Play for Today Vols. 1-3

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kidc
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Play for Today Vols. 1-3

#1 Post by kidc » Thu Jul 23, 2020 10:29 am

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Play for Today: Volume One (4-disc Blu-ray Boxset)

50 years on from its first transmission, the BBC's Play for Today anthology series remains one of British Television's most influential and celebrated achievements. Between 1970 and 1984, plays which combined some of the era's finest writing, acting and directing talents were broadcast direct to living rooms, regularly challenging viewers and pushing the boundaries of the TV drama.

Featuring plays by the likes of Ingmar Bergman, Julia Jones and Colin Welland and featuring a roster of eminent British actors, Play for Today: Volume One brings together seven iconic dramas on Blu-ray for the very first time, in a collection that exemplifies the breadth and brilliance of this groundbreaking series.

The set includes five plays which have been restored from the original negatives held in the BBC archive.

The Plays:
  • The Lie (Written by Ingmar Bergman / Dir. Alan Bridges, 1970)
  • Shakespeare or Bust (Written by Peter Terson / Dir. Brian Parker, 1973)
  • Back of Beyond (Written by Julia Jones, Dir. Desmond Davis, 1974)
  • Passage to England (Written by Leon Griffiths / Dir. John Mackenzie, 1975)
  • Our Flesh and Blood (Written by Mike Stott / Dir. Pedr James, 1977)
  • A Photograph (Written by John Bowen / Dir. John Glenister, 1977)
  • Your Man from Six Counties (Written by Colin Welland / Dir. Barry Davis, 1976)
Special Features:
  • To Be Confirmed
Exciting; had no idea PFT tackled an Ingmar Bergman play. Is this the first time on DVD/blu-ray for these plays?

Calvin
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Re: Play for Today

#2 Post by Calvin » Thu Jul 23, 2020 11:18 am

I'm particularly excited to see A Photograph, which was John Bowen's return to horror after the superb Robin Redbreast.

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JSC
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Re: Play for Today

#3 Post by JSC » Thu Jul 23, 2020 11:31 am

Really excited about this as I've only seen a couple of these (and then only in extremely poor quality). I'm curious about
Back of Beyond as Rachel Roberts appears in a leading part.

beamish14
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Re: Play for Today

#4 Post by beamish14 » Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:47 pm

God, these are going to be amazing. I hope I can finally see stuff like Trevor Griffiths' "Comedians" in a watchable quality.
Its successor series Screen One also had some incredible stuff that is frustratingly elusive outside of archives like the BFI itself
and the Museum of Television and Radio in the States.

beamish14
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Re: Play for Today

#5 Post by beamish14 » Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:49 pm

Also, I wonder if Z for Zachariah, one of the very last ones, can be part of these sets, as it was re-adapted by Hollywood.

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NABOB OF NOWHERE
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Re: Play for Today

#6 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:52 pm

This is such a rich field to be ploughed I've been waiting years for a comprehensive release of this series.

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swo17
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Re: Play for Today

#7 Post by swo17 » Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:55 pm

It would take like 40 volumes this size to approach "comprehensive"

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A man stayed-put
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Re: Play for Today

#8 Post by A man stayed-put » Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:03 pm

Calvin wrote:
Thu Jul 23, 2020 11:18 am
I'm particularly excited to see A Photograph, which was John Bowen's return to horror after the superb Robin Redbreast.
A Photograph is fantastic; a really unsettling reckoning with the past- much like Robin Redbreast. I saw it a few years ago in ropey shape with a burned-in timecode, so looking forward to revisiting it in better quality.

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knives
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Re: Play for Today

#9 Post by knives » Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:04 pm

swo17 wrote:
Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:55 pm
It would take like 40 volumes this size to approach "comprehensive"
The train sets prove where there's an audience there's a way

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MichaelB
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Re: Play for Today

#10 Post by MichaelB » Thu Jul 23, 2020 2:16 pm

But the train sets don't have insanely complex rights clearance challenges on a per-work basis - in virtually all cases, the BFI owns them outright.

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knives
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Re: Play for Today

#11 Post by knives » Thu Jul 23, 2020 2:31 pm

Relax. I was just goofing off.

