BFI 'Dual Format Editions' - Now launching in May!
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News
25-03-2010 12:44 | 5913 views
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Dave Foster
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This means the BFI no longer have any titles due for release in April, but they do have five titles coming on 17th May including the (new) first 'Dual Format Editions'...
Institute Benjamenta (Brothers Quay, 1995) – Dual Format Edition
BFI Flipside series:
The Party’s Over (Guy Hamilton, 1963) – Dual Format Edition
The Pleasure Girls (Gerry O’Hara, 1965) – Dual Format Edition
Privilege (Peter Watkins, 1967) – Blu-ray
Kim Newman’s Guide to the Flipside of British Cinema (retail-wide) – DVD (review)
Full details will be announced soon.
The original story can be found below complete with additional info on the Dual Format Editions...
The BFI have announced today the introduction of DVD and Blu-ray ‘Dual Format Editions’ on selected future releases. Launching on
Sam Dunn, Head of BFI Video Publishing, comments:
‘The idea behind Dual Format Editions is to provide film lovers with the ultimate win-win solution in a time of financial uncertainty and technological confusion. Not only does the price mean that the BFI's quality Blu-rays are instantly more affordable, but the inclusion of both DVD and Blu-ray in a single package means that the DVD buyer is safeguarded against upgrades they may make in the future at no extra cost.’
Existing Blu-ray customers will benefit both from the lower price and from the inclusion of a DVD, which offers greater flexibility for viewing away from the home cinema environment.
Other titles lined up for the BFI Dual Format treatment this year are the Quay Brothers' exquisite Institute Benjamenta (1995); Tony Garnett's controversial Prostitute (1980); celebrated James Bond director Guy Hamilton's long-lost The Party's Over (1965) starring Oliver Reed; Gerry O'Hara's swinging The Pleasure Girls (1965) starring Ian McShane and Klaus Kinski; a collection of acclaimed Hollywood director Tony Scott's early films, including Loving Memory (1970); and Mike Sarne's colourful Swinging Sixties masterpiece Joanna (1968).
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Posts: 31
Not too bothered seeing as they only release obscure pretentious shite.
Member
Posts: 275
Originally posted by Dream_31
Not too bothered seeing as they only release obscure pretentious shite.
I swear internet comments are getting worse every day...
Anyway, cheers for the news Dave- The Ozu's are first day purchases for me.
Member
Posts: 83
I really enjoyed it, despite the somewhat drab tone of it all. The scene when the dad returns home drunk with friends was the main 'comedy' scene in the film, as I recall.
I think I'll stick with my 2 disc Criterion of TS though.
Member
Posts: 650
Originally posted by tokyomonkeyI swear internet comments are getting worse every day...
You should have a look at the comments on the BFI's YouTube channel - out of 700-odd on the 1903 Alice in Wonderland, I think the number that actually have something halfway intelligent to say must still be in single figures. Low double at the absolute most.
Anyway, Tokyo Story was a mainstream commercial release in Japan in 1953 - there's nothing "obscure" or "pretentious" about it at all except to the wilfully ignorant.
It swims, it eats and it makes little sharks!
Posts: 106
Story was a mainstream commercial release in Japan in 1953 - there's nothing "obscure" or "pretentious" about it at all except to the wilfully ignorant.
I freely admit that I know nothing about this film, as to that making me 'willfully ignorant' I cannot say, so just a observational comment about films in general...and the unwelcome and somewhat lecturing tone of the post....
Mainstream release (in Japan) a film may have been, comercial release (in Japan) a film may have been, commercial SUCCESS a film may have been...in JAPAN, in B/W, in the 50's. None of these factors would ever usually be likely to add up to commercial mainstream success. So I can actually comprehend the intention behind the "pretentious shite" comment.
These are films that are practically unheard of by almost all of the rest of the world...and at the time would have been seen in small midnight screenings in the local flea-pit, and watched by perhaps 20-30 people, and you wonder why the "pretentious shite" label gets applied?
Of course, that is not to say that manistream commercial success (ie mainly Hollywood) is the be-all and end-all. Some of the REAL and worst shite ever has come out of the Hills. Alot, if not all, of their output can be virtually ignored.
As for the lecturing tone, that is never welcome and so no more if you please.
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You catch a shark, cut off its fins and tail, throw it back into the water ALIVE, but now unable to swim - so it slowly drowns - only to dry then boil those fins down to make a tasteless watery broth that costs the earth and is nothing more than a status symbol.
Ignorance personified.
