BFI (British Film Institute)

[Finch]

Final specs for

DRAUGHTSMAN CONTRACT

- Newly remastered by the BFI National Archive and presented in High Definition
- Audio commentary by Peter Greenaway (2003)
- Introduction by Peter Greenaway (2003, 10 mins): the director discusses the genesis of The Draughtsman’s Contract, his creative choices and the film’s central themes
- Visions: A Film Comment by Angela Carter (1982, 21 mins): the novelist’s contemporary TV review of The Draughtsman’s Contract
- The Guardian Interview: Michael Nyman (2002, audio only, 7 mins): the composer discusses his work on The Draughtsman’s Contract
- The Greenaway Alphabet (2017, 60 mins): Saskia Boddeke’s deeply personal portrait of her husband Peter Greenaway, his art and his relationship with his daughter
- H is For House (1976, 9 mins): an early short film by Peter Greenaway
- A Walk Through H (1978, 42 mins): Greenaway’s short depicting the symbolic journey of an ornithologist through a mysterious bird-filled country
- Insight: Zandra Rhodes (1981, 15 mins): Greenaway’s profile of the fashion designer
- Interviews with Janet Suzman, Peter Greenaway and Anthony Higgins (1981, 5 mins)
- Behind the scenes footage (1981, 5 mins)
- Deleted scenes and outtakes (1981, 11 mins total)
- Original theatrical trailer
- Restoration trailer (2022)
- Image gallery
- **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** 40-page booklet featuring new writing by Peter Greenaway, Simon Barker, William Fowler and Charlie Bridgen on The Draughtsman’s Contract, plus writing on selected extras by William Fowler and Josephine Botting


NIL BY MOUTH

- Newly remastered in 4K by the BFI National Archive
- Newly recorded audio commentary by writer and director Gary Oldman and producer Douglas Urbanski
- Interview with Gary Oldman (2022): the acclaimed actor in conversation with film Geoff Andrew
- Interview with Ray Winstone (2022): the actor discusses his role in the film with Geoff Andrew
- Interview with Douglas Urbanski (2022): Gary Oldman’s long-time friend and collaborator, and the producer of Nil by Mouth discusses how the film came to be made
- Fearing the Worst: Charlie Creed-Miles on Nil by Mouth (2022, 28 mins): the actor recalls the making of Nil by Mouth
- People Were Queuing For Any Role: Sue Jones on Nil by Mouth (2022, 16 mins): the film’s casting director recalls her work on the film
- I Missed The War (Gary Oldman, 1994): the only surviving footage recorded for an unrealised documentary about his mother’s life and experiences
- Deleted scenes (1997, 28 mins): a series of deleted scenes selected by Gary Oldman
- Galleries - a selection of rare production materials from Gary Oldman’s personal archive
- 2022 trailer
- 80-page book featuring new writing by Douglas Urbanski, Kat Ellinger, Philip Kemp, and Jason Wood and archive extracts from Time Out and Sight & Sound. Also includes contributions on selected extras by Gary Oldman and never before seen original storyboards from the film
- Newly created English subtitles for the Deaf and partial hearing
- Newly created audio description track

[FrauBlucher]

Fanny and Alexander (bluray only) has shown up on Amazon for a Feb release... Michael do you know what kind of work has been done on it?

[MichaelB]

Watership Down delayed until February 2023.

...and now cancelled outright.

(I have every imaginable sympathy with the BFI: this really was completely out of their hands.)

[What A Disgrace]

That's a tremendous disappointment.

[rapta]

Watership Down delayed until February 2023.

...and now cancelled outright.

(I have every imaginable sympathy with the BFI: this really was completely out of their hands.)

Very disappointing news, was really excited for one of my most beloved childhood films to get the 4K restoration treatment. I'm assuming it was a rights dispute between Euro-London Films and Warner Bros in the end that killed it (and maybe Universal too)? What a shame, this was gearing up to be a special release.

