British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[Nocheduro]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Yeah, that's what I'm wondering about. It's honestly bewildering to me that BFI wouldn't see this major Kurosawa title as being big enough to warrant a 4K release too. Feels like they're just leaving money on the table here. Same for Stray Dog. If these films don't deserve 4K, I don't know what does. BFI would have also done HDR/DV as well, which Criterion won't apply if/when they upgrade their release.

BFI said they are only doing a 4K release if the master warrants it. But nicwood said there was a significant bump in resolution when viewing the Japanese UHD of High and Low.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Nocheduro

BFI said they are only doing a 4K release if the master warrants it. But nicwood said there was a significant bump in resolution when viewing the Japanese UHD of High and Low.

Yeah, he had very high praise for it:

Originally Posted by nicwood

Finally got High and Low today.

My goodness, even the screenshots here couldn’t possibly prepare me for how sensational this disc looks. Easily the best of the Toho Kurosawa’s I’ve seen so far, slightly ahead of Yojimbo.

Unbelievable clarity in all levels of detail - mid-ranges and blacks even for SDR and very solid highlights. The encode is great, thank God. HDR could have done a little more overall but no criticism for something that isn’t there.

Yet honestly what’s even stronger here than the visual upgrade (unbelievable to say this) is the audio. First things first, I’m no audio expert and don’t have proper equipment (only a Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar compared to a full-equipped speaker system) but that audio sounds phenomenal. 4-track stereo (PCM) with a healthy bitrate of around 5 Mbps. Sure, the bitrate isn’t everything but Toho has most definitely restored the audio. Amazing detail, surprising highlights and a richness you just don’t get from Criterion and their awful, awful filtering.

I just know it’s better here even though I’ve last seen the film two years ago on the Criterion BD because that thing is garbage compared to this presentation.

I can only hope that Western distributors are able to license these restorations as it would be seriously disappointing if not more people could literally have whole new experiences with Kurosawa’s masterworks.

Kagemusha should be with me in a couple of days. Waiting for Seven Samurai will be hard now

Also, as I mentioned, BFI would almost certainly add DV/HDR and it'll be encoded by Fidelity in Motion, so it has potential to be even better than the Toho release. Stray Dog I guess I could undertand not being put on 4K, but High & Low absolutely should have been. I think it would have been a very strong seller for them.

[nicwood]

Originally Posted by Nocheduro

BFI said they are only doing a 4K release if the master warrants it. But nicwood said there was a significant bump in resolution when viewing the Japanese UHD of High and Low.

Yes, and even with Toho’s filtering, which we now know that they’ve introduced it after finishing these new masters, it’s a massive improvement. If Criterion are doing a 4K, it should be absolutely stunning unless they botch the encode. SDR makes that less likely though, so fingers crossed it’ll come out soon.

Toho also remastered the audio, which I also think is much better than the Criterion BD mix.

I really don’t know what BFI were looking at. This is a spectacular upgrade and would’ve warranted the top-tier treatment.

[justwannaboogie]

Even if there were valid reasons not to do a 4K, personally I would have done it anyway, just to keep people happy, this being such a major title. But I'm just glad we're getting it and certainly won't complain.

[rapta]

I wonder if BFI have only got a certain amount of budget allocated to UHD and had to be selective with the Kurosawa titles (choosing Yojimbo & Sanjuro over High and Low, for example).

Can't think why they skipped it for UHD unless it was either for budget reasons, or a decision was made based off sales figures of previous Kurosawa home video releases. If that was the case then I'm guessing the chanbara would have sold better than the crime dramas (even if it's a bonafide classic, and getting a Spike Lee remake later this year).

[GreatUncleBaal]

Originally Posted by rapta

I wonder if BFI have only got a certain amount of budget allocated to UHD and had to be selective with the Kurosawa titles (choosing Yojimbo & Sanjuro over High and Low, for example).

Quite plausible,
could also be that for titles they aren't sure on, a blu-ray release that sells better than expected, could lead to a later 4k release.

[Cinematt]

Originally Posted by latehong

DVD Beaver review on High and Low

For those that have never seen the movie, there's a significant moment spoiled in those screengrabs.

I always thought the Criterion blu looked great for this, but the new master really does look like it blows it away. I'll buy it, and I'll buy the Criterion 4K when they inevitably announce it too. It's just such a good film.

[Watershipdownisgood]

Originally Posted by justwannaboogie

Huge improvement, the Criterion looks like a bootleg DVD in comparison

Definitely pre-ordering the BFI for this as well

[Stanshall]

100% in agreement with @nicwood. The Toho 4K of High and Low is the best b/w 4K I've seen. I'm sure the BD will look great but I would have loved the 4K HDR treatment here. I accept they are pretty choosy and not every release will justify it (maybe they have data to suggest it's a lower seller) but it's a missed opportunity in terms of absolute premium quality releases.

