BFI (British Film Institute)

[MichaelB]

Was really looking forward to Salo and The Red Desert.

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was looking forward to Chungking Express and The Man Who Fell To Earth, which Criterion has confirmed will be Region A.

[Se7en082]

Was really looking forward to Salo and The Red Desert.

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was looking forward to Chungking Express and The Man Who Fell To Earth, which Criterion has confirmed will be Region A.

Want to trade? Would easily give these and more up for Salo and The Red Desert! lol. Really hate Blu-Ray region coding. I hope someone starts breaking codes and soon... Or at least have some region free players in the near future.

[denti alligator]

I am so, so happy to have future proofed myself by building an HTPC about 1 1/2 years ago. Now all I have to do is spend about $130 for a Blu-ray drive + $40 for AnyDVD and I'm region free!

This is the route to go, guys!

As for the Blu-ray Salo: I'd wait until we get screen cap comparisons. I doubt the Blu-ray will look that much better than the new CC.

[carax09]

Oh man, I can't wait to see the complete Spare Time, in one of those upcoming GPO sets. I haven't been able to get that Kazoo band playing Rule Brittania out of my head ever since MichaelB pointed out that online appreciation piece.

[Zazou dans le Metro]

Oh man, I can't wait to see the complete Spare Time, in one of those upcoming GPO sets. I haven't been able to get that Kazoo band playing Rule Brittania out of my head ever since MichaelB pointed out that online appreciation piece.

Michael do you know whether the smart money is on a dedicated Jennings set to come or will they be spread across sets like Land of Promise and the GPO etc?
I appreciate you can't reveal exact details if anything at all but maybe your gut tells you something?

[kinjitsu]

The following BFI titles now have their own homes and are currently spread throughout the Boutique Labels forum. I'm sure that at some point Chris will create a proper BFI subforum, so in the meantime, please post accordingly.

L'Arme des ombres

Il bidone

Bill Douglas Trilogy

British Transport Films Collection

Un Chien Andalou and L'Age d'or

Les Demoiselles de Rochefort

Terence Davies

Film Noir Collection: Cry of The City and Kiss of Death

Godzilla and The Mysterians

The Innocents

Akira Kurosawa

Land of Promise

The Lost World of Mitchell and Kenyon

Mikio Naruse

Ossessione and La terra trema

Pink Narcissus

Quay Brothers - The Short Films 1979-2003

Red Desert

Jacques Rivette: Celine and Julie Go Boating and Paris nous appartient

Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom

Jan Švankmajer: The Complete Short Films

Syndromes and a Century

Theorem

Tristana

[kinjitsu]

Mille baci K!

BTW who is the handsome dude as your avatar? Toi-meme? Marry me!!

Prego caro!

It's my namesake, Alberto Sordi, as if you didn't know.

[peerpee]

Very interesting new "BFI Aniversary Supplement" with the new edition of RRP Magazine (trade mag). Intro by Sam Dunn, "a day in the life" of James White, etc. --- lotsa little nuggets I haven't seen mentioned anywhere else...

"an extraordinary fairy tale animation collection"

"a light-hearted, but fascinating double disc collection, THE JOY OF SEX EDUCATION, lined up for Valentine's Day 2009"

Confirmation of LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER on Blu-ray in 2008.

Confirmation of special editions of the Tati collection on Blu-ray. Sounds like they're all being remastered for DVD "reissue" and Blu-ray. Titles mentioned: JOUR DE FETE, LES VACANCES DE M. HULOT, MON ONCLE, PLAYTIME, and.... PARADE! (possibly one of the first video > film > Blu-rays?)

"2009 will see at least 12 more Blu-ray titles" (this includes the Tati, and a number of "fresh surprises")

Confirmation of SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING on Blu-ray

GPO Film Unit (3 volumes), THE GIGOLOS, and THE FILMS OF JEFF KEEN, all on DVD.

Think that's everything...

[What A Disgrace]

I imagine the animated films in question are the already announced Lotte Reineger disc.

I'm interested in the Tati releases! I had recently pondered over the possibility of Criterion re-releasing the first two Hulot films, but I imagine the BFI's will at least not be windowboxed, whereas a Criterion reissue would be.

[Narshty]

Playtime, at last! Wonder when Fox will give the all-clear for a Blu-ray of The Leopard?

[Finch]

Confirmation of special editions of the Tati collection on Blu-ray. Sounds like they're all being remastered for DVD "reissue" and Blu-ray. Titles mentioned: JOUR DE FETE, LES VACANCES DE M. HULOT, MON ONCLE, PLAYTIME, and.... PARADE! (possibly one of the first video > film > Blu-rays?)

I'd welcome a reissue of Mon Oncle in particular: the Criterion disc looked disappointing even on my upscaling Oppo player and I always considered getting the more recent BFI release on the off-chance that it might look better (there is no review and/or comparison of it with the CC). Going to give the CC of Les Vancances de M Hulot another spin to see how that fares but chances are I'm going to double-dip on these two titles.