[colinr0380]

How can the light that burned so brightly, sudden burn so pale?

[Calvin]

I'm assuming it was a rights dispute between Euro-London Films and Warner Bros in the end that killed it (and maybe Universal too)? What a shame, this was gearing up to be a special release.

I don't see why it would have anything to do with Warner. It's more likely to do with this well publicised court case from a couple of years ago - maybe it's more obvious in the official court ruling but, while it's clear that Rosen lost (or never had) the rights to licence the book for further adaptations, it's less clear if he continued to hold copyright over the original film that he produced and directed.

[colinr0380]

Ironically this news comes on the book's 50th anniversary.

The thing that concerns me about this dispute between Rosen and the estate of Richard Adams more than an upgrading of Watership Down to 4K (as welcome as that would have been) is what it may mean for the film of The Plague Dogs falling into even more obscurity than it is already in. Though I suppose that we are lucky that such a bleak film ever made it to the DVD format in the first place.

[rapta]

Ironically this news comes on the book's 50th anniversary.

The thing that concerns me about this dispute between Rosen and the estate of Richard Adams more than an upgrading of Watership Down to 4K (as welcome as that would have been) is what it may mean for the film of The Plague Dogs falling into even more obscurity than it is already in. Though I suppose that we are lucky that such a bleak film ever made it to the DVD format in the first place.

In that case I would recommend you grab Screenbound's Blu-ray release of The Plague Dogs before it potentially disappears (if you don't already have it)...handily it's often £6 or so from them directly, and occasionally Arrow sales too.

Big shame about Watership Down though. I wonder if eventually things work themselves out, BFI can just quickly release it and recoup some of their investment. I hope the same for Indicator with California Split and Ishtar (though probably even less likely in both those cases...more likely Criterion get handed them by Sony).

[MichaelB]

There’s absolutely zero chance of Ishtar being revived (since the permanent rightsholder has explicitly vetoed a properly curated approach, and Indicator isn’t in the business of barebones booklet-free releases), and California Split would require someone paying a lot of money for uncleared music rights upfront - at which point the rights most likely wouldn’t be made available to a boutique label any more.

In other words, it doesn’t make any difference how much optimism is expressed online and how frequently - they ain’t gonna happen.

[colinr0380]

Thanks for letting me know about the Blu-ray of Plague Dogs rapta, that had completely passed me by!

[therewillbeblus]

they ain’t never gonna happen.

So you're saying there's a chance..

[kekid]

Quote:
"In that case I would recommend you grab Screenbound's Blu-ray release of The Plague Dogs before it potentially disappears (if you don't already have it)...handily it's often £6 or so from them directly, and occasionally Arrow sales too."

The newly released Shout Factory Blu Ray of "The Plague Dogs" has both theatrical and extended cuts.
Is that extended cut missing anything that the Optimum DVD or the Screenbound Blu Ray had?
In other words, is it the most complete version so far issued?

[Finch]

Ben Stoddart mentioned in a convo on Twitter that Criterion offered WB so much money for The Devils that their release would never have made a profit and WB still said no.

[beamish14]

Quote:
"In that case I would recommend you grab Screenbound's Blu-ray release of The Plague Dogs before it potentially disappears (if you don't already have it)...handily it's often £6 or so from them directly, and occasionally Arrow sales too."

The newly released Shout Factory Blu Ray of "The Plague Dogs" has both theatrical and extended cuts.
Is that extended cut missing anything that the Optimum DVD or the Screenbound Blu Ray had?
In other words, is it the most complete version so far issued?

No, the “extended” version IS the theatrical cut. The film was stupidly cut down for its home video release in the 80’s (and it seems like original materials for it were lost, as the theatrical cut looks inferior to the video edit) and it’s the same two versions on every release

[Finch]

BFI Q1-2 2023 schedule confirms

Juniper Tree (BFI Blu-ray/BFI Player – 23 Jan) BFI Blu-ray release starring Björk in her first feature film performance

Dance Craze (BFI Player/ BFI Blu-ray and DVD – 27 Mar) Joe Massot’s classic 2 Tone concert film documentary featuring performances by Madness, The Specials and The Selecter, newly remastered and available on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time, including a special screening and Q&A at BFI IMAX.

