criterionforum.org

Posted: **Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:09 am**

Greenaway's BELLY OF AN ARCHITECT dual format on 18th June...

World premiere Blu-ray edition, and first time ever on DVD or Blu-ray in UK for one of Peter Greenaway's most acclaimed films.

Brian Dennehy stars as an American architect slowly losing his grip on life while working in Italy on an exhibition for the eighteenth-century French architect Étienne-Louis Boullée. One of the most visually striking films of the 1980s, with a celebrated score by Glenn Branca and Wim Mertens, The Belly of an Architect shows one of British cinema's true visionaries at the height of his powers.

Specs;
- Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition
- Newly mastered from best available film materials
- Extensive booklet with newly commissioned essays and full credits
- Other extras TBC

Posted: **Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:00 pm**

This is really good news - it's my favourite Greenaway feature by some distance.

Interestingly enough, despite the claim that Greenaway's split with Michael Nyman after Prospero's Books did untold damage to his subsequent films, The Belly of an Architect didn't have a Nyman score either, and managed just fine.

Posted: **Thu Feb 16, 2012 3:18 pm**

any rumblings on a DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT upgrade?

Posted: **Thu Feb 16, 2012 3:27 pm**

DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT was shot on Super 16mm, with presumably relative results on a potential Blu Ray upgrade (versus 35mm)...

Piece on the cinematography of the film...

Posted: **Thu Feb 16, 2012 3:29 pm**

excellent piece...thanks for the link

Posted: **Thu Feb 16, 2012 3:34 pm**

Well, if anyone does it, it'll be the BFI, what with them owning rights, materials and pretty much everything else outright - but I haven't heard of any plans.

The problem may be that the original telecine was SD only, since it was created in the early 2000s - I'm pretty sure A Zed and Two Noughts had to be redone in HD before the Blu-ray became viable.

But it looked great on the big screen, and Super 16 should translate very well to Blu-ray, especially since so much of the film is set outdoors in sunlight. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the relative resolutions of both formats were close to a perfect match.

Posted: **Thu Feb 16, 2012 7:34 pm**

Absolutely wonderful news, time to get rid of that shoddy MGM R1 disc. I'm not sure what the rights situation is, but I hope that the BFI can also do something for "Drowning by numbers" and "Prospero". All the existing releases are inadequate.

Posted: **Thu Feb 16, 2012 8:52 pm**

Agreed, this is just wonderful. BELLY is probably my favourite Greenaway, and this is a reminder for me to re-purchase the published screenplay (which I recall added a layer of revelatory detail to the structure and symbolism of the film). If the BFI can grab new interviews with Dennehy and PG it'd also be a bonus. \:D/

Posted: **Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:43 pm**

More excellent news. I hope this provides an opportunity to unearth some more Greenaway shorts. The Sea in Their Blood was an unexpected highlight of the ZOO BluRay.

Posted: **Fri Feb 17, 2012 3:55 am**

There's a Draughtsman blu out in Japan, actually - haven't seen any reviews, though, and it's very expensive to import.

I like almost all of Greenaway's films but Belly easily has the strongest emotional core and best performance at the center of it - plus that score is every bit as engaging as Nyman's work, like Michael said. This is a terrific announcement.

Posted: **Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:57 am**

Excellent!

Posted: **Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:33 am**

Oedipax wrote: plus that score is every bit as engaging as Nyman's work, like Michael said.

Indeed. Wim Mertens never reached the popularity of Nyman for inexplicable reasons, but his work is at least as good, and more varied and more directly emotional in many cases. It would be nice if the BFI could include an interview with Mertens on his score for this film.

Posted: **Wed Feb 22, 2012 2:15 pm**

It's just been confirmed that this is Region B.

Posted: **Wed Feb 22, 2012 5:58 pm**

I don't suppose this means there are plans for a US release (Criterion, perhaps)?

Who am I kidding? This film, along with MOC's Pasolini and Antonioni titles, may finally push me to pick up a region-free machine.

Posted: **Fri Feb 24, 2012 4:06 pm**

Posted: **Sat Mar 24, 2012 7:05 pm**

bainbridgezu wrote:I don't suppose this means there are plans for a US release (Criterion, perhaps)?

For the record, the checkdisc that the BFI sent me kicked off with the MGM lion - which presumably explains the region-locking.

I can't comment on the quality as it's a single-layer low-bitrate encode with timecode all over it.