[MichaelB]

Playtime, at last! Wonder when Fox will give the all-clear for a Blu-ray of The Leopard?

Just out of interest, what are the 70mm-sourced Blu-Rays?

2001 would appear to be a candidate, as would the upcoming Baraka, though I don't yet know about Playtime (though it would appear to be pretty much essential under the circumstances).

[Narshty]

Patton was 65mm but is also now the Blu-ray poster child for the perils of DNR. Do we include VistaVision, given that 70mm is the only way nowadays to see the full resolution of the negatives? If so, The Searchers.

(Also, Grand Prix and Spartacus got HD-DVD releases, but that's not quite the same thing.)

[MichaelB]

Patton was 65mm but is also now the Blu-ray poster child for the perils of DNR.

Indeed, and I'm delighted to confirm that the BFI's Salò Blu-ray has NOT been DNRed - there's plenty of reassuring grain visible even in the black-on-white titles.

(I haven't had a chance to watch the whole thing yet - I have to watch it on the main family telly, which means the kids have to be in bed and my wife has to be out of the way. Not that she has any especial moral objection to Salò, but she knows that it's not her sort of thing - despite lapping up all three parts of the BBC's recent Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery, as accurately reviewed by Charlie Brooker here. But then again, she's medical, so has a far greater tolerance for extreme close-ups of real gore than most normal people).

[colinr0380]

(I haven't had a chance to watch the whole thing yet - I have to watch it on the main family telly, which means the kids have to be in bed and my wife has to be out of the way. Not that she has any especial moral objection to Salò, but she knows that it's not her sort of thing - despite lapping up all three parts of the BBC's recent Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery, as accurately reviewed by Charlie Brooker here. But then again, she's medical, so has a far greater tolerance for extreme close-ups of real gore than most normal people).

Yes, not the kind of thing to be watching while the children are wandering about! (Unless you want to put them off chocolate for life!)

I'm very much the opposite in that I feel I could cope with most kinds of fictional gore but I can't stand real life accident and operation footage for a sustained period, something that the normally conservative in content BBC annoyingly seemed to love showing in their schedules at mealtimes in its various Animal/Children's Hospital programmes!

Sometimes though it feels like a bit of a limitation. The History of Surgery programme sounded wonderful but I don't think I'd have made it to the end!

The irony of my currently spending a couple of weeks temping at a local hospital is not lost on me!

[peerpee]

I posted this in the NAPOLEON thread, but it's worth going here too:

Haven't seen this anywhere else... but in the BFI supplement with the new edition of RRP Magazine, James White - technical director of BFI Video - states that he's in the middle of overseeing: "2K scans of Gance's NAPOLEON. There's a new restoration happening in LA and, as the BFI holds all the material, we're responsible for supplying the scans..... .... For a film from 1927, it amazes me how much detail is in there. That said, the film's going to need a lot of work. There's heavy damage in places, a lot of scratches, and the film is made up of multiple components each with their own sets of challenges. Plus it's more than 425,000 frames. Best of luck."

Shame the BFI aren't responsible for the entire restoration. So I wonder what's happening here? Sounds like Coppola's overseeing something, probably with Robert Harris -- fresh from redoing THE GODFATHER? Will Kevin Brownlow be involved with his life's work? Or not?

[Narshty]

DVDBeaver on La Belle et la Bete

I have to disagree with Gary's conclusions that the Criterion looks best - in the last capture, Josette Day's hair is noticeably better defined on the BFI, and the compression is much better and more film-like too.

[charulata]

I'm assuming that all the DVDBeaver comparisons are mislabelled and the new BFI is actually at the bottom of each set of three (larger PAL resolution image) and hence the re-mastered Criterion is in the middle --- in which case maybe the Criterion is marginally sharper...

[skuhn8]

I'm assuming that all the DVDBeaver comparisons are mislabelled and the new BFI is actually at the bottom of each set of three (larger PAL resolution image) and hence the re-mastered Criterion is in the middle --- in which case maybe the Criterion is marginally sharper...

Gary has confirmed that they were indeed mislabeled and has remedied the matter.

[Dr Amicus]

Just to confirm that my comments for the Moviemail set also apply to the Amazon set - the basic packaging is exactly the same but with Amazon's logo rather than Moviemail's.

I don't know if any of the missing booklets / liner notes are significant in the same way I understand the silent Dickens and RW Paul ones are - any comments anyone? However, as it is (or at least was) cheaper than the other two AND Amazon take off VAT where required, I'm less worried.

[MichaelB]

I don't know if any of the missing booklets / liner notes are significant in the same way I understand the silent Dickens and RW Paul ones are - any comments anyone? However, as it is (or at least was) cheaper than the other two AND Amazon take off VAT where required, I'm less worried.

I don't have the Dickens, but if I remember rightly the R.W. Paul booklet largely consisted of brief notes on the numerous individual titles - Ian Christie's commentaries (which I assume are still on the disc?) offer far more information. As indeed does Screenonline, come to think of it.

