Rita, Sue and Bob Too

Message

rapta · #1 Post by **rapta** » Mon Feb 13, 2017 6:39 pm

Dual Format Edition coming May 22nd

Following an acclaimed career in hard-hitting TV drama, director Alan Clarke achieved a cinema hit with his much-loved comedy.

Bradford teenagers Rita and Sue regularly babysit for successful couple Bob and Michelle, whose comfortable suburban lifestyle contrasts with their own bleak existence. One evening when Bob is taking them home, he suggests a detour to the moors. Impressed by his flashy car and worldly ways the girls are smooth-talked into a three-way sexual relationship that becomes very much part of their lives. At first it's a bit of a laugh but people are quick to point the finger and the affair is soon out in the open.

The screenplay was adapted from a series of acclaimed plays by Andrea Dunbar, which were based on her own upbringing on Bradford's Butterworth estate. The contrast of bawdy laughs with astute social comment results in one of the more memorable and enduring British films from the period.

Special features:

New feature-length documentary on the film with newly filmed interviews with the cast and crew

Fully illustrated booklet with new writing essays and full film credits
UK | 1987 | Colour | English language, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles | 88 mins | Cert 18 | Region B Blu-ray | Region 2 DVD

tenia · #2 Post by **tenia** » Mon Feb 13, 2017 7:18 pm

So they did finally managed to get the rights after all ! Tremendous.

Big Ben · #3 Post by **Big Ben** » Mon Feb 13, 2017 9:05 pm

Superb! I loved the BFI's Alan Clarke set. This is a must have for me.

knives · #4 Post by **knives** » Mon Feb 13, 2017 9:19 pm

I wonder if any other Clarke's are in the cards?

Big Ben · #5 Post by **Big Ben** » Tue Feb 14, 2017 9:16 pm

Here's some box art that was posted on Twitter.

And here is the source!

beamish13 · #6 Post by **beamish13** » Tue Feb 14, 2017 10:20 pm

I have Twilight Time's Blu-Ray of this absolute gem, but I'm really curious about the new documentary. This film must have one of the very best final lines in English-language cinema.

MichaelB · #7 Post by **MichaelB** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 7:47 am

From what I gather, the biggest challenge with the documentary will be to get it down to a manageable length - as always with anything involving Alan Clarke, the contributors have apparently been gushing memorable anecdotes as uncontrollably as a burst water main. And on this particular production, there were plenty!

M Sanderson · #8 Post by **M Sanderson** » Sat Feb 18, 2017 3:12 pm

Saw this for the first time last year, loved every second of it, and can't wait to see the new transfer.

MichaelB · #9 Post by **MichaelB** » Thu Apr 20, 2017 11:07 am

Full specs announced:

Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987)
A film by Alan Clarke
Dual Format Edition – Blu-ray/DVD release on 22 May 2017

Following an acclaimed career in TV drama (much of which was made available in last year’s BFI box set release, Dissent and Disruption: Alan Clarke at the BBC 1969-1989), director Alan Clarke achieved a box-office hit with the much loved raunchy comedy Rita, Sue and Bob Too.

Adapted by Andrea Dunbar from her own play, based on her upbringing on Bradford’s Buttershaw estate, Rita, Sue and Bob Too contrasts bawdy laughs with astute social commentary.

Bradford teenagers Rita (Siobhan Finneran) and Sue (Michelle Holmes) regularly babysit for Bob (George Costigan) and Michelle (Lesley Sharp), whose comfortable suburban lifestyle contrasts with the girls’ bleak life on a council estate. One evening when Bob is taking them home, he smooth-talks the girls into a three-way sexual relationship. At first it is all a bit of fun, but tempers flare once the affair is out in the open.

Special features
• New 2K restoration by the BFI from the original Super 16mm camera negative;
• Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition;
• Having A Ball: The making of Rita, Sue and Bob Too (Jon Robertson, 2017, 69 mins): a newly filmed documentary with extensive cast and crew interviews;
• Textless opening sequence;
• Stills and Collections Gallery;
• Theatrical trailer;
• 36-page illustrated booklet with writing by David Rolinson, Andrea Dunbar and Max Stafford-Clark, and full film credits.

Product details
RRP: £19.99/ Cat. no. BFIB1274 / Cert 18
UK / 1987 / colour / 94 mins / English language, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.66:1 // BD50: 1080p, 24fps, PCM 1.0 mono (48kHz/24-bit) / DVD9: PAL, 25fps, Dolby Digital 1.0 mono (192kbps)

And the long-thought-lost original theatrical trailer can be watched here.

And for those in or near London, there's a 30th Anniversary Screening + Q&A with producer Sandy Lieberson and actors Michelle Holmes, George Costigan and Kulvinder Ghir on Monday 15 May at 6.15pm in NFT1.

bottled spider · #10 Post by **bottled spider** » Sat Mar 17, 2018 1:14 pm

The big public row and ensuing motorbike rescue operation is one of the Great Moments of Cinema. And the ending really sticks the landing.

The cast and crew interview documentary was excellent, much better than these things often are. I had seen Rita, Sue and Bob Too a long time ago on VHS, without knowing it was based on an autobiographical play. Nor did I know about the tragic life of Andrea Dunbar until looking her up on wiki. They obviously made a deliberate decision not to discuss that in the making-of documentary. (I see that there's documentary about Andrea Dunbar, The Arbor, which I'll be ordering).

M Sanderson · #11 Post by **M Sanderson** » Sat Apr 07, 2018 4:22 am

Brilliant release of a film I greatly admire. Looks amazing.