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NABOB OF NOWHERE
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Re: Play for Today

#12 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Thu Jul 23, 2020 2:39 pm

MichaelB wrote:
Thu Jul 23, 2020 2:16 pm
But the train sets don't have insanely complex rights clearance challenges on a per-work basis - in virtually all cases, the BFI owns them outright.
Is there any weight to the argument that given the political gun held to the BBC's head at present more of its assets may become more readily available or are the rights more complex beyond the BBC's negotiating capability ?

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What A Disgrace
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Re: Play for Today

#13 Post by What A Disgrace » Thu Jul 23, 2020 11:32 pm

I hope Ghost Stories for Christmas gets a similar treatment. Next year is the series' 50th anniversary, so maybe...

But this is fantastic, too.

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MichaelB
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Re: Play for Today

#14 Post by MichaelB » Fri Oct 16, 2020 12:25 pm

Full specs announced:
Play for Today
Volume 1

4-disc Blu-ray box set released on 26 October 2020 as part of the Play for Today at 50 celebrations


See the trailer here.

Fifty years after its first transmission, the BBC’s Play for Today anthology series remains one of British television’s most influential achievements. Between 1970 and 1984, it brought the UK’s best writing, acting and directing talents into our living rooms, challenging audiences and pushing the boundaries of TV drama. Play for Today Volume 1, released by the BFI on 26 October, brings together seven iconic feature-length dramas from 1970-1977 on Blu-ray for the first time, in a collection that exemplifies the breadth and brilliance of this ground-breaking strand. Amongst other celebratory activity will be a season at BFI Southbank during October and November. The plays in the box set are as follows:

The Lie
Written by Ingmar Bergman | Directed by Alan Bridges | 1970
The great Ingmar Bergman’s first British teleplay foreshadows his better-known miniseries Scenes From a Marriage in its characteristic examination of a disintegrating relationship.

Shakespeare or Bust
Written by Peter Terson | Directed by Brian Parker | 1973
Brian Glover (Kes) features as Bard-loving miner Art, who, along with mates Ern and Abe, make a poignant, comedic canal-boat pilgrimage to Stratford-upon-Avon in a wistful waterways road movie.

Back of Beyond
Written by Julia Jones | Directed by Desmond Davis | 1974
Desmond Davis, whose career spanned Girl With Green Eyes to Clash of the Titans, directs This Sporting Life’s Rachel Roberts as reclusive widow Olwen, befriended by papergirl Rachel with momentous consequences.

A Passage to England
Written by Leon Griffiths | Directed by John Mackenzie | 1975
Uncle and cousin in tow, Anand needs to get to England from Amsterdam and Brit fisherman Onslow is his best hope. The Long Good Friday director John Mackenzie adds grit to the comedy, penned by Minder creator Leon Griffiths.

Your Man From Six Counties
Written by Colin Welland | Directed by Barry Davis | 1976
From the writer of Yanks and Chariots of Fire comes a tale of the Troubles as, after his father’s death, Belfast boy Jimmy heads for his uncle’s farm. But even in Ireland’s far west, his new start is under threat.

Our Flesh and Blood
Written by Mike Stott | Directed by Pedr James | 1977
Alison Steadman (Abigail’s Party) is set on a ‘natural’ birth while leading her husband (Bernard Hill, Boys From the Blackstuff) against an officious establishment in the satirical shape of Richard Briers’ (The Good Life) Mr Smythe.

A Photograph
Written by John Bowen | Directed by John Glenister | 1977
When an inexplicable photograph arrives in the post, Michael Otway’s world is turned upside down. John Stride (The Ice House) and Stephanie Turner (Juliet Bravo) star in what the Daily Mail called ‘grand guignol in the British manner’.

Special features
• 80-page book: Specially commissioned by the BFI, this 80-page book features an overview by John Wyver and a look at the strand’s legacy by Marcus Prince, plus writing on the plays by Rebecca Vick, William Fowler, Josephine Botting, Sukhdev Sandhu, Katie Crosson, Simon McCallum and Vic Pratt.
• Original scripts for all seven plays (PDFs)
• Image gallery

Product details
RRP: £49.99 / Cat. no. BFIB1393 / 15
UK / 1970-1977 / colour / 560 mins / English language, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.33:1 // 3 x BD50 + 1 x BD25: 1080i, 25fps, 1.0 PCM mono audio (48kHz/24-bit)

