Powell and Pressburger on blu-ray

[Rachael1919]

So I'm a huge Powell and Pressburger fan, and have recently been enjoying a retrospective on their work at the BFI. I own a large DVD set with many of their films, but have realised that many of their films never seem to have received a UK blu-ray release. It's shocking to me, as they're among our greatest and most acclaimed and beloved filmmakers. The season has been a great success, so it's disappointing that they're aren't any plans to do a proper boxset that really does them justice.

To the best of my knowledge, the only films of theirs to have received a UK blu-ray release are the ones in bold below.

Does anyone know why so few of their films are available? I'm particularly shocked by the unavailability of A Canterbury Tale, I Know Where I'm Going, The Small Back Room and Gone to Earth, as imo they're all right up there with their best work. Hopefully at least IKWIG will get a blu release soon, since it's recently had a beautiful and high-profile restoration.

• The Spy in Black (1939)
• Contraband (1940)
• 49th Parallel (1941)
• One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942)
• The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
• A Canterbury Tale (1944)
• I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)
• A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
• Black Narcissus (1947)
• The Red Shoes (1948)
• The Small Back Room (1949)
• The Elusive Pimpernel (1950)
• Gone to Earth (1950)
• The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)
• Oh... Rosalinda!! (1955) (Network blu-ray now OOP)
• The Battle of the River Plate (1956)
• Ill Met by Moonlight (1957)
• They're a Weird Mob (1966)
• The Boy Who Turned Yellow (1972) (extra on the Age of Consent blu-ray)

[The Hornets]

Mainly because most of his films are owned by ITV in the U.K. and they hate BDs. Only want to occasionally do DVD or preferably nothing.

This is why they licenced a big chunk of their film and TV catalogue to Network (went bust earlier this year). Believe people like Indicator have talked to them and they won’t do deals for single films or a handful as they think it not worth their while. This rules out all the independent labels left in the U.K. as they can’t handle massive multi title deals in the numbers Network used to do.

[Rachael1919]

Originally Posted by The Hornets

Mainly because most of his films are owned by ITV in the U.K. and they hate BDs. Only want to occasionally do DVD or preferably nothing.

This is why they licenced a big chunk of their film and TV catalogue to Network (went bust earlier this year). Believe people like Indicator have talked to them and they won’t do deals for single films or a handful as they think it not worth their while. This rules out all the independent labels left in the U.K. as they can’t handle massive multi title deals in the numbers Network used to do.

Ugh that's really frustrating but unsurprising - thanks for the info. The ITV releases of the big three films are pathetically barebones, which this explains. Disgraceful that they have control of such an important cinematic legacy.

[CouncilSpectre]

The German release of THE BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE is dirt cheap at the moment:



https://www.amazon.de/The-Battle-of-...&th=1&psc=1&m=

Even with a hefty shipping fee it's still less than £8 delivered. It's a lovely transfer, and English-friendly too.

[John Hodson]

Originally Posted by CouncilSpectre

The German release of THE BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE is dirt cheap at the moment:



https://www.amazon.de/The-Battle-of-...&th=1&psc=1&m=

Even with a hefty shipping fee it's still less than £8 delivered. It's a lovely transfer, and English-friendly too.

It's cut (the deleted scene is an extra) and the sound is still under par. Decent visuals though.

[grahams76]

Originally Posted by Rachael1919

The Boy Who Turned Yellow (1972)

This is an extra on Indicator's Age Of Consent blu-ray.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by Rachael1919

• The Boy Who Turned Yellow (1972)

Presented in 1080p as a bonus feature on the Indicator blu-ray of Age of Consent.

[ukpaul]

There is a French blu of 'I Know Where I'm Going' but that was pre-restoration, You can add to that French blu releases of 'Spy in Black' and '49th Parallel' though, again, these will be limited in terms of any work done on them. There is a very good, and now out of print, Kino Region A only release of 'Gone to Earth' paired with it's re-editing (with added Mamoulian) as 'The Wild Heart'.

That still leaves 'Contraband', 'A Canterbury Tale', 'The Small Back Room', 'Ill Met By Moonlight' and 'They're a Weird Mob' stuck in DVD purgatory, the collaborative effort with Powell and others 'The Lion Has Wings' as well. 'The Elusive Pimpernel' and Powell's pretty much disowned 'The Queen's Guards' don't seem to have even had any official DVD release (would love to be proved otherwise).

