British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by MacEachaidh

As for Night of the Demon, I do hope there's a decent release of it. It would sit so nicely beside the Val Lewton Boxed Set I keep hoping for!

Now that's a match made in heaven.

[Mansinthe]

zavvi has most Ozu blurays from BFI for a really good price currently !

9,95 GBP each.

[BigNickUK]

Awesome BFI page about the upcoming Gothic season on TV and at theatres

http://www.bfi.org.uk/gothic-parallax/

[MacEachaidh]

That's brilliant, BigNick! Thanks for posting the link

[pro-bassoonist]

The Epic of Everest Blu-ray



NEWS/TRAILER
https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=12020

The British Film Institute has revealed that it plans to release a Dual Format Edition of J.B.L. Noel's recently restored The Epic of Everest (1924). The preliminary release date set by the studio is January 20th.

The new restoration, which was supported by The Eric Anker-Petersen Charity, will also open in select theaters across the United Kingdom on October 18th.

Silent documentary following the 1924 British Mount Everest Expedition during which mountaineers Andrew Irvine and George Mallory met their untimely deaths. The expedition marked the third attempt to make the first ascent of the mountain. It remains under debate whether Irvine and Mallory made it to the summit but they were last seen 800 feet from the top before they disappeared. Mallory's body was discovered in 1999 but Irvine's has never been found. The film was recorded by Captain J.B.L. Noel and captures the progress of the expedition. With a newly commissioned score composed, orchestrated and conducted by Simon Fisher Turner (The Great White Silence) featuring a haunting combination of electronic music, found sounds, western and Nepalese instruments and vocals.

Pro-B

[Judex]

This looks excellent.

[pro-bassoonist]

NEWS/CLIP FROM THE FILM
https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=12038

The British Film Institute has officially announced and detailed its upcoming Dual Format Edition of Laura Mulvey and Peter Wollen's Riddles of the Sphinx (1977). Featuring music by The Soft Machine's Mike Ratledge, Riddle of the Sphinx is one of the most important avant-garde films to have emerged from Britain during the 1970s. Street date is September 23rd.

Official synopsis: The second collaboration between Mulvey and Wollen, both of whom are recognised as seminal figures in the field of film theory, Riddles of the Sphinx explores issues of female representation, the place of motherhood within society and the relationship between mother and daughter. Composed of a number of discrete sections, many of which are shot as continuous circular pans, the film takes place in a range of domestic and public spaces, shot in locations which include Malcolm LeGrice's kitchen and Stephen Dwoskin's bedroom.

The film's ground-breaking electronic score, by The Soft Machine's Mike Ratledge, was composed on synthesisers which were developed in collaboration with Denys Irving (the man behind the mysterious and controversial 1970s band Lucifer).

Special Features:

Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition
Newly recorded feature-length audio commentary with Laura Mulvey and academic Winfried Pauleit
Laura Mulvey in Conversation (2013, 15 mins): the filmmaker and academic discusses Riddles of the Sphinx and her other films
Penthesilea: Queen of the Amazonz (Peter Wollen and Laura Mulvey, 1974, 98 mins): trail-blazing avant-garde film exploring the image of the Amazonian woman in myth and popular culture
Illustrated booklet featuring new essays by Sophie Mayer, Laura Mulvey and Rob Young, and complete film credits

Pro-B

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

The Epic of Everest Blu-ray

I'm hoping it will turn out as monumental as The Great White Silence.

[ravenus]

Saw Lotte Reiniger's The Adventures of Prince Achmed last night (hand animated silent film with German intertitles, tinted) - check out my pics of the BD HERE

It's really wonderful how much nuance and expression is conveyed in the animation. The characters are all depicted in silhouette, you can't see any facial expressions, so it's entirely by the outline and the body movements that the emotion is conveyed. Even if the plot is (deliberately) simplistic and arbitrary, like a child recounting a fairy tale, there's a lot of artistic vision in the rendition, which is best realized when you actually see it in motion.
Video-wise, the image quality is not spanking new. There's a lot of print damage and some softness, but given the age of the material and available sources, I suppose there's a limit to what the BFI could have achieved with it.
I played the film with a fantastic orchestral score. There is also a version with English narration based on the director's own translation of the story. Extras include a number of other similar short films by Lotte Reiniger. Sadly missing is a documentary on the director, which was mentioned on a previously released BFI DVD of the film.

[rootless]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

Edit: Wild Side in France will be releasing Nightfall and Night of the Demon in October, but they will be extremely pricey to import. I had been hoping for a TT release of Demon, but I may ultimately have to bite the bullet and shell out for the French disc, depending on reviews.

They already released Nightfall, but on DVD (plus book), what they are releasing, apart from Gun Crazy, is The Big Heat (as far as classic film noir is concerned).

Prince Achmed is a ***** masterpiece, and the music is marvellous. From what you tell, it's the same restoration used for the Carlotta DVD, but in HD, of course.

[theprestige85]

I'm embarrassed to say that I have never seen A John Cassavetes film

Seems the BFI have at least 5 of his films (the essential ones) on blu. Wish they'd bung them together as a set though. I'm going to have to hunt them down individually.

[rootless]

Originally Posted by theprestige85

I'm Wish they'd bung them together as a set though..

such as --> this french 6-BD set?

[theprestige85]

Originally Posted by rootless

such as --> this french 6-BD set?

Niice. Are they meant to be the exactly same transfers as the BFI though??

[aewb]

Originally Posted by theprestige85

Niice. Are they meant to be the exactly same transfers as the BFI though??

There's a much cheaper German set. Not sure if it uses the BFI/Criterion transfers.

[theprestige85]

That is significantly cheaper. But i'm just going to collect the BFI ones individually as I can still get them for decent prices and I like supporting BFI. Plus their transfers are world class.

Cheers though lads.

[Judex]

Moviemail have 3 of the 4 Jacques Tati blu's instock £7.99 each. No Mon Oncle though

Jour de Fete
Les Vacances de M. Hulot
Playtime

[dylan32]

Originally Posted by theprestige85

That is significantly cheaper. But i'm just going to collect the BFI ones individually as I can still get them for decent prices and I like supporting BFI. Plus their transfers are world class.
Cheers though lads.

I went the same way. Toyed with getting the Criterion DVD set for ages, but so pleased I held out for the BFIs.

I don't have Faces or Chinese Bookie yet, but will get the later soon before the LE runs out...

[theprestige85]

^ Oh dear, so the Chinese Bookie is a limited edition then??? I'll be buying that next week before those dodgy 3rd party sellers try and put the £1000 mark on it. Thanks for the heads up

[Ozu Teapot]

Originally Posted by theprestige85

^ Oh dear, so the Chinese Bookie is a limited edition then??? I'll be buying that next week before those dodgy 3rd party sellers try and put the £1000 mark on it. Thanks for the heads up

There is a regular edition and a limited edition with an extra DVD disc of extra extras.

[theprestige85]

Oh ok. Phew. I'm not too fussed about the extras. If I see it and it doesn't cost much, i'll pick up the L.E.

Cheers.