British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[rapta]

Originally Posted by BarnDoor

My God, BFI win the year - Nil By Mouth, and an upgrade of BBC's Ghost Stories for Christmas at last!


The Ballad of Tam Lin (Flipside) (10th October)

Watership Down (4K UHD) (24th October)

The Draughtman's Contract (21st November)

Nil by Mouth (5th December)

Ghost Stories for Christmas - Volume One (5th December)

Aw man, no regular Blu-ray edition for Watership Down?! I really wanted that, was going to get it as a belated birthday present to myself…

Other announcements pretty good though. Ghost Stories for Christmas upgrade a nice surprise. Nil By Mouth a long time coming and looks great. Tam Lin looks very interesting, definitely up for that at some point. The Greenaway another must have, great stuff.

Hope they announce a Blu-ray edition of Watership Down though, I was really looking forward to it. Not planning on going 4K at all, so much like Get Carter and The Proposition I was happy with the Blu-ray LE release in both cases.

[Rutger Lundgren]

BFI in beast mode, I see. Almost too many great announcements for a single month.

[trobrianders]

Those five releases look great. Watership Down contains a blu as well. How will the 4 BFI volumes of Bergman differ from the Criterion set? I hope some dilligent contributor here provides a summary. I'm very happy with the Criterion set though, particularly the way it's presented.

[bladelia]

Really pleased to see Nil by Mouth get a release, be nice to see The War Zone get released at some point soon as well.

[Sifox211]

Been awaiting the Greenaway for years so that is day one; and Watership Down - just sold my OOP copy. Nice to see its getting the deluxe treatment!

[MifuneFan]

Never heard of Ghost Stories for Christmas, but it sounds right up my alley and the release looks great.

[Sifox211]

Originally Posted by trobrianders

Those five releases look great. Watership Down contains a blu as well. How will the 4 BFI volumes of Bergman differ from the Criterion set? I hope some dilligent contributor here provides a summary. I'm very happy with the Criterion set though, particularly the way it's presented.

I think you'll find that info detailed in the dedicated thread for it here

[minister_x]

Originally Posted by rapta

Aw man, no regular Blu-ray edition for Watership Down?! I really wanted that, was going to get it as a belated birthday present to myself…

Hey, at least you can get a regular Blu-ray disc in the UHD set (can't imagine they'd need two discs, otherwise). Would be nice if we could get a UHD disc in the sets for Draughtsman's Contract and Nil by Mouth...

Appreciate the offerings must mean that Watership Down would sell better, but of the three films it's clearly the inferior.

[trobrianders]

How am I supposed to watch Nil By Mouth without half expecting Ray Winstone to break out into his Cockerny Sky Bet routine?

[koberulz]

How does the BFI store handle orders that including preorder items? Have had several items sitting in my cart for months now waiting for Draughtsman's Contract to get a release, what happens if I throw it in and order now?

[Hollywoodnova]

Ohhhh yes! Almost twice a month, every month, I thought about pulling the trigger on the DVD set of Ghost Stories for Christmas. So glad I held off on the off chance of a blu-ray set!!!!

[BarnDoor]

With BFI licencing from Universal these days, and giving Watership Down the 4K UHD treatment, I wouldn't be at all surprised if we saw a 4K UHD of Quadrophenia from them at some point.

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by BarnDoor

With BFI licencing from Universal these days, and giving Watership Down the 4K UHD treatment, I wouldn't be at all surprised if we saw a 4K UHD of Quadrophenia from them at some point.

God, I'd be over the moon if the BFI released Quadrophenia. It's one of my favourites.

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Never heard of Ghost Stories for Christmas, but it sounds right up my alley and the release looks great.

Did you pick up their Schalcken the Painter release? If so, these are very similar indeed, same sort of slow creeping horror in period costume.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by minister_x

Hey, at least you can get a regular Blu-ray disc in the UHD set (can't imagine they'd need two discs, otherwise). Would be nice if we could get a UHD disc in the sets for Draughtsman's Contract and Nil by Mouth...

I don't see the point in releasing dual format UHD titles though, seems a bit daft unless a) someone already has a UHD player (then what's the point in owning the BD?) or b) someone is intending on buying a UHD player in the near future (if they wanted one wouldn't they own one by now?). Surely separate UHD and Blu-ray releases and SKUs would make more sense, as they've done for their previous UHD titles (except The Seventh Seal, though at least that was optionally available in a Blu-ray box set).

