British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[javy]

I purchased BFI's Blu-ray of Separation, which was directed by Jack Bond, and written and starring Jane Arden. This film is exactly everything that I wanted it to be: an exquisitely shot, existential, surreal, avant-garde film on feminism.

A couple scenes I want to mention.

I love the scene when Jane's boyfriend asks her about her husband and it then cuts to a flashback of the husband introducing himself as a "modern-man", at which point he sits down at a piano and plays some sublimely cool jazz and hums along with a cigarette in is mouth. The film then cuts back to Jane describing her husband as a man who believes in the freedom of women. Though she goes into it with more detail with dialogue that is just impeccable.

Another scene is at an indoor swimming pool. A woman, laying on her stomach getting a massage, is describing an encounter which has terrified her. As she's telling the story a man walks up to her, kneels down and appears to be listening to her. Every time the story takes a more horrifying turn the man who knelt down slaps her in the face. With every slap she becomes more hysterical. What is significant about this is, she doesn't pay any attention to the man who's slapping her, it's as if he isn't even there. She doesn't become hysterical because he slaps her but because of the emotional turmoil she has experienced. The slaps are merely symbolic of, well, you be the judge.

The fragmented narrative, the acting, the story, the cinematography, the editing and direction are all amazing. I love this film.

[Fnord Prefect]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

Perhaps most exciting - beyond the individual discs of the Jarman films - are these two DVD sets!

At Last the 1948 Show

[Show spoiler]https://shop.bfi.org.uk/pre-order-at...c-dvd-set.html

Do Not Adjust Your Set

[Show spoiler]https://shop.bfi.org.uk/pre-order-do...l#.XNdO8LLTWhA

It’s awesome to see as complete as possible versions of these series (1948 Show was reduced to 5 Swedish compilation episodes for DVD previously!) and it seems such an exciting time for vintage British series as Network came out with The Goodies recently too.

Pleased to see these getting the release they deserve, though I notice the Do Not Adjust Your Set set doesn't mention the episodes being restored.

Any new or quality improved Bonzo Dog Band footage is a must have in my opinion, which makes me wish the DNAYS set could have included a new scan of One Man's Week: Vivian Stanshall (easy to find on line) as a semi-related bonus, but I guess the snippet of Beatles "Sun King" would mean editing or redubbing. Not that I'm complaining at all, the BFI appear to have gone above and beyond what we'd expect for such a niche set. Genuine day one purchase for me.

[DeathlyGeneral]

Is the BFI’s Flipside line still continuing?

[stepeanut]

Originally Posted by DeathlyGeneral

Is the BFI’s Flipside line still continuing?

Slowly but surely, yes. Their latest release, Stranger in the House, came out in February:

[Fnord Prefect]

Originally Posted by DeathlyGeneral

Is the BFI’s Flipside line still continuing?

There have been two so far this year:



The collection appears to be alive and well, what with occasional 18 to 24 month gaps between releases certainly more so than it has been in the past.

Frankly I'm a little surprised How I Won the War didn't qualify because (I've said this before and probably will again ) after the 2016 release of Expresso Bongo got Flipside branding yet the same years wonderful Akenfield, genuinely one of the most "flipside of British cinema" films the BFI ever released on home video, didn't all bets are off as to what's coming next.

EDIT: Submitted updated Mr.Topaze artwork to the database. I think.

[stepeanut]

Is Mr Topaze an official Flipside release, with a spine number? The BFI website doesn’t list it as such, and none of the online artwork I’ve seen seems to indicate it’s part of the Flipside series.

[Fnord Prefect]

Originally Posted by stepeanut

Is Mr Topaze an official Flipside release, with a spine number? The BFI website doesn’t list it as such, and none of the online artwork I’ve seen seems to indicate it’s part of the Flipside series.

Spine number 038 with the same discreet BFI FLIPSIDE PRESENTS banner towards top of cover artwork in the same position and typeface used for 036 and 037. Like these two releases the BFI FLIPSIDE PRESENTS text does not appear on the spine.

Amazon UK is using the slightly modified Flipside artwork.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Topaze-DVD-...gateway&sr=8-1

[stepeanut]

Originally Posted by Fnord Prefect

Spine number 038 with the same discreet BFI FLIPSIDE PRESENTS banner towards top of cover artwork in the same position and typeface used for 036 and 037. Like these two releases the BFI FLIPSIDE PRESENTS text does not appear on the spine.

Amazon UK is using the slightly modified Flipside artwork.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Topaze-DVD-...gateway&sr=8-1

Thanks for the confirmation. Since Fopp Manchester closed, I’ve not kept up with new releases in the same way. HMV Stockport is a bit of a disappointment when it comes to niche titles. I’ll pick this up at some point.

[stepeanut]

Quick trip down to HMV before the football. Picked up Mr Topaze. My Flipside collection is complete again.