[Nazca]

While I am scratching my head as to why BFI didn't do a UHD of High and Low (1963), I am still very excited for this BD release! Same for BFI's other Kurosawa releases. I'm curious when we'll see BFI release The Hidden Fortress (1958), very interested in that one seeing the 4K restoration that showed at the 2022 Tokyo International Film Festival has never seen a release, not even in Japan. That and I have a soft spot for Star Wars (1977). I am also curious when we'll also see the new release of Rashomon (1950) as well.

Edit: I was mistaken, there is no 4K restoration of Rashomon (1950). Just the 2008 2K restoration that's derived from a 4K scan. Curious why the Tokyo International Film Festival would refer to it as the "4K Digitally Restored Version". Usually they're pretty on point in that regard. Either way, my apologies for that.

Link to the Tokyo International Film Festival's page regarding The Hidden Fortress (1958): https://2022.tiff-jp.net/en/lineup/film/3510KRO04

Speaking of Asian Cinema, Berlinale has revealed that they'll be screening a new 4K restoration of Wu Yonggang’s The Goddess (1934) from the China Film Archive. Using the original 35mm nitrate negative and has a recorded score by the China Philharmonic Orchestra. The score is by Zou Ye. Maybe we'll finally get a DVD -> BD upgrade soon!

Link to Berlinale's page: https://www.berlinale.de/en/2025/new...es/260875.html

While talking about films screening at Berlinale, they also revealed that Yasuzô Masumura's 1965 film, The Wife of Seisaku, has gotten a new 4K restoration. BFI screened the 4K restoration of Manji (1964) last year, and the Tokyo Film International Festival also screened the 4K restoration of Nakano Spy School (1966). I know this is definitely Arrow's territory but I really want to see these three films on BD.

Link to BFI's page: https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Onlin...e::context_id=

Link to the Tokyo International Film Festival's page: https://2024.tiff-jp.net/en/lineup/film/37008CLA01

Lastly, I noticed that for BFI's "Here’s what we’ve got coming in 2025..." page mentions that they'll be screening Anna May Wong films in September and October. While these can be anything, I wouldn't be surprised if two of the films are Richard Eichberg's Song/Show Life (1928) and Pavement Butterfly (1929), both of which have been digitally restored, albeit by two different archives. The Filmmuseum Düsseldorf for Song/Show Life, and the DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum for Pavement Butterfly. However, for Pavement Butterfly, despite being restored by the DFF, the copyright is with a company called Beta Film GmbH/Kineos GmbH. The reason I'm bringing this up is because seeing how well-received and popular (especially for silent film standards) Piccadilly (1929) was, I wouldn't be surprised if we see BD releases for both Song/Show Life and Pavement Butterfly. The restoration for Song/Show Life also utilized original 35mm nitrate negative material from the BFI.

Link to BFI's page: https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/heres-wh...ot-coming-2025

Link regarding some of Anna May Wong's silent films (Via Le Giornate del Cinema Muto): https://www.giornatedelcinemamuto.it...ong-LowDef.pdf

[Stanshall]

Cheers, interesting and informative post!

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by Nazca

I am also curious when we'll also see the new release of Rashomon (1950) as well.

I thought the 4K scan from 2008 from the DVD/BD was finished in 2K, so would need to undergo restoration again first?

[Nazca]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

I thought the 4K scan from 2008 from the DVD/BD was finished in 2K, so would need to undergo restoration again first?

Thankfully the 4K restoration already exists!

Link to the Tokyo International Film Festival's page: https://2019.tiff-jp.net/en/lineup/film/32CLA01

Link to a Blu-ray Page regarding BFI’s Cinema Release: https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=31720

Edit: I was mistaken, there is no 4K restoration of Rashomon (1950), just the 2008 2K restoration (4K scan) mistakenly referred to as a 4K restoration. My apologies.

[Jerry2345]

Originally Posted by Nazca

I am also curious when we'll also see the new release of Rashomon (1950) as well.

A 4K of Rashomon would of course be nice, but we do already have a very good blu ray release available.

I’d really much prefer to see at least decent blu ray releases available of Drunken Angel, The Bad Sleep Well and Red Beard, and also of Scandal, The Idiot and I Live in Fear (and well, basically of all missing Kurosawa’s if possible)…

[Nazca]

Originally Posted by Jerry2345

A 4K of Rashomon would of course be nice, but we do already have a very good blu ray release available.

