British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[rapta]

Weirdly that 3-disc copy of Deep End seemed to go really quickly, but I did manage to get the 3-disc version of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (for quite cheap too).

Not that fussed about the separate Woodfall titles, but if the box set does sell out it's good to have them to fall back on. Occasionally I pick and choose titles rather than buy the whole box set; e.g. Arrow's Allen, StudioCanal's Almodovar, AE's Truffaut sets.

[CrockettandTubbs]

Originally Posted by rapta

Cocteau's Orphée confirmed here, presumably for release right at the end of this year or early next year!

[Show spoiler]Fingers crossed they don't mess up the encode this time. I'm very surprised they haven't sorted out the problems with La belle et la bête, since pretty much every reviewer worth their salt has pointed out the dodgy encoding. Rare of BFI to not even say anything.

21st January according to Amazon:

[Show spoiler]Directed by Jean Cocteau

This magical re-telling of the Orpheus myth turns the lyre-playing singer of Greek legend into a famous left-bank poet in post-war Paris. Fallen out of favour and lost for poetic inspiration, Orphée becomes obsessed with a mysterious black-clad princess who first claims the life of a rival poet, and then Eurydice, his wife .

With its unforgettable imagery - the dissolving mirror through which characters pass into the next world, the leather-clad, death-dealing motorcyclists, and Cocteau's magical special effects, Orphée is a work of haunting beauty that follows the poetic logic of a dream .

This new photochemical and 2K restoration of the film from the original nitrate negative was carried out by SNC (Groupe M6) with the support of the Archives françaises du film.

Special Features:

Audio commentary by Roland-François Lack
Souvenirs de tournage de Jean Pierre Mocky (16 mins): actor Jean Mocky looks back on Orphée
Jean Cocteau raconté par Pierre Bergé et Dominique Marny (35 mins)
Jean Cocteau and His Tricks (2008, 14 mins): assistant director Claude Pinoteau discusses the special effects Jean Cocteau used in his films
La villa Santo-Sospir (1951, 37 mins): a short film directed by Jean Cocteau about the villa Santo-Sospir, on Côte d'Azur, which he decorated, and his home in Villefranche-sur-mer
Original theatrical trailer
2018 re-release trailer
Reversible sleeve with new artwork by Edward Kinsella
Fully illustrated booklet with an essay by Ginette Vincendeau, an interview with Jean Cocteau from 1950, and full film credits
France | 1950 | 95 minutes | French language with English subtitles

Other releases I didn't know were coming:

I've never heard of this next one (Jan 21st, again):

[Show spoiler]

Rogue Male (DVD + Blu-ray)
Directed by Clive Donner

In early 1939, with the Second World War looming, aristocrat Sir Robert Hunter (Peter O'Toole) attempts to avert the impending catastrophe by assassinating Adolf Hitler. But his mission fails. Captured by the Gestapo and left for dead, Sir Robert survives his torture but is hunted by both the British and German authorities on his return to England and must use his wits and guile to survive.

Based on Geoffrey Household's cult thriller, Rogue Male is a suspenseful action adventure featuring an exceptional lead performance by O'Toole and a superb supporting cast, including Alastair Sim, Harold Pinter and John Standing.

Special Features:

Newly remastered in HD from the original 16mm A/B negatives
Extras TBC
Fully illustrated booklet with new writing by Paul Fairclough and full film credits
UK | 1976 | 100 minutes | English language, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles

____________________________________

Out 18th March (atm):

[Show spoiler]

[Show spoiler]Bergman: A Year in A Life (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
Directed by Jane Magnusson

Jane Magnusson directs and narrates this passionate tribute to the hugely influential cinema and personality of film icon Ingmar Bergman.

Journeying through 1957 - the year Bergman released The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries, made a TV film and directed four plays for theatre - a wealth of archive and contemporary interviews reveals previously untold stories and insight into Bergman's life and character.

Featuring extensive clips from his vast body of work, Bergman: A Year in A Life explores the existential themes and personal dilemmas at the core of the director's artistic legacy and offers a deeper understanding of what makes his work so powerful and enduring.