[darrellmaclaine]

Genuinely had no idea Boy Who Turned Yellow was on Age Of Consent. That's an extra and a half!

[RossyG]

Originally Posted by darrellmaclaine

Genuinely had no idea Boy Who Turned Yellow was on Age Of Consent. That's an extra and a half!

It’s a terrific HD transfer too.

[Rachael1919]

Originally Posted by ravenus

Presented in 1080p as a bonus feature on the Indicator blu-ray of Age of Consent.

Thanks! Have updated the OP.

Originally Posted by ukpaul

There is a French blu of 'I Know Where I'm Going' but that was pre-restoration, You can add to that French blu releases of 'Spy in Black' and '49th Parallel' though, again, these will be limited in terms of any work done on them. There is a very good, and now out of print, Kino Region A only release of 'Gone to Earth' paired with it's re-editing (with added Mamoulian) as 'The Wild Heart'.

That still leaves 'Contraband', 'A Canterbury Tale', 'The Small Back Room', 'Ill Met By Moonlight' and 'They're a Weird Mob' stuck in DVD purgatory, the collaborative effort with Powell and others 'The Lion Has Wings' as well. 'The Elusive Pimpernel' and Powell's pretty much disowned 'The Queen's Guards' don't seem to have even had any official DVD release (would love to be proved otherwise).

Thank you for this useful summary! I really covet that Region A blu of Gone to Earth, but can't justify getting a whole new player for that one film. The extras look great, and I'd love to actually see The Wild Heart in full, just to compare the differences. Hopefully one day...

[BigNickUK]

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/49th-...Blu-ray/77641/

[JohnnyF]

It’s frustrating that I’ve been coming to this site multiple times a day for years and still a release from filmmakers I collect comes out and goes out of print under my nose…

[T4ffer]

Originally Posted by JohnnyF

It’s frustrating that I’ve been coming to this site multiple times a day for years and still a release from filmmakers I collect comes out and goes out of print under my nose…

Do you mean Age of Consent? The Standard Edition is still for sale, only the Limited Edition went OOP https://www.powerhousefilms.co.uk/pr...-of-consent-bd

[GaryCouzens]

Honeymoon was released on Blu by Network in 2021.

Bluebeard's Castle has just come out on Blu from the BFI.

(Both Powell without Pressburger.)

[JohnnyF]

Originally Posted by T4ffer

Do you mean Age of Consent? The Standard Edition is still for sale, only the Limited Edition went OOP https://www.powerhousefilms.co.uk/pr...-of-consent-bd

No- the Kino release of Gone to Earth. I was able to get Age of Consent with the last Indicator sale.

[Nitroes]

image

The French release of I Know Where I'm Going is very nice. Obviously, it could have a new scan like anything else but don't let that put you off. Reviews http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-r...ng_blu-ray.htm and https://www.dvdclassik.com/test/blu-...ay-dvd/galerie




As for Kino's Gone To Earth I don't think it's OOP like other distributors where it diappears forever as Kino sometimes reprint titles. I think it's a Disney™ property now.

[latehong]

The Small Back Room 4K(!) and Oh... Rosalinda!! from Studio Canal this year!

Studiocanal will be unveiling a brand new 75th Anniversary 4K restoration of The Small Back Room in 2024, which will then be released on UHD and Blu-ray for the first time, featuring brand new bonus content including interviews with filmmaker Kevin Macdonald and Powell & Pressburger expert Ian Christie. Together with a new release of Oh… Rosalinda!!, these two titles will be joining Peeping Tom and The Tales of Hoffman(*) in STUDIOCANAL’S Vintage Classics range in 2024.

The Small Back Room is a noirish psychological thriller about an alcoholic bomb disposal expert. It's one of the lesser-known masterpieces Powell and Pressburger made. I love the film (thanks to the Criterion DVD) but never imagined seeing a 4K release, let alone a Blu-ray!

(* Which doesn't mean SC will upgrade The Tales of Hoffman to UHD this year. That film was released on Blu-ray under the Studio Canal Vintage Classics label in 2015, using the then-new 4K restoration by The Film Foundation and the BFI National Archive.)

[deatheats]

Very pleased to have the following preordered from Diabolik:

[darrellmaclaine]

That's great news about Oh Rosalinda - interesting to see the first instance of a StudioCanal title formerly licenced to Network return home. P&P must be selling well for them to have rushed that through. A good omen for more, or are the rest stuck in ITV jail?