This is also something Second Sight have often been doing and just means we have to wait for a regular Blu-ray reissue, and therefore miss out on the LE (and pay far less eventually too). I would've been happy to buy a Blu-ray LE of The Witch, Drive and The Babadook but they each only had a 4K UHD Dual Format LE initially so I'm forced to wait for a BD reissue (and won't pay more than a tenner at most since those are all double-dips; same deal with Watership Down to be honest).

Would've expected this kind of thing from Arrow, not BFI...

[Modman]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Never heard of Ghost Stories for Christmas, but it sounds right up my alley and the release looks great.

A few are on Youtube If you want to get a flavour.

[BigNickUK]

Originally Posted by Modman

A few are on Youtube If you want to get a flavour.

Also includes the John Hurt version of Whistle And I Will Come To You... as an extra

[Hammerlover]

THE BALLAD OF TAM LIN is a must: Roddy McDowall's sole directorial effort, with gleaming cinematography by Billy Williams and Hollywood legend Ava Gardner in cold ***** mode. My only question: will this be a new restoration or the same transfer that Imprint used?

[BarnDoor]

Originally Posted by Hammerlover

THE BALLAD OF TAM LIN is a must: Roddy McDowall's sole directorial effort, with gleaming cinematography by Billy Williams and Hollywood legend Ava Gardner in cold ***** mode. My only question: will this be a new restoration or the same transfer that Imprint used?

Almost certainly the same based on the description.

I wonder if they'll be able to get some of Imprint's extras? Their release is stacked.

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by trobrianders

Those five releases look great. Watership Down contains a blu as well. How will the 4 BFI volumes of Bergman differ from the Criterion set? I hope some dilligent contributor here provides a summary. I'm very happy with the Criterion set though, particularly the way it's presented.

Basically the Bergman sets are as follows along with additional info etc & hope this helps:


1) Vol 1 (Differeing exclusive extras):

Torment (1944) - NOT in the Us set. Bergman wrote it
Crisis (1946)
Music in Darkness (1948) - NOT in the Us set
Eva (1948) - NOT in the Us set. Bergman wrote it
Port of Call (1948)
Prison (1949) - NOT in the Us set
Thirst (1949)
To Joy (1950)

2) Vol 2 (Differing exclusive extras):


Summer Interlude (1951)
Waiting Women (1952)
Summer with Monika (1953)
A Lesson in Love (1954)
Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)
The Seventh Seal (1957) - There is a seperate UHD release of this which includes a BD & both the UHD & Vol 2 discs have the same extras as the tartan release with newly added commentary.
Wild Strawberries (1957)
The Magician (1958)


3) Vol 3 (differing exclusive extras):

The Virgin Spring (1960)
The Devil's Eye (1960)
Through a Glass Darkly (1961)
The Silence (1963)
Winter Light (1963)
All These Women (1964)
Persona (1966)
The Rite (1969)


4) Vol 4 (presumably differing exclusive extras):


Cries and Whispers (1972)
Scenes from a Marriage (1973) - NO mini-series version due to rights holder of that being different
Autumn Sonata (1978)
Faro Document (1979)
From the Life of the Marionettes (1980)
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
Fanny and Alexander (Mini-Series), (1983)
After the Rehearsal (1984)

5) Titles Tartan released that ARE NOT included in the 4 Bergman sets:

Faithless (2000) - Bergman wrote this. Available on BD from BFI
Saraband (TV) (2003)

6) BFI Bergman titles already released before the Bergman sets:

The Magic Flute (1975) - Has differing exclusive extras to the Criterion set
The Touch (1971) - Has differing exclusive extras to the Criterion set
The Lie (Play For Today) (1970) - Bergman wrote this (was translated for UK TV & filmed as an episode of Play for Today. Available in Play for Today: Volume One set

7) Other NON-BFI Bergman UK BD releases:

It Rains on Our Love (1946) (Artificial Eye) - NOT in Criterion set
A Ship Bound for India (1947) (Artificial Eye)
Sawdust and Tinsel (1953) (Artificial Eye)
Dreams (1955) (Artificial Eye)
So Close to Life (1958) (Artificial Eye)