Included in this limited edition Blu-ray set is director Jane Magnusson's 4-part 2018 TV series on Ingmar Bergman

Special Features:

Trailer
Other extras TBC
Fully illustrated booklet

[rapta]

Sorry mate, these were announced a few weeks ago!

https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/...ary-march-2019

[javy]

Is it likely that BFI will ever release a standard edition of Nosferatu the Vampyre?

[Dougling]

Originally Posted by javy

Is it likely that BFI will ever release a standard edition of Nosferatu the Vampyre?

I’m pretty sure they’ve only released a standard version.

[Fnord Prefect]

Originally Posted by Dougling

I’m pretty sure they’ve only released a standard version.

Think they mean the 1979 version, which has only ever had a standalone steelbook release, rather than the 1922 original.

[javy]

Originally Posted by Fnord Prefect

Think they mean the 1979 version, which has only ever had a standalone steelbook release, rather than the 1922 original.

That is exactly what they mean.

[hilderic523]

I would like to buy the BFI Battleship Potemkin (part of The Soviet Influence, Vol. 2 set), but I am unable to find a review for it either on this site or dvdbeaver (only for the Kino). Could anyone please comment on the quality of the restoration?

PS: I know the first BFI pressing was faulty, but I think (hope) that has been corrected by now.

PPS: I see there is also a new French edition being released next week by potemkine, but could not find any information on that either.

[Fnord Prefect]

Originally Posted by hilderic523

I would like to buy the BFI Battleship Potemkin (part of The Soviet Influence, Vol. 2 set), but I am unable to find a review for it either on this site or dvdbeaver (only for the Kino). Could anyone please comment on the quality of the restoration?

PS: I know the first BFI pressing was faulty, but I think (hope) that has been corrected by now.

PPS: I see there is also a new French edition being released next week by potemkine, but could not find any information on that either.

Can't comment on the quality of the restoration as I've not watched the disc for about 4 years. The best I can manage is that I wasn't unimpressed.

Regarding the faulty disc it was corrected within weeks of the original release 6 years ago. As such you'd have to be incredibly unlucky to get a retail copy containing the faulty encode.

[Dollar Colonel]

Originally Posted by Fnord Prefect

Can't comment on the quality of the restoration as I've not watched the disc for about 4 years. The best I can manage is that I wasn't unimpressed.

Regarding the faulty disc it was corrected within weeks of the original release 6 years ago. As such you'd have to be incredibly unlucky to get a retail copy containing the faulty encode.

I bought one on eBay new with the faulty disc and I got a quick replacement to the US.

[BarnDoor]

MichaelB has posted on CriterionForum that, per a BFI press release, Nil By Mouth (yes!), Room at the Top, People on Sunday and a Hirokazu Kore-eda Box Set (containing Marabosi, After Life, Nobody Knows and Still Walking) are coming next year.

EDIT: Apparently we can expect Room at the Top in April, the Early Kore-eda set in May, People on Sunday in May/June, and Nil By Mouth in September.

[RossyG]

Great news about People on Sunday.

[magnetiques]

oh yes yes yes

keep thinking about importing the early kore-eda releases from japan that came out recently but felt it was too expensive. bfi isn't releasing all of them but the big ones are here. will prob import distance now.

fantastic news.

[Cremildo]

I own Arrow's Kore-eda boxset (containing more recent films), and I still haven't watched it, but that upcoming BFI one has some of his most acclaimed ever. It looks unmissable.

Very glad for Room at the Top. The Brazilian DVD I owned was 4x3 and pretty weak overall.

[Ben_C]

I’ve got the Korean region free version of Still Walking, but will almost certainly still buy the Kore-eda box set.

Still Walking is an absolutely brilliant film.