I’d really much prefer to see at least decent blu ray releases available of Drunken Angel, The Bad Sleep Well and Red Beard, and also of Scandal, The Idiot and I Live in Fear (and well, basically of all missing Kurosawa’s if possible)…

I do agree, the 2K restoration is still fantastic, though I feel it would be nice to finally get a release of the 4K restoration that BFI screened in 2023.

Edit: Wrong information regarding Rashomon. My apologies.

I will add that I do fully agree with you, I would love to see new restorations and releases of films such as Drunken Angel (1948), Red Beard (1965), as well as Dodes'ka-den (1970). I will also say that both The Lower Depths (1957) and The Bad Sleep Well (1960) do in fact have 2K restorations, as confirmed by Carlotta Films via their Retrospective. (In French)

Carlotta Films' Twitter Post: https://x.com/CarlottaFilms/status/1808901084288798981

Carlotta Films' Retrospective Page: https://carlottafilms.com/films/retr...kira-kurosawa/

Considering that Carlotta Films state that these are "New 2K Restorations", I feel that there is quite a decent chance that we'll see both The Lower Depths (1957) and The Bad Sleep Well (1960) on BD via BFI. Emphasis on "I feel". Admittedly, it does make me wonder why TOHO didn't give these two films the full 4K treatment. Won't complain because I feel anything is better than the rather dated HD-Masters from the 2000s. (Going off of the old Japanese BDs)

I will add that regarding films such as Scandal (1950), The Idiot (1951) and some of the other Non-TOHO Kurosawa films, I am genuinely curious why Shochiku and Kadokawa haven't restored them yet.

In response to Stanshall, cheers.

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by Nazca

Thankfully the 4K restoration already exists!

Link to the Tokyo International Film Festival's page: https://2019.tiff-jp.net/en/lineup/film/32CLA01

Link to a Blu-ray Page regarding BFI’s Cinema Release: https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=31720

The comments on the news announcement and the information on the Potemkine release indicate it being the same master that was previously released.

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

It was scanned at 4K, but restored in 2K. Perhaps they're using the scan as their rationale for listing it as 4K, but it is technically a 2K restoration. I see no indication that this is a new restoration, especially given the nearly word for word copy of the restoration details on their site.

[jackranderson]

Kurosawa sale on the 20th

[Nazca]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

The comments on the news announcement and the information on the Potemkine release indicate it being the same master that was previously released.

I just read the forum and looked more into the Potemkine and you are indeed correct. That and when re-watching BFI's Trailer, there is 0 mention of it being a 4K restoration. I did edit each post pointing out how the restoration that played at both BFI 2023 and Tokyo 2019 was the 2008 2K restoration that's derived from a 4K scan. My apologies again, and I do thank you for pointing it out. Admittedly, while I do love Rashomon, thankfully this means we can see UK releases of different Kurosawa films! Some upgrades from older releases and some that haven't even received BDs in the UK.

The BFI trailer for anyone wondering:

New trailer for Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon - back in cinemas from 6 January 2023 | BFI - YouTube

[Cinematt]

Originally Posted by Nazca

I just read the forum and looked more into the Potemkine and you are indeed correct. That and when re-watching BFI's Trailer, there is 0 mention of it being a 4K restoration. I did edit each post pointing out how the restoration that played at both BFI 2023 and Tokyo 2019 was the 2008 2K restoration that's derived from a 4K scan. My apologies again, and I do thank you for pointing it out. Admittedly, while I do love Rashomon, thankfully this means we can see UK releases of different Kurosawa films! Some upgrades from older releases and some that haven't even received BDs in the UK.

The BFI trailer for anyone wondering: New trailer for Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon - back in cinemas from 6 January 2023 | BFI - YouTube

I was previously corrected on the very same point on here. I don't know if there was something worded vaguely in the announcements at some point but I definitely had it in my head that it was a new 4K version and had been waiting for a disc. Might simply have been that it was part of their season with things like the new Seven Samurai 4K restoration and it all got conflated in my brain.
Would love a 4K version though, if anyone is listening

[Nazca]

Originally Posted by Cinematt

I was previously corrected on the very same point on here. I don't know if there was something worded vaguely in the announcements at some point but I definitely had it in my head that it was a new 4K version and had been waiting for a disc. Might simply have been that it was part of their season with things like the new Seven Samurai 4K restoration and it all got conflated in my brain.
Would love a 4K version though, if anyone is listening

Well, cheers to that, aha. For the BFI announcement, I feel it was mistakes in wording/vague wording. For me, it was the Tokyo International Film Festival's page that had it confirmed in my head that a 4K restoration of the film existed. Though it's essentially a similar situation to how MoMA listed Allonsanfan (1974) as having a 4K restoration, just for it to be confirmed that it was a mistake and that a 4K restoration of Allonsanfan doesn't exist. It happens.