It swims, it eats and it makes little sharks!
Posts: 106
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You catch a shark, cut off its fins and tail, throw it back into the water ALIVE, but now unable to swim - so it slowly drowns - only to dry then boil those fins down to make a tasteless watery broth that costs the earth and is nothing more than a status symbol.
Ignorance personified.
Member
Posts: 275
Originally posted by LightStorm
Quote: Mainstream release (in Japan) a film may have been, comercial release (in Japan) a film may have been, commercial SUCCESS a film may have been...in JAPAN, in B/W, in the 50's. None of these factors would ever usually be likely to add up to commercial mainstream success. So I can actually comprehend the intention behind the "pretentious shite" comment. .
Maybe you should write to the BFI, Eureka and some of the other companies who release 'pretentious shite' and register your disapproval that they're not catering enough for the mainstream crowd. Really, your post makes absolutely no sense at all.
And the only person on this thread doing any lecturing is you.
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Posts: 4
Member
Posts: 650
Originally posted by LightStorm
Quote:
Mainstream release (in Japan) a film may have been, comercial release (in Japan) a film may have been, commercial SUCCESS a film may have been...in JAPAN, in B/W, in the 50's. None of these factors would ever usually be likely to add up to commercial mainstream success. So I can actually comprehend the intention behind the "pretentious shite" comment.
If you use a pejorative term like "shite" from the outset, the intention is clearly to be rude and aggressively philistine. And as for my "wilfully ignorant" comment, what would you call someone who hasn't seen something, knows nothing about it but still feels compelled to express a sweeping opinion?
These are films that are practically unheard of by almost all of the rest of the world...
In all seriousness, anyone who hasn't even heard of Tokyo Story really doesn't know very much about cinema. In terms of instant name recognition, it's not quite up there with Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, but it's pretty damn close - certainly a strong contender for the best-known classic Japanese film not directed by Kurosawa. To underline this, it's also put in appearances on the two most recent Sight & Sound decennial critics' polls, coming in at number three in 1992 and number five in 2002 - probably the most widely publicised of all the major film polls, not least internationally.
So I'm sorry, but claiming that Tokyo Story is "practically unheard of by almost all the rest of the world" is just ridiculous. This is a staple of the arthouse canon - right up there with La Regle du Jeu, Bicycle Thieves, Battleship Potemkin and Citizen Kane.
and at the time would have been seen in small midnight screenings in the local flea-pit, and watched by perhaps 20-30 people, and you wonder why the "pretentious shite" label gets applied?
What exactly are you basing your "midnight screenings in the local fleapit" comment on? Befitting its reputation, Tokyo Story has had several West End theatrical revivals in Britain over the last few decades - I first saw it in the 1980s, and I can recall at least three high-profile revivals since then (by which I mean new prints, West End venues and reviews in the national press), most recently in December last year in advance of the Blu-ray. When I worked in cinema programming it was one of our more reliable cash cows - in that putting it on would make enough money to subsidise riskier material. I've personally witnessed Tokyo Story packing out a 300-seat cinema during the afternoon, never mind the evening.
And yes, I do wonder at the arrogance of people who apply labels like "pretentious shite" while at the same time revealing that they really don't have much of a clue what they're talking about. Not least because Ozu is one of the least pretentious of the cinema's indisputable geniuses - as I said, his films were regarded as entirely mainstream entertainment at the time, and although they're infinitely richer and subtler than the average romantic comedy or domestic drama, you can nonetheless fit them comfortably into those generic pigeonholes.
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Posts: 185
Originally posted by Michael Brooke
You should have a look at the comments on the BFI's YouTube channel - out of 700-odd on the 1903 Alice in Wonderland, I think the number that actually have something halfway intelligent to say must still be in single figures.
Comedy gold, though, if you're in the mood. Here are a few favourite quotes:
*Bad quality film wise and story wise but at least it`s a 1000 times greater than a Kevin Smith movie.
*This can't be real. Viral movie promotion all the way...
*fail
*omg..really?.. i thought alice was from ,..maybe the 5o's not back befor they didnt even have sound on tv.
*i heard this was written when he was on an lsd trip,
*Pussy's like, "Get the f**k out of my face, ho!" LOL.
*The movie is alright but Alice is mad fucking ugly. Seriously wtf did they do grab a random whore out of the streets of London. At the end the cast probly fucked her and with a discount.
*I Think Is Fake.. But Great Job
*its sad knowing that everyone who was in this is probably dead by now
I love the optimistic probably of the last comment.