Kamikaze Hearts (BFI Player/ BFI Blu-ray – 27 Mar) 2K restoration of Juliet Bashore’s celebrated queer quasi-documentary about the 1980s porn industry.

EO, (BFI Player/ BFI Blu-ray and DVD – 3 Apr) and Jerzy Skolimowski 2-disc BFI Blu-ray

Enys Men, (BFI Player/ BFI Blu-ray and DVD – May date TBC)

[DeprongMori]

But wait, there’s more!

• EO, (BFI Player/ BFI Blu-ray and DVD – 3 Apr) and Jerzy Skolimowski 2-disc BFI Blu-ray Identification Marks: None and Hands Up! (24 Apr)
• Young Soul Rebels / The Passion of Remembrance (BFI Player/BFI Southbank – Apr) BFI Distribution re-release (28 April) of BFI 4K remasters ahead of BFI Blu-ray release of Young Soul Rebels (July date TBC)

[beamish14]

BFI Q1-2 2023 schedule confirms

Juniper Tree (BFI Blu-ray/BFI Player – 23 Jan) BFI Blu-ray release starring Björk in her first feature film performance

Dance Craze (BFI Player/ BFI Blu-ray and DVD – 27 Mar) Joe Massot’s classic 2 Tone concert film documentary featuring performances by Madness, The Specials and The Selecter, newly remastered and available on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time, including a special screening and Q&A at BFI IMAX.

Kamikaze Hearts (BFI Player/ BFI Blu-ray – 27 Mar) 2K restoration of Juliet Bashore’s celebrated queer quasi-documentary about the 1980s porn industry.

EO, (BFI Player/ BFI Blu-ray and DVD – 3 Apr) and Jerzy Skolimowski 2-disc BFI Blu-ray

Enys Men, (BFI Player/ BFI Blu-ray and DVD – May date TBC)

Kamikaze Hearts getting a restoration released by the BFI. Strange days are ahead

[L.A.]

Where to begin with John Boorman

As John Boorman turns 90, we backtrack through the wide-ranging career of the British director who gave us everything from Deliverance to Zardoz.

[What A Disgrace]

The BFI's next releases are...

I Am Weekender (June 19)
Western Approaches (June 19)
The Driver’s Seat (aka Identikit) (June 26)

The centerpiece of the announcement sounds like an essential piece of British documentary cinema.

[senseabove]

It was shown at last year's Nitrate Picture Show, and I'd say don't get your hopes too terribly high. Cardiff's cinematography is, unsurprisingly, the highlight, but otherwise it's an interesting, if only moderately engaging bit of history. (Or to be impolite, if it really is a "crowning achievement" of a movement... I can't say I feel the urge to look deeper.)

[beamish14]

Weekender is a pretty big deal. I never thought it would get more than the Vimeo rental it’s had for a while

[DeprongMori]

It was shown at last year's Nitrate Picture Show, and I'd say don't get your hopes too terribly high. Cardiff's cinematography is, unsurprisingly, the highlight, but otherwise it's an interesting, if only moderately engaging bit of history. (Or to be impolite, if it really is a "crowning achievement" of a movement... I can't say I feel the urge to look deeper.)

I was curious about Western Approaches after the Jack Cardiff retrospective on the Criterion Channel a couple years back, so picked up the Imperial War Museum DVD. As I haven’t watched it yet, I can’t comment on the picture quality.

[tenia]

Does anybody knows what is happening with Kamikaze Hearts' BD release from the BFI ? It's still supposed to be released on March 27th, but I haven't seen any PR about it.

[MichaelB]

My apologies - the press release snuck in when I must have been busy.

I'll update the page right now.