BFI (British Film Institute)

[MichaelB]

No I haven't, it certainly looks interesting though. But I wanted to see the 'main' film first in any case. Is that TV documentary worth having?

Absolutely, yes - because it adds a huge amount of historical and cultural context to the original footage, as well as comparisons between the locations in the 1920s and the present day (sometimes they're surprisingly unchanged).

[foggy eyes]

It's showing as in stock @ the bfi Filmstore online & also @ Moviemail.... Presume it's just taking a while to make its way through supply lines to Amazon etc...

I figured that would probably be the case. Something odd is going on at Amazon though (my pre-order for Sansho/Gion & Tabu seems to have disappeared into the ether as well). Thanks for the first impressions, reaky - the set sounds excellent.

[Tommaso]

I have just put my praise for the new "A Throw of Dice" disc into the Silent Film Thread, but let me briefly state here as well:
This is the second time in just two weeks (after Friese-Greene's "The Open Road", but "A throw of dice" is even much better) that the BFI managed to transport me into absolute cinematic bliss. How they manage to constantly unearth such jewels and present them in such an amazing form is beyond me. The "Throw of Dice" disc again convinced me that the BFI is on exactly the same level as CC and MoC currently, and probably their choice of films and their willingness to take risks over releases like this is even greater. Thank you, and please go on with the good work!

[Steven H]

Tommaso has me completely sold in the "Silent Films on DVD thread" on buying the recently released DVD of A Throw of the Dice by Franz Osten.

[Tommaso]

Which was of course my reason to post there
Seriously, I can't imagine you'll regret that purchase.

[colinr0380]

Moved from the Criterion Antonio Gaudi thread:

I actually suggested a Russell Eclipse back when they were soliciting ideas. The obvious choice would be the various composer films: Elgar, Delius, Bartok, Prokofiev, Debussy... only Elgar & Delius are available on R2.

Not any more, sadly - the BFI's licensing deal expired earlier this year and proved impossible to renew.

So grab those DVDs when you can, as I've no idea when/if they'll be reissued. Sadly, the amounts that the BBC now charges for licensing deals to UK companies means that a British release from any other organisation is pretty inconceivable.

Can I ask if anyone knows whether the BFI gave up on their 'Archive Television' strand? There did not seem to be any releases for a couple of years and then with the best known Peter Watkins and Ken Russell titles going out of print it seems that this series did not work out. Was it just to do with the licensing costs? I had wondered if it was because the sales were particularly poor - Cathy Come Home, Alice In Wonderland and The Signalman were all on my to buy list but unfortunately kept getting overlooked.

Perhaps it was a combination of the costs to licence versus the relative number of sales that could be expected? It would be a shame if the project was abandoned whatever the reason.

[meanwhile]

Regarding availability of some of the archive television titles, Alice in Wonderland, A Warning to the Curious and The Signalman are still (just) in stock at MovieMail, who also have all the remaining stock of Elgar. There are still a fair few of these left but reader's offers tend to eat into the numbers quite quickly so it's probably best not to leave it too long. No Whistle and I'll Come to You unfortunately.

[Apu]

Does anybody know if Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot is going OOP? Seems to be out of stock almost everywhere for some time now.

[tryavna]

Inagaki's Chushingura has been available on subbed DVD -- but I have yet to see this.

Chushingura is well worth checking out if you're a fan of Japanese period films, especially Inagaki's colorful brand. (I know that you're not a particular fan of the genre, though, Michael.) But it's by no means a Hara film; she has about as much screen time as Mifune, which isn't much. They're basically just glorified cameos.

[BB]

Thanks for the info guys. Yes, my local library has Chushingara which I keep meaning to see.

How great would a Setsuko Hara Eclipse set be!? Five...no, Ten films by some of the lesser well known directors that Michael listed. Sigh... Maybe one of these decades.

That woman has a face like a mask and I mean that in a good way! The complexity, and depth of emotion she can conjure with a single glance can be truly amazing to watch. So fluid... and with such apparent sincerity. Similar in a way to Chaplin or even Mifune. I'm thinking of that Kurosawa quote about Mifune being able to express in one action what takes other actors five.

[Michael Kerpan]

That woman has a face like a mask and I mean that in a good way! The complexity, and depth of emotion she can conjure with a single glance can be truly amazing to watch. So fluid... and with such apparent sincerity. Similar in a way to Chaplin or even Mifune. I'm thinking of that Kurosawa quote about Mifune being able to express in one action what takes other actors five.