[Imagine]

I don't know if any of the missing booklets / liner notes are significant in the same way I understand the silent Dickens and RW Paul ones are - any comments anyone?

Here's what we're missing:

AMAZON BOX:
La Kermesse Heroique (1935) - Insert + Sleeve Notes by Philip Kemp
Les Dames Du Bois De Boulogne - Insert + Sleeve notes by French Cinema specialist Keith Reader.
Partie De Campagne (1936) - Insert + sleeve notes.
The Threepenny Opera (1931) - Contains an insert with notes by film historian Philip Kemp and a biography of Georg Wilhelm Pabst.
Regarde La Mer And Other Short Films (1994 - 2006) - Fully illustrated 24-page booklet with essays by Jonathan Romney, Paul Willemen, Sarah Cooper, and Pamela Church Gibson.
Le Cercle Rouge (1970) - ?
Celine And Julie Go Boating(1974) - 20 page illustrated booklet including a review by Tom Milne; interviews with Dominique Labourier, Juliet Berto and Jacques Rivette; Susan Seidelman's reflections on her Rivette-inspired Desperately Seeking Susan; director biography.
Tristana (1970) - 10-page liner notes booklet with essays by Isabel Santaolalla and Tom Milne.
Distant Voices Still Lives (1988) - 24-page liner notes booklet including essays by Beryl Bainbridge and Adrian Danks, an original review from the Monthly Film Bulletin and more.
The Innocents (1961) - Extensive Booklet including:
a. "Fog and rain and long winter nights..." Jeremy Dyson's 3 page essay on the movie;
b. 3 storyboards by John Piper;
c. 5 page article by Penelope Houston written for Sight and Sound in 1961'
d. Cast and Credits including proper biographies of the major players and a page of the original screenplay which is fascinating (with all the continuity notes scribbled all over it);
e. A page on the short, The Bespoke Overcoat.
"This is one of the very few 'booklets' that can be celebrated as a true extra." according to dvdoutsider.co.uk (where I found this info).

MOVIEMAIL BOX:
RW Paul: The Collected Films (1895-1908) - Illustrated 24-page booklet with an essay by Ian Christie and an introduction to each of the films.
Dickens Before Sound (1878-1922) - Fully illustrated 40-page booklet with an introduction, notes on each film and original production stills.
Piccadilly (Dupont, 1929) - Insert + Ian Christie sleeve notes.
The Edge of the World (Powell, 1937) - Insert + Sleeve notes by Ian Christie
Night and the City (Dassin, 1950) - Fully illustrated 18 page booklet with essays by Lee Server and Paul Duncan.
See Britain by Train (1951-80) - 8 page booklet.
The Caretaker (Donner, 1963) - Insert + Michael Billington sleeve notes.
The Early Films of Peter Greenaway (1973-78) - Insert + Director's sleeve notes.
Caravaggio (Jarman, 1986) - 18-page illustrated booklet including introductory essay by Colin MacCabe and interview with costume designer Sandy Powell.
Under the Skin (Adler, 1997) - Insert ? + sleeve notes by Pam Cook, adapted from a review in the December 1997 issue of Sight and Sound.

PLAY.COM BOX:
Man with a Movie Camera (1929) - Philip Kemp Liner notes.
People on Sunday (1929) - 12-page liner notes booklet includes essay by Philip Kemp.
Le Regle Du Jeu (1939) - Insert + Philip Kemp sleeve notes.
Fallen Angel (1945) - Insert + Edward Buscombe sleeve notes.
Jour de Fete (1949) - Insert + sleevenotes.
Les Enfant Terribles (1949) - Insert + Philip Kemp sleeve notes.
Throne of Blood (1957) - Insert? + Philip Kemp sleeve notes.
Le Doulos (1961) - ?
The Leopard (1963) - Insert + David Forgacs sleevenotes.
Bande A Part (1964) - Insert + Philip Kemp sleevenotes.

(I gathered this information from the couple of releases I already owned and various review sites including DVDBeaver and DVDTimes. However, I still coudn't discover if the 2 Melville discs featured inserts/sleeve notes).

The inserts I can live without but I'm annoyed at the loss of some substantial booklets and I'm completely baffled by the removal of the sleeve notes from each release. I now wish that I'd waited to pick up individual titles.

[Adam]

yeah, I'll just skip these boxes now and buy some of the full discs from the BFI site.

[domino harvey]

Doulos has one page insert and sleeve notes by Kemp. I can't believe some of you were shocked to discover the sets were sans booklets-- did you all think they were gonna shove 'em into their own thinpaks or something?

[Adam]

Doulos has one page insert and sleeve notes by Kemp. I can't believe some of you were shocked to discover the sets were sans booklets-- did you all think they were gonna shove 'em into their own thinpaks or something?

Shocked! Shocked, I say!

Not, not really shocked; just didn't know. Thin pak schmin pak.