BFI (British Film Institute)

[domino harvey]

He should cut a Criterion-type deal with Madman: "I'll let you have my commentary if you release this film I like"

[Cash Flagg]

Has Body Song been postponed? It's listed as temporarily out of stock on Amazon, but DVD Source gives the disc a 5/18 release date.

From a BFI email:

The new provisional release date is November this year. Hopefully it will be on both DVD and BluRay.

[ellipsis7]

See Kiarostami's SHIRIN 'opens at BFI Southbank and cinemas nationwide from 26 June'... Hope it may subsequently find its way onto BFI DVD (& Blu Ray) as AK's FIVE did before...

It is a pity Kiarostami's not going to make it to London this time (as he did in 2005)...

[Cash Flagg]

An email I received regarding the canceled La Vallee:

It is possible this will re-appear, but unfortunately there is no scheduled date for release.

[tojoed]

Longing is now due for an August 3rd release.

[What A Disgrace]

I'm not sure of the state of her films' rights, but with all the Quay, Svankmajer and Anger collections, I would just die for a Blu Ray of Maya Deren's work.

[Chris W]

From the latest bfi email update:

Coming soon from The Flipside:

Gerry O'Hara's All the Right Noises, Don Levy's Herostratus and Pete Walker's Man of Violence.

Out 24 August on DVD and Blu-ray.

[colinr0380]

I also wonder whether these films are destined for the Flipside label?

From the BBC:

Rare films featuring early performances from comedians like Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan are being restored by the British Film Institute (BFI)...

Two of the films, Let's Go Crazy and Penny Points to Paradise, will be shown at the BFI, in London, next month. The low-budget films, virtually unseen since their original release, feature cast members from The Goon Show and will also be released on DVD in August.

Penny Points to Paradise stars Harry Secombe as gormless Pools winner Harry Flakers who, accompanied by his best friend (Spike Milligan in his film debut), goes on a holiday to celebrate his new-found riches.

Adelphi Films was a small, family-run company, which specialised in the production and distribution of films between 1940 and 1956.

Their crime dramas, musicals, melodramas and slapstick comedies featured stars like Sid James, Ted Ray, Petula Clark, Rolf Harris and Prunella Scales early in their careers.

The BFI hopes to restore and release the rest of the films over the next 15 years if it can find funding.

Other films include The Great Game, a comedy about football starring Thora Hird and Diana Dors, and Fun At St Fanny's, a male equivalent of the St Trinian's farces starring Ronnie Corbett.

[tojoed]

Yes, they have their own thread. The Flipside label would be the ideal place for the other films you mention, subject to funding, of course.

[ellipsis7]

Extract from BFI statement reacting to the 'Digital Britain' report published this week...

“The BFI has welcomed many of the recommendations in Lord Carter’s Digital Britain Final Report published today, particularly around the Government’s position on orphan rights issues and film education - as well as its recognition of the BFI’s role in preserving the UK’s film and television collections and making them more publicly available.

“Currently the law prevents archive organisations such as the BFI from making copies of any films that it does not own the rights to, even for preservation purposes. Under the new proposals the BFI will be able to restore and make high quality preservation copies of the orphan works it holds in the BFI National Archive (as much as 10 per cent of the collection) available to the public.

“In the event of any commercial gain from public access, screenings, DVDs and so on, the BFI will hold back money should a rights owner subsequently become evident."

Great news if and when it happens...

[What A Disgrace]

A number of new titles have release dates on Amazon...

AUGUST 24
All the Right Noises (DVD and BLU RAY)
Herostratus And Don Levy Shorts (DVD and BLU RAY)
The Big Switch (DVD and BLU RAY)

SEPTEMBER 14
Chaplin Keystone Collection
National Coal Board Collection
The Exiles

[foggy eyes]

The Exiles

Oh, great! I didn't expect to see this from the BFI. Fascinating film, and the restoration is stunning.

National Coal Board Collection

No idea what to expect with these - are we looking at GPO quality?

[antnield]

National Coal Board Collection

No idea what to expect with these - are we looking at GPO quality?

Some info courtesy of BFI Screenonline...

[MichaelB]

I've just updated the BFI Blu-ray region guide - and am very happy to confirm that all July and August Blu-ray releases are region-free. By the end of August, the ratio of region-free to region B releases will be running at approx. 2:1.

[Stephen]

Heads Up! New Moviemail BFI European Film Sale started today

[tojoed]

An email I received regarding the canceled La Vallee:

It is possible this will re-appear, but unfortunately there is no scheduled date for release.

Moviemail now says 9th November.

[tojoed]

Great news, the BFI are releasing The Innocents and The Leopard on BluRay on November 9th.

[What A Disgrace]

Great news, the BFI are releasing The Innocents and The Leopard on BluRay on November 9th.

The Leopard is one film I'd really like to see on Blu. I wonder if I should wait to see if Criterion's Blu edition incorporates new material; perhaps even licenses BFI's supplements, before taking this plunge (and the same goes for the BFI, of course). I imagine the BFI will at least have a real insert.

[FerdinandGriffon]

Great news, the BFI are releasing The Innocents and The Leopard on BluRay on November 9th.

And the top of my blu-wish-list takes wing from the ether.

[HerrSchreck]

Seeing either one in Blu would be glorious-- both sterling examples of their mediums: wisecreen color, and widescreen b&w.

Personally I'm a bigger fan of The Innocents, but only just by a hair's breadth...

[eerik]

Great news, the BFI are releasing The Innocents and The Leopard on BluRay on November 9th.

Institute Benjamenta is also coming on November 9th.

[What A Disgrace]

Great news, the BFI are releasing The Innocents and The Leopard on BluRay on November 9th.

Institute Benjamenta is also coming on November 9th.

On DVD *and* Blu Ray, according to MovieMail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c71RCAyL ... re=related

[Cinetwist]

Wow. The BFI really are leaving other labels in the dust when it comes to Blu-ray. Nobody can touch them, even if a lot of the more out there stuff isn't to my taste. They're releasing stuff that other people wouldn't even put out on dvd.

I'm just glad that I haven't got round to seeing The Innocents yet. Can't wait.

[tojoed]

I'm just glad that I haven't got round to seeing The Innocents yet. Can't wait.

Seeing The Innocents for the first time and on Blu-Ray. You lucky man.

[foggy eyes]

Institute Benjamenta is also coming on November 9th.

Oh, wow, that's really great. Have you had any involvement with this, MichaelB?