Stranger in the House

[MichaelB]

BFI FLIPSIDE – STRANGER IN THE HOUSE (aka Cop-Out), a 1967 crime film about the generation gap, starring James Mason, Geraldine Chaplin and US rock’n’roller Bobby Darin, is the next addition to the strand that rescues weird and wonderful British films from obscurity and presents them in new high quality editions on DVD and Blu-ray.

Currently slated for 25 February 2019.

[MichaelB]

Full specs announced:

BFI Flipside presents
Stranger in the House
A film by Pierre Rouve
James Mason, Geraldine Chaplin, Bobby Darin

Dual Format Edition (Blu-ray/DVD) release on 25 February 2019

Little seen since its original release, stylishly shot in Winchester and Southampton by Academy Award®-winner Kenneth Higgins (Georgy Girl) and co-starring Ian Ogilvy (Witchfinder General), this striking psychological thriller based on Maigret creator Georges Simenon’s celebrated novel is ripe for rediscovery.

On 25 February 2019 it becomes the 37th release in the BFI Flipside strand, presented on Blu-ray and DVD in a Dual Format Edition. A stack of archival extras include photographer David Bailey’s 1966 film G.G. Passion, a psychedelic 1968 advert for coffee, an interview with James Mason, a new commentary and an illustrated booklet.

Once an eminent barrister, John Sawyer (James Mason) has become a cynical, reclusive drunk, long deserted by his wife, baffled by the burgeoning youth culture and held in contempt by his daughter, Angela (Geraldine Chaplin). But when her boyfriend is wrongfully accused of murder, Sawyer must confront his demons and a changing world in order to defend him.

Special features
• Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition
• G.G. Passion (David Bailey, 1966, 25 mins): a pop singer is hounded to death in this fab film featuring Chrissie Shrimpton and Caroline Munro
• Good Strong Coffee (c1968, 2 mins): swingers swig coffee in this psychedelic ad for the black stuff
• Tram Journey Through Southampton (c1900, 1 min)
• Charlie Chaplin Sails From Southampton (1921, 1 min)
• Southampton Docks (1964, 24 mins): marvellous mod machinery at work on a merchant vessel
• Original theatrical trailer
• James Mason in Conversation (1981, 86 mins, audio only): the actor discusses his career in an interview at the National Film Theatre, London
• Newly recorded audio commentary by Flipside founders Vic Pratt and William Fowler
• Illustrated booklet with new writing by Jonathan Rigby, Omer Ali and Antion Vikram Meredith (formerly Vic Briggs of The Animals)

Product details
RRP: £19.99/ Cat. no. BFIB1327 / BFI Flipside No. 037 / Cert 15
UK / 1967 / colour / 104 mins / English language with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.66:1 / BD50: 1080p, 24fps, PCM 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit) DVD9: PAL, 25fps, Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/16-bit)

[tenia]

That's, hum, quite a technical difference.

[domino harvey]

Yikes. Of course Gary thinks it looks better, somehow

[mistakaninja]

Mason does look more alcoholic in the BFI transfer...

[jsteffe]

I think it's worth pointing out that they are different versions, and the BFI Blu-ray is 10 minutes longer. Presumably, they also come from different film elements.

[MichaelB]

A racing certainty, I’d have thought.

[Finch]

The BFI may be technically superior but I find the Kino disc's colours more pleasing and some detail is lost in the BFI in some captures (skies are almost completely white etc).

[jsteffe]

I can definitely see what you mean about the Kino disc. I am just arguing that since they are substantially different versions, they are probably using different film elements for their transfers. Those elements are probably not in the same condition and may have some fundamental differences in color timing, too. The screen grabs suggest to me that there is a complicated history behind the film.

[tenia]

The BFI disc "seems" as fine as the Kino, but it does look way too bright.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Yikes. Of course Gary thinks it looks better, somehow

There's more detail on the tits shot

[rapta]

First thought on seeing those screen caps: wow, that's a bit bright/faint isn't it?

Second thought on seeing those screen caps: wait, isn't that Winchester Cathedral?

Immediately Googled this and found out much of this film was shot in my hometown. So I'll have to pick it up at some point, questionable transfer or otherwise.

[Finch]

Oh, I get that BFI and Kino used two different sources (with the BFI being 10 mins longer too); it's just puzzling that both diverge so signficantly visually.

[jsteffe]

Oh, I get that BFI and Kino used two different sources (with the BFI being 10 mins longer too); it's just puzzling that both diverge so signficantly visually.

There is quite a difference, isn't there? Just a guess, but it looks as if the BFI were dealing with pretty severe color fading. The image does also look very bright and at times washed out, though the Kino is also a bit dark possibly.

[tenia]

I received my copy and the booklet technical details only states the BFI used an IP and worked at 2K resolution. There is no mention of any specific difficulty, nor the use of a later gen source as backup for any damage on the main elements used for this. I'm still puzzled by how bright it looks.