[Dan8700]

Originally Posted by s-hell

You are right, the aspect ratio is a bit strange. The BFI cover says it's 2.35:1 (really closer to 2.3:1), the Criterion is 2.39:1. The BFI image is vertically compressed compared to the Criterion, or the Criterion stretched compared to the BFI.
[/SPOILER]

Just a further note about An Actor's Revenge, 'cause I've spent some time comparing the two discs. Well, simply put, it's another botched BFI release: they totally stretched the frame bringing it to 2.30:1 while the CC is 2.40. The Japanese BD is 2.40 as well, so it's BFI's fault. About the encoding, it's just mediocre, there's macroblocking all over the place. This is from the same period of the botched Cocteau, and should absolutely be recalled. What's this company doing lately? Can't believe they manipulated such a flawless master.
I'm attaching 3 caps. DO NOT BUY this disc, go for the Criterion!

BFI (left) vs Criterion (right)

[Alan Clarke]

Ok my friends, thank me later:

From a BFI press release:
NIL BY MOUTH (1997) – Blu-ray World Premiere

The Blu-ray World Premiere of NIL BY MOUTH (1997), Gary Oldman's directorial debut, is a disturbing portrait of a dysfunctional South London family, starring Ray Winstone and Kathy Burke.

[s-hell]

Originally Posted by Dan8700

Just a further note about An Actor's Revenge, 'cause I've spent some time comparing the two discs. Well, simply put, it's another botched BFI release: they totally stretched the frame bringing it to 2.30:1 while the CC is 2.40. The Japanese BD is 2.40 as well, so it's BFI's fault. About the encoding, it's just mediocre, there's macroblocking all over the place. This is from the same period of the botched Cocteau, and should absolutely be recalled. What's this company doing lately? Can't believe they manipulated such a flawless master.
I'm attaching 3 caps. DO NOT BUY this disc, go for the Criterion!

Thanks for your comparison!

The disc authoring on the BFI Actor's Revenge was done by White Label Productions, according to the booklet. Were they the ones responsible for the Cocteau as well? (The encoding problems seem to be the same: low bitrates for uniform-looking image areas.)

I have been close to ordering the Criterion because the encoding alone is reason enough to avoid the BFI disc. But I wasn't sure if Criterion had got the aspect ratio right. Looking at actors' faces alone didn't really help me, so I overlaid the film's Daiei logo (white) with the PNG from Wikipedia (red):

BFI_An_Actors_Revenge_BD_Daiei_logo.jpg

Judging from the logo I'd say that the BFI's AR looks pretty good, but I don't have to Criterion to compare. It would be a real pity if BFI had the encoding wrong and Criterion the AR...

[Nedoflanders]

Originally Posted by s-hell

...
The disc authoring on the BFI Actor's Revenge was done by White Label Productions, according to the booklet. Were they the ones responsible for the Cocteau as well? (The encoding problems seem to be the same: low bitrates for uniform-looking image areas.)

I noticed similar problems with 'A Taste of Honey' in the recent Woodfall set (authored by White Label Productions).
The macroblocking in the final scene is so horrendous, I'm amazed others haven't addressed it.

[Dan8700]

Originally Posted by s-hell

Judging from the logo I'd say that the BFI's AR looks pretty good, but I don't have to Criterion to compare. It would be a real pity if BFI had the encoding wrong and Criterion the AR...

Hi, sadly the BFI got wrong the AR as well: as I said, the Japanese BD has the exact same ratio and framing of the Criterion disc; in short, they just "ported" the JP disc, as BFI should have done - but they didn't, they even altered it. Totally awful.

Originally Posted by Nedoflanders

I noticed similar problems with 'A Taste of Honey' in the recent Woodfall set (authored by White Label Productions).
The macroblocking in the final scene is so horrendous, I'm amazed others haven't addressed it.

This is bad news, as I am (was) very interested in the set. Thanks for posting 'cause I already own the CC edition of that masterpiece, and was thinking about selling it... now I know I won't! Did you notice other issues with the other Woodfall films?
It looks like several UK releases from important labels are not getting reviewed anymore (what about Rivette's The Nun and the Melville set, for instance?), so we're kinda left in a "sea of ignorance"...