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2012 10:07 am**

Full specs announced:

The Belly of an Architect
A film by Peter Greenaway

“Peter Greenaway’s most accomplished work” The Times

Visually striking and formally precise, Peter Greenaway’s fourth feature is a complex and sometimes disturbing film about an obsession that devastates a man’s marriage, health and career. Released by the BFI on 18 June in a Dual Format Edition (containing both DVD and Blu-ray versions), The Belly of an Architect is newly mastered to HD and presented for the first time on Blu-ray.

Distinguished American architect Stourley Kracklite (a nuanced, muscular performance by Brian Dennehy), is invited to Rome with his young wife, Louisa (Chloe Webb), to supervise an exhibition devoted to his hero, the visionary eighteenth-century architect Étienne-Louis Boullée.
Dedicated to honouring the past, Stourley does so at the expense of his present, driving his neglected wife into the arms of his rival, Caspasian (Lambert Wilson). Wracked with abdominal pains, jealousy and paranoia, he slowly loses his grip on all that is important to him.
Flemish composer and multi-instrumentalist Wim Mertens provides the soundtrack, with additional music by avant-garde composer and guitarist Glenn Branca.

Extras include Greenaway’s fascinating 1981 documentary, Insight: Terence Conran, downloadable documents and an extensive booklet containing a new essay by Michael Brooke and a revealing interview with Peter Greenaway.

Special features

• Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition;
• Insight: Terence Conran (UK, 1981, 15 mins): Greenaway’s portrait of the designer and entrepreneur, with an uncredited score by Michael Nyman;
• DVD-ROM content (downloadable PDFs) featuring original script, press pack and sheet music;
• Illustrated booklet with essay, interview, biographies and credits by Michael Brooke, Donald Ranvaud and Marcia Landy.

Release date: 18 June 2012
RRP: £19.99 / cat. no. BFIB1092 / Cert 15
UK, Italy / 1987 / colour / English language, with hard-of-hearing subtitles /
119 mins / Original aspect ratio 1.85:1
Disc 1: BD50 / 1080p / 24fps / PCM audio (48k/24-bit)
Disc 2: DVD9 / PAL / Dolby Digital audio (320kbps)

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2012 10:17 am**

Insight: Terence Conran & Insight: Zandra Rhodes, both early Greenaway/Nyman collaborations are also on COI Vol. 2 - Design for Today

Posted: **Mon May 21, 2012 10:24 am**

ellipsis7 wrote:Insight: Terence Conran & Insight: Zandra Rhodes, both early Greenaway/Nyman collaborations are also on COI Vol. 2 - Design for Today

They are indeed, but this will be the 1080p premiere of the Conran documentary. And it's not too hard to see why it was picked as a companion piece, given the subject.

I'm also assuming that the Don Ranvaud piece is the extensive Greenaway interview that Sight & Sound published when the film originally came out (summer 1987 issue) - but that's absolutely fine, as it's exhaustively thorough.

Personally, I'm most intrigued by the prospect of PDF sheet music.

Posted: **Fri Jun 08, 2012 8:01 pm**

Beaver.

Posted: **Sat Jun 09, 2012 4:42 pm**

This looks incredible. The improvement on the MGM is enormous. Perhaps my absolute favourite Greenaway film, this is looking to be my top release of the year so far.

Posted: **Thu Jun 14, 2012 7:19 pm**

MichaelB wrote:Personally, I'm most intrigued by the prospect of PDF sheet music.

...which has turned out to be the first sixteen bars of Wim Mertens' 'Birds for the Mind' in full score.

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:14 am**

When Blu-Ray first came on stream I promised myself I would not upgrade existing DVD titles, but I'll be getting this one. I'd love to see the BFI revisit The Falls, my personal favourite Greenaway...

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:45 am**

MichaelB wrote:
MichaelB wrote:Personally, I'm most intrigued by the prospect of PDF sheet music.
...which has turned out to be the first sixteen bars of Wim Mertens' 'Birds for the Mind' in full score.

Is it by any chance transcribed for Comb and paper or timbales which are the only instruments with which I am moderately adept?

Posted: **Sun Jul 01, 2012 7:10 pm**

Mondo Digital:

The Blu-Ray's definitely the way to go if possible, and it looks terrific. Most of the film is composed of wide shots filled with peripheral detail, and this transfer comes shockingly close to replicating the immersive theatrical experience. It also allows the viewer to more easily appreciate the striking color symbolism of the film, with the recurring use of crimson (from the silk bathrobes to the long red string winding its way through Dennehy and Casini's encounter) and the use of green gel highlights on the edges of the frame in some of the interiors. Optional English subtitles are included, and the two-channel PCM soundtrack sounds excellent with the pounding music coming through strong and clear.

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