Maybe we need a stand-alone Setsuko Hara thread somewhere -- we are getting far afield from the area of BFI releases.

[MichaelB]

DVD Times on Night Mail.

[fiddlesticks]

I ordered Night Mail (Collector's Edition Presentation Box) from Amazon.uk back before Christmas. It's now been delayed twice, and presently has no estimated shipment date. Does anyone know what's up with this title?

[J Wilson]

I ordered my copy of NIGHT MAIL on November 17, and it shipped on December 14th. Out of stock at the distributors, maybe?

[MichaelB]

It's been a surprise bestseller, so my guess is that Amazon simply underestimated demand. I'm sure it'll resolve itself soon.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

I guess this is aimed at MichaelB....but does anyone know whether after the success of the re-issue of Night Mail can we hope for a comprehensive Humphrey Jennings collection or at least some form of issue that's not spread over 10 or so different collections of GPO Film Unit / Travelogue compendiums from scrappy prints???

[MichaelB]

I don't know, but given that several Humphrey Jennings titles were given superb HD remasters last year, I certainly wouldn't rule it out.

[Zazou dans le Metro]

I don't know, but given that several Humphrey Jennings titles were given superb HD remasters last year, I certainly wouldn't rule it out.

Heartening news indeed. I wonder if the inclusion of Listen to Britain on the Criterion Canterbury Tale has sparked off wider interest in Region 1 land ??

[foggy eyes]

The review for Milestone's Burnett collection in the latest issue of Sight & Sound ends with the news that the BFI will release Killer of Sheep on DVD later this year (alongside a theatrical run for the restored print). For those (like me) who have been worried that the Milestone set won't make it across the Atlantic in one piece, it might be worth holding out a little longer...

[John Hodson]

Some etailers are carrying a double bill of Otto Preminger titles from the BFI; A Royal Scandal and Margin For Error for March release. Has anyone any more details? Extras?

[domino harvey]

Some etailers are carrying a double bill of Otto Preminger titles from the BFI; A Royal Scandal and Margin For Error for March release. Has anyone any more details? Extras?

Holy smokes, thanks to BFI for making this a double feature, this has been an amazing first quarter for non-Region 1 releases!

[foggy eyes]

The BFI are releasing Kiarostami's Five on DVD at the end of March. Although this disc has arrived almost three years after the film's brief theatrical run, it shows that the BFI are still interested in releasing contemporary films every once in a while. Surely this bodes well for seeing Syndromes and a Century or Still Life turn up in the next couple of years.

[ellipsis7]

Yes, BFI were to release FIVE on DVD in 2005 following its theatrical release @ NFT and the London Kiarostami Festival in May of that year... AK was to record an i/v with Geoff Andrew as an extra during his visit for that fest, but it was postponed as AK was slightly under the weather on the planned shoot day... However Andrew did put the questions answered on the soundtrack of the 50 minute doc AROUND FIVE which is on the MK2 2006 French release of FIVE, which includes lots of fascinating behind the scenes footage of the making of the film, which AK had kept, with that fresh interview material by AK recorded in November 2005... Presume this will also make the BFI release....

[foggy eyes]

That's interesting - Around Five is fascinating, and pretty much essential viewing for an appreciation of just how carefully manipulated the original film actually is (the dogs are baited with food, ducks are herded, etc). Kiarostami's musings are very revealing too. Hopefully the BFI will commission a couple of new essays or reprint material for a hefty booklet; if not, I doubt there will be any point double-dipping for anyone has already has the excellent MK2.

[drdoros]

The review for Milestone's Burnett collection in the latest issue of Sight & Sound ends with the news that the BFI will release Killer of Sheep on DVD later this year (alongside a theatrical run for the restored print). For those (like me) who have been worried that the Milestone set won't make it across the Atlantic in one piece, it might be worth holding out a little longer...

Not to get into it, but if you order from us (Milestone), we make sure it's packed right and we pretty good helping out if you ever have a problem with a DVD. I don't think there's another company around where you have a very good chance to talk to the owner if you write or call.

Also, it'll have the same master but the BFI dvd will not have MY BROTHER'S WEDDING, the four short films, the commentary or the essay by Armond White. Just wasn't in the deal.