get more sales.

[GaryCouzens]

At the risk of opening another can of worms, the BFI seem to have changed their policies regarding advisories for racist or other discriminatory language etc. Up to now they've put up a caption at the start of the item in question. This is the case with particular items on their most recent releases, TwentyFourSeven and Chantal Akerman Volume 2.

However, with Bhaji on the Beach (out next Monday) there is one advisory and it's included in the boilerplate that comes up as the disc first plays, the one that says that all views and opinions in interviews and commentaries are those of the persons concerned and not those of the BFI. At a first glance on my review disc. there isn't any advisory on the Human Traffic disc.

[gekats]

Originally Posted by Anthony Thorne

There's a Pet Shop Boys soundtrack, with a Pet Shop Boys CD included, and the Pet Shop Boys highlighted on the cover, and you're asking why it has a cover with a young, wide-eyed male with his mouth wide open? It should take you ten seconds to figure it out..

That's the mother, isn't it?

[Anthony Thorne]

Originally Posted by gekats

That's the mother, isn't it?

Probably, now that you mention it. There's no Potemkin on my shelf and I've barely watched it.

[Anthony Thorne]

Originally Posted by GaryCouzens

At the risk of opening another can of worms, the BFI seem to have changed their policies regarding advisories for racist or other discriminatory language etc. Up to now they've put up a caption at the start of the item in question. This is the case with particular items on their most recent releases, TwentyFourSeven and Chantal Akerman Volume 2.

However, with Bhaji on the Beach (out next Monday) there is one advisory and it's included in the boilerplate that comes up as the disc first plays, the one that says that all views and opinions in interviews and commentaries are those of the persons concerned and not those of the BFI. At a first glance on my review disc. there isn't any advisory on the Human Traffic disc.

This seems an improvement and a standard statement makes it less likely that they single an individual film out for shaming, like they did with BROTHER.

[SilverBlueSnow]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Blu

The IFI shop in Dublin have this in stock. It's where I buy most of my discs:

https://film-shop-ifi.myshopify.com/...ood-4k-ultrahd

Popped in today and bought this - thanks for the encouragement. Good to support a local shop!

BFI Kurosawa releases are top tier!

[MifuneFan]

Finalized extras for Aguirre, The Wrath of God

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Mark Kermode introduces Aguirre, The Wrath of God (2024, 3 mins)
• Feature-length audio commentary with Werner Herzog for both Aguirre, The Wrath of God and Fata Morgana
• A Raft of Troubles: Herzog, Kinski and the Art of Darkness (2025, 19 mins): newly recorded video essay by Nic Wassell on the relationship between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski
• The Unprecedented Defence of the Fortress Deutschkreuz (1967, 16 mins): symbolic drama about four young men hiding from an imagined enemy
• Last Words (1968, 13 mins): short film about the last man to leave a former leper colony
• Precautions Against Fanatics (1969, 11 mins): short satire about horse-racing enthusiasts
• Fata Morgana (1971, 77 mins): hallucinatory film exploring mirages and the Mayan creation myth
• Original theatrical trailer
• Stills gallery
• Original mono audio (German and English)
• Alternative 5.1 Surround audio (German)
• **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by Geoff Andrew, together with essays by Laurie Johnson, Kim Heaney, and Richard Combs

Original for comparison:

Extras

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original mono audio (German and English)
• Feature-length audio commentary with Werner Herzog for both Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Fata Morgana
• The Unprecedented Defence of the Fortress Deutschkreuz (1967, 16 mins): symbolic drama about four young men hiding from an imagined enemy
• Last Words (1968, 13 mins): short film about the last man to leave a former leper colony
• Precautions Against Fanatics (1969, 11 mins): short satire about horse-racing enthusiasts
• Fata Morgana (1971, 77 mins): hallucinatory film exploring mirages and the Mayan creation myth
• Original theatrical trailer
• Stills gallery
• Alternative 5.1 Surround

[CelestialAgent]

Based on Ben’s Facebook comments, Peter Medak’s Negatives is getting a UK BD.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

Based on Ben’s Facebook comments, Peter Medak’s Negatives is getting a UK BD.

Yeah, I mentioned back in May that he strongly hinted at it:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...ostcount=11346

[nicwood]

Potentially amazing news incoming for something Frederick Wiseman and Terence Davies-related. Both are brilliant filmmakers and most deserving of a treatment á la Chantal Akerman or Ingmar Bergman.

Details are scant at the moment but the BFI are giving Terence Davies' The House of Mirth a UK theatrical release in October, which will coincide with a 2-month retrospective at the Southbank in London for what would have been his 80th birthday. No word on whether there will be a new physical release, but when I asked Ben Stoddart said that we wouldn't have to wait long for the next set of announcements and he's usually reliable at outright denial if there isn't something to get your hopes up for.

Speaking of, a poster on the BFI Facebook page citing an unnamed source says that they have a Frederick Wiseman box set coming in October

Source: Calvin @criterionforum

[CelestialAgent]

knew about Mirth already from FDA but ecstatic about Wiseman given how limited their availability has been outside of the Zipporah Films website (which was the same with Herzog selling directly for a while)

[rapta]

Also worth a mention that Eyes Without a Face 4K may obviously come from BFI eventually too.

[grahams76]

I'm still hoping that a BFI blu-ray of Pressure (1976) is coming.

[RossyG]

I read online somewhere that Wiseman’s Welfare (1975) had been restored, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that were in the set.

[Yami]

Originally Posted by RossyG

I read online somewhere that Wiseman’s Welfare (1975) had been restored, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that were in the set.

I believe that Wiseman has restored 33 of his films, essentially his whole body of work, over the past 5 years. It'll be interesting (if this is true) to see how the BFI handles his catalog

[Aunt Peg]

So great to hear about potential Wiseman releases. I already own all his film that I purchased years ago through his site on DVD-R so this would be such a great upgrading.

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by Yami

I believe that Wiseman has restored 33 of his films, essentially his whole body of work, over the past 5 years. It'll be interesting (if this is true) to see how the BFI handles his catalog

According to IMDB he's directed 50 different things & if you discount the 4 TV things he did and going by what you said that leaves 13 items not restored by him.