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What A Disgrace
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Re: Play for Today

#15 Post by What A Disgrace » Wed Feb 17, 2021 12:06 am

I just finished the first set; riveting from from start to finish, even if none of the films are quite as good, in my opinion, as Ken Russells or Alan Clarke's TV work. I was particularly taken with A Passage to England. But the second set, due in May, sounds much better...
50 years on from its first transmission, the BBC’s Play for Today anthology series remains one of British television’s most influential and celebrated achievements. Between 1970 and 1984, plays which combined some of the era’s finest writing, acting and directing talents were broadcast direct to living rooms, regularly challenging viewers and pushing the boundaries of TV drama.

In Play for Today: Volume Two, six more iconic dramas from the series arrive on Blu-ray for the first time, further demonstrating the trailblazing qualities of these innovative, stimulating and abiding television landmarks.

The Plays:

Stocker’s Copper (Written by Tom Clarke | Dir. Jack Gold, 1972)
The Elephant’s Graveyard (Written by Peter McDougall | Dir. John Mackenzie, 1976)
Gotcha / Campion’s Interview (Written by Barrie Keeffe / Brian Clark | Directed by Barry Davis, 1977)
The Spongers (Written by Jim Allen | Dir. Roland Joffé, 1978)
Victims of Apartheid (Written by Tom Clarke | Dir. Stuart Burge, 1978)
Just a Boy’s Game (Written by Peter McDougall | Dir. John Mackenzie, 1979)
I wonder if Red Shift and Robin Redbreast - released on DVD - will get HD bumps for this series. The last two films in volume one were shot on tape as well, and like Clarke's taped work, clearly look much better than SD, limited though they still are. The latter has long had my interest due to its relationship to Wicker Man, but I never purchased the disc. I'm also noticing a conspicuous lack of Mike Leigh and Dennis Potter in these two boxes; curious indeed!

beamish14
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Re: Play for Today

#16 Post by beamish14 » Wed Feb 17, 2021 12:47 am

What A Disgrace wrote:
Wed Feb 17, 2021 12:06 am
I just finished the first set; riveting from from start to finish, even if none of the films are quite as good, in my opinion, as Ken Russells or Alan Clarke's TV work. I was particularly taken with A Passage to England. But the second set, due in May, sounds much better...
50 years on from its first transmission, the BBC’s Play for Today anthology series remains one of British television’s most influential and celebrated achievements. Between 1970 and 1984, plays which combined some of the era’s finest writing, acting and directing talents were broadcast direct to living rooms, regularly challenging viewers and pushing the boundaries of TV drama.

In Play for Today: Volume Two, six more iconic dramas from the series arrive on Blu-ray for the first time, further demonstrating the trailblazing qualities of these innovative, stimulating and abiding television landmarks.

The Plays:

Stocker’s Copper (Written by Tom Clarke | Dir. Jack Gold, 1972)
The Elephant’s Graveyard (Written by Peter McDougall | Dir. John Mackenzie, 1976)
Gotcha / Campion’s Interview (Written by Barrie Keeffe / Brian Clark | Directed by Barry Davis, 1977)
The Spongers (Written by Jim Allen | Dir. Roland Joffé, 1978)
Victims of Apartheid (Written by Tom Clarke | Dir. Stuart Burge, 1978)
Just a Boy’s Game (Written by Peter McDougall | Dir. John Mackenzie, 1979)
I wonder if Red Shift and Robin Redbreast - released on DVD - will get HD bumps for this series. The last two films in volume one were shot on tape as well, and like Clarke's taped work, clearly look much better than SD, limited though they still are. The latter has long had my interest due to its relationship to Wicker Man, but I never purchased the disc. I'm also noticing a conspicuous lack of Mike Leigh and Dennis Potter in these two boxes; curious indeed!

Thank you for the heads-up about Volume II. Regarding Potter, there are a huge number of works from the BBC that have yet to receive DVD releases, including Son of Man and his ridiculously underrated Blackeyes. So many non-BBC works that I'm waiting on as well, including the excellent American/Canadian co-production Tender is the Night. Karaoke/Cold Lazarus are OOP now as well, and are dying for HD upgrades. A huge Potter retrospective that is as comprehensive at Clarke's would be an easy contender for one of the greatest box sets ever IMO.