[beadelf]

Originally Posted by John Hodson

A Kid For Two Farthings is, on every level, a genuinely gorgeous film with Reed proving, once again, what a magnificent director of child actors he was.

Really hoping we get a blu ray release of that soon.

[John Hodson]

Originally Posted by beadelf

Really hoping we get a blu ray release of that soon.

The link from earlier in the thread

[Modman]

Originally Posted by beadelf

Really hoping we get a blu ray release of that soon.

You mean like in August!

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/A-Kid...lu-ray/242403/

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by Fnord Prefect

Pleased to see these getting the release they deserve, though I notice the Do Not Adjust Your Set set doesn't mention the episodes being restored.

Any new or quality improved Bonzo Dog Band footage is a must have in my opinion, which makes me wish the DNAYS set could have included a new scan of One Man's Week: Vivian Stanshall (easy to find on line) as a semi-related bonus, but I guess the snippet of Beatles "Sun King" would mean editing or redubbing. Not that I'm complaining at all, the BFI appear to have gone above and beyond what we'd expect for such a niche set. Genuine day one purchase for me.

Here you go (C+P'd from a post in the Kaleidoscope Facebook group):

DISCOVERY 486 – Do Not Adjust Your Set

The BFI have now given Kaleidoscope permission to tell you about the Do Not Adjust Your Set discoveries made at the National Archive in the last two years. As each can of film is opened and examined, new discoveries are made.

A Happy Boxing Day and a Preposterous New Year
Written by Eric Idle
Written by Terry Jones
Written by Michael Palin
Various Roles Denise Coffey
Various Roles Eric Idle
Various Roles David Jason
Various Roles Terry Jones
Various Roles Michael Palin
House Band The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
Additional material by Doug Fisher
Additional material by Denise Coffey
Theme music by Dave Lee
Designed by Bryan Bagge
Produced by Humphrey Barclay
Directed by Daphne Shadwell
A Rediffusion Television production.
Originally transmitted 26.12.1967

Recorded 06.11.1967. The Bonzos perform "Jollity Farm" and a Boxing Day song.

In most of the country, instead of the special going out on 26.12.1967, the first episode of series one was mistakenly transmitted. (See, From Fringe to Flying Circus/Wilmut, R.)

Special
Written by Eric Idle
Written by Terry Jones
Written by Michael Palin
Various Roles Denise Coffey
Various Roles Eric Idle
Various Roles David Jason
Various Roles Terry Jones
Various Roles Michael Palin
House Band The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
Additional material by Denise Coffey & David Jason
Additional material by Denise Coffey & David Jason
Designed by Bryan Bagge
Produced by Humphrey Barclay
Directed by Daphne Shadwell
A Rediffusion Television production.
Originally transmitted 29.07.1968

Recorded 26.03.1968. The Bonzos perform "I'm The Urban Spaceman".

A special edition of the award-winning Fairly Pointless Show Winner of the Prix Jeunesse, Munich, 1968.

16mm telerecordings.

Released on DVD on the 16th September 2019.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Patient-X

A Salo 4k restoration....proof you can polish a turd, literally

The movie brings new meaning to the phrase "eat shit and die".

[fdm]

It was kind of funny the other day, as literally the night before it was announced/leaked I was scanning thru a list of Carol Reed titles to check online what was available and what was not, and A Kid For Two Farthings was not, at least on blu-ray. And then when I woke up all of a sudden it was.

Seems Kino is releasing Outcast Of The Islands at some point.

[jackranderson]

The Werner Herzog collection arrived today from Zavvi - the whole boxset looks great.
Inner Sanctums also arrived - the outer box is incredibly flimsy though and already looks heavily used just from opening it.

[mja345]

Watched the BD of "The Caretaker" last night. It's one of my favorite discoveries of recent months. Masterful acting by Bates, Pleasence, and Shaw plus a searing script by Harold Pinter. I found the head games that Bates plays with Pleasence to be particularly funny in a twisted way. It's just a brilliant film and one of my favorite releases of the year so far. I highly recommend picking it up as the PQ is fantastic as well.

[CelestialAgent]

Halfway through the Kore-eda retrospective. Maborosi looks pretty mediocre, dated and lacking in detail - however I’d say it’s closer to Bandai’s transfer than Milestone’s 1080i but I could also be wrong! I don’t know how it was originally shot so take my comments with a grain of salt. However, After Life looks really great in HD! Hopefully Nobody Knows will be strong and I wouldn’t be surprised if Still Walking mirrors the Criterion transfer.

[SilverBlueSnow]

BFI have really done justice to the Kore-eda box set. They now have listed 4 full length audio commentaries - 1 on each film. More than I could have hoped for. This is looking like it will be one of the best releases in 2019.

So happy that Kore-eda is being properly represented on Bluray

[nam4077]

BFI site box-set sale this weekend folks