British Film Institute (BFI) Discussion Thread

[rapta]

Interesting interview here on MovieMail with some mention of an upcoming sci-fi season:

"at least one Blu-ray premiere of a British cinema classic as part of the offering."

http://www.moviemail.com/blog/interv...ampaign=buffer

[edcresdee]

Originally Posted by rapta

Interesting interview here on MovieMail with some mention of an upcoming sci-fi season:

"at least one Blu-ray premiere of a British cinema classic as part of the offering."

http://www.moviemail.com/blog/interv...ampaign=buffer

https://twitter.com/BFI/status/44658...573568/photo/1

[MacEachaidh]

Flippin' heck!

Oooh, I so much hope they're planning more, transfer-wise, than merely licensing the existing master. It's pretty impressive for its age and the then-current technology, but a whole new higher-res scan would be, ahem, out of this world!

[BarnDoor]

2001: A Space Odyssey has already been released on Blu-ray here. Plus, there's no confirmation there that BFI will even be releasing it on Blu-ray.

[Judex]

It's a cinema release only. I highly doubt Warner are going to let BFI release it on home video.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by Judex

It's a cinema release only. I highly doubt Warner are going to let BFI release it on home video.

One can only dream...it's my favourite film of all time. The current transfer is pretty excellent already though, but would always be nice to have more extras!

Originally Posted by edcresdee

https://twitter.com/BFI/status/44658...573568/photo/1

Technically a British film I guess...and definitely a classic. Will be excited to see this on the big screen!

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by rapta

One can only dream...it's my favourite film of all time. The current transfer is pretty excellent already though, but would always be nice to have more extras!



Technically a British film I guess...and definitely a classic. Will be excited to see this on the big screen!

Agreed on all counts.

[Yami]

There's probably a greater chance of Richard Branson going to Jupiter in November than there is of the BFI releasing 2001: A Space Odyssey on Blu-Ray! It's overwhelmingly more likely that it's a cinema-only release - like they often do but, hopefully, with more venues.

[rapta]

Anyone after the BFI transfer of Seven Samurai for under a tenner?

http://www.base.com/buy/product/seve...c-bfib1090.htm

Only £8.79, but you will have to wait for the re-release date.

[Ozu Teapot]

Originally Posted by rapta

Anyone after the BFI transfer of Seven Samurai for under a tenner?

http://www.base.com/buy/product/seve...c-bfib1090.htm

Only £8.79, but you will have to wait for the re-release date.

I'll buy it when it's not a steelbook...

[EddieLarkin]

I still don't think we've seen comparison caps, but isn't it right that the BFI transfer is by all accounts pretty poor compared to the Criterion?

[rapta]

Originally Posted by EddieLarkin

I still don't think we've seen comparison caps, but isn't it right that the BFI transfer is by all accounts pretty poor compared to the Criterion?

Probably, but I thought it'd be a given that by now if you were importing Criterion discs you probably wouldn't have a second thought for a BFI alternative? I got it because I was going to get the DVD anyway, so no harm in paying a bit extra for the blu-ray!

EDIT: Eyes Without A Face now only £11.84 on Amazon! Great stuff! Also, I used that recent Mother's Day offer of £5 off £30 against The Werner Herzog Collection making it only £44.97!

EDIT AGAIN: oh snap...Werner Herzog Collection just dropped in price! Means it'll only cost me £41.11! Perfect timing!

[Funktion]

Originally Posted by rapta

Probably, but I thought it'd be a given that by now if you were importing Criterion discs you probably wouldn't have a second thought for a BFI alternative? I got it because I was going to get the DVD anyway, so no harm in paying a bit extra for the blu-ray!

EDIT: Eyes Without A Face now only £11.84 on Amazon! Great stuff! Also, I used that recent Mother's Day offer of £5 off £30 against The Werner Herzog Collection making it only £44.97!

EDIT AGAIN: oh snap...Werner Herzog Collection just dropped in price! Means it'll only cost me £41.11! Perfect timing!

Damn, I missed that Mother's Day promotion.

But anyway, most BFI pre-orders dropped quite a bit in price. Besides the titles your mentioned (that Herzog set is now a steal), the Alain Robbe-Grillet boxset is now £34.37, and That Sinking Feeling is now £11.84.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by Funktion

Damn, I missed that Mother's Day promotion.

But anyway, most BFI pre-orders dropped quite a bit in price. Besides the titles your mentioned (that Herzog set is now a steal), the Alain Robbe-Grillet boxset is now £34.37, and That Sinking Feeling is now £11.84.

They probably pulled it because people were abusing it like last time with 2 for £10 and Disney BOGOF promotions etc. Was literally only available last night...glad I didn't wait on it a bit. Still an excellent price for the Herzog set...it's at least £50 everywhere else. Only other place that might have a competitive price for it is HMV, but my guess is around £44.99-£49.99 from them (judging by their recent BFI new release pricing).

[Funktion]

Originally Posted by rapta

Still an excellent price for the Herzog set...

You can say that again.

Considering the quality of the BFI's output, I can't wait for the final product. I'm sure it will be something quite special.

[rapta]

Originally Posted by Funktion

You can say that again.

Considering the quality of the BFI's output, I can't wait for the final product. I'm sure it will be something quite special.

I'm gonna watch it all in one go when it arrives. Weekend away with Herr Herzog. Been waiting for even just Aguirre for what feels like forever!

[steve dubbleyoo]

So a British sci-fi classic will be getting it's UK Blu-ray debut?

I'm hoping it's The Day Of The Triffids.


Any other suggestions?

[jonali]

15 British sci-fi movies that deserve a blu-ray release:

Village of the Damned (1960)
The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)
The Damned (1963)¨
It Happened Here (1965)
The War Game (1965)
The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970)
No Blade of Grass (1970)
Quest for Love (1971)
Doomwatch (1972)
The Final Programme (1972)
The Mutations (1974)
The Land That Time Forgot (1975)
Day of the Triffids (1981 TV mini-series)
Nineteen Eighty Four (1984)
Threads (1984)

[David M]

I didn't work on this title and don't own either version, but from looking at the screen captures, it simply looks like Criterion did some unsharp mask processing to improve the apparent resolution (not a bad thing).

There are other differences too, though, so who knows.

[EddieLarkin]

The BFI booklet cites a fine grain master positive as the source, whilst the Criterion booklet refers to 2K scanning a duplicate negative instead (one derived from "the original" fine grain master positive). I don't know then if they're referring to different transfers or if Criterion are just being more precise with their wording.

The BFI do appear to credit themselves with clean up duty, but there seems to be damage visible in the BFI caps that is not on the Criterion version.