There are some really big Play for Today productions that I'm truly shocked aren't in either of these sets, like Trevor Griffith's Comedians starring Jonathan Pryce.

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swo17
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Re: Play for Today

#17 Post by swo17 » Thu Jul 29, 2021 1:25 am

I'm watching Our Flesh and Blood, which I know is the first film from Vol. 1 shot on tape and presented in SD, but it looks sort of smeary/unnatural in motion. Is that just down to the source or could I possibly improve it by changing a setting somewhere?

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JSC
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Re: Play for Today Vols. 1-2

#18 Post by JSC » Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:06 am

Does your blu-ray player have an NTSC/PAL conversion option in your setup menu? I have an OPPO BD-103 and by toggling
that it runs at the correct speed. Although, admittedly the image is somewhat soft compared to A Photograph, which
is the other video-shot production.

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swo17
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Re: Play for Today Vols. 1-2

#19 Post by swo17 » Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:00 am

I have the BDP-93, which has NTSC, PAL, and Multi-system settings under TV System in the Video Setup section. I think I've always had it set to NTSC up until now, but have just changed it to Multi-system. Actually, sampling the film again now, I'm not really seeing the unnatural movement that I noticed last night, regardless of which of these settings I have it on. Strange, but I'll revisit these settings if I ever notice something like that again. Thanks!

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yoloswegmaster
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Re: Play for Today Vols. 1-2

#20 Post by yoloswegmaster » Fri Nov 05, 2021 8:49 am

Volume 3 will be released on March 21

Plays included:
• Edna, the Inebriate Woman (Written by Jeremy Sandford / Dir. Ted Kotcheff, 1971)
• Just Another Saturday (Written by Peter McDougall / Dir. John Mackenzie, 1975)
• Bar Mitzvah Boy (Written by Jack Rosenthal / Dir. Michael Tuchner 1976)
• The Mayor’s Charity (Written by Henry Livings / Dir. Mike Newell , 1977)
• Coming Out (Written by James Andrew Hall / Dir. Carol Wiseman , 1979)
• A Hole in Babylon (Written by Jim Hawkins and Horace Ové / Dir. Horace Ové, 1979)

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MichaelB
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Re: Play for Today Vols. 1-3

#21 Post by MichaelB » Fri Nov 05, 2021 9:06 am

Interestingly, quite a few of these are much bigger titles than were on Volumes 1 and 2 - especially the first three and the last.

beamish14
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Re: Play for Today Vols. 1-3

#22 Post by beamish14 » Fri Nov 05, 2021 9:51 am

MichaelB wrote:
Fri Nov 05, 2021 9:06 am
Interestingly, quite a few of these are much bigger titles than were on Volumes 1 and 2 - especially the first three and the last.

Yes. Bar Mitzvah Boy is one of the most acclaimed from the whole run. I'm again perplexed that Trevor Griffith's Comedians isn't here, nor is Z for Zachariah, but I'm guessing these are selling well enough to continue producing future volumes indefinitely.

Ted Kotcheff (the only non-Brit to direct an episode) and Mike Newell are, I think, the only living filmmakers who helmed episodes, and I hope they appear on this. Newell's work is also represented on the BBC's incredible BS Johnson collection You're Human Like the Rest of Them

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Ribs
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Re: Play for Today Vols. 1-3

#23 Post by Ribs » Fri Nov 05, 2021 10:50 am

I could have sworn at some point this was said to just be two releases but obviously it’s wonderful if they’re able to continue coming every six months or so seeing as there’s so much they can obviously work through.

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MichaelB
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Re: Play for Today Vols. 1-3

#24 Post by MichaelB » Fri Nov 05, 2021 10:52 am

I suspect it was a classic case of "release two volumes (to justify Volume 1 on the first) and see how they do before committing to a third".

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tenia
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Re: Play for Today Vols. 1-3

#25 Post by tenia » Fri Nov 05, 2021 11:11 am

It looks like they're doing well, at least enough commercially to do now a third volume (in a relatively short span of time. It also seems to do critically well too : I was surprised not to be able to cover the 2nd volume due to all discs being attributed already, something that I didn't expect for such a set, but maybe that's just because these aren't very well known outside the UK ?

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