Anyway, Ozu on BD? My three pre-orders are already in. :-)
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Posts: 5
It swims, it eats and it makes little sharks!
Posts: 106
This is a staple of the arthouse canon - right up there with La Regle du Jeu, Bicycle Thieves, Battleship Potemkin and Citizen Kane.
Sorry, but arthouse, usually refers to really tiny taget audience doesn't it? Tiny tiny overall audiences, at best niche. Can it be both successfully? Arthouse and mainstream? Not really sure in truth.
]
What exactly are you basing your "midnight screenings in the local fleapit" comment on? Befitting its reputation, Tokyo Story has had several West End theatrical revivals in Britain over the last few decades - I first saw it in the 1980s, and I can recall at least three high-profile revivals since then (by which I mean new prints, West End venues and reviews in the national press), most recently in December last year in advance of the Blu-ray. When I worked in cinema programming it was one of our more reliable cash cows - in that putting it on would make enough money to subsidise riskier material. I've personally witnessed Tokyo Story packing out a 300-seat cinema during the afternoon, never mind the evening.
And yes, I do wonder at the arrogance of people who apply labels like "pretentious shite" while at the same time revealing that they really don't have much of a clue what they're talking about. Not least because Ozu is one of the least pretentious of the cinema's indisputable geniuses - as I said, his films were regarded as entirely mainstream entertainment at the time, and although they're infinitely richer and subtler than the average romantic comedy or domestic drama, you can nonetheless fit them comfortably into those generic pigeonholes.
There was an arthouse picture house in our area and all they ever did was midnight screenings so personal experience is what I am speaking from. The only picture they ever showed that I had even the slightest interest in was CARNIVAL OF SOULS, but then I ended up chasing down the Criterion version of it.
Having said that, Thieves, Potemkin and Kane are brilliant movies.
omg..really?.. i thought alice was from ,..maybe the 5o's not back befor they didnt even have sound on tv.
I freely admit that I know nothing about this film, as to that making me 'willfully ignorant' I cannot say, so just an observational comment about films in general...and the unwelcome and somewhat lecturing tone of the post....
Guess you must have missed that bit, also I was not the one who started with the lecturing tone. If you wish to point out that people have gaps in their knowledge, fine, I have so many gaps in mine that I keep losing count, but listen pally, do try and do it without sounding like everyone's least fave teacher. Remember children, you can catch more bees with honey than you can with vinegar. You, rather, sound like you have shares in SARSONS.
Over generalisations? guilty.
Gaps in my cinema experience? certainly.
Willing to learn more? always.
Lecturing? No
Rude? No
Arrogant? No
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You catch a shark, cut off its fins and tail, throw it back into the water ALIVE, but now unable to swim - so it slowly drowns - only to dry then boil those fins down to make a tasteless watery broth that costs the earth and is nothing more than a status symbol.
Ignorance personified.
Member
Posts: 1
Donna: 'People on these sites tend to get a little hysterical. Some of them haven't taken their medication.'
Josh: 'Something weird has happened here. They don't seem to be taking my response in the spirit in which it was intended.'
Donna: 'You're way round the bend. Can I get you a damp towel or something?'
Josh: 'C.J., it's a...crazy place. It's Lord Of The Flies in there. There's a dictatorial leader. I'm sure she wears a muumuu and chain smokes Parliaments.'
C.J.: 'The people on these sites: they're the cast of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The muumuu-wearing chain-smoker? That's Nurse Ratched. Now I'm telling you to open the ward room window and climb on out before they give you a pre-frontal lobotomy and I have to smother you with a pillow. I'm assigning an intern from the press office to that website and they're going to check it every night before they go home. If they discover you've been there, I'm going to shove a motherboard so far up your ass…'
It swims, it eats and it makes little sharks!
Posts: 106
Originally posted by bumpynight (tn)
Who remembers the episode of The West Wing where Josh Lyman innocently and in good faith responds to a small query on a fan site (LemonLyman.com) thus opening the floodgates? Donna: 'People on these sites tend to get a little hysterical. Some of them haven't taken their medication.' Josh: 'Something weird has happened here. They don't seem to be taking my response in the spirit in which it was intended.' Donna: 'You're way round the bend. Can I get you a damp towel or something?' Josh: 'C.J., it's a...crazy place. It's Lord Of The Flies in there. There's a dictatorial leader. I'm sure she wears a muumuu and chain smokes Parliaments.' C.J.: 'The people on these sites: they're the cast of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The muumuu-wearing chain-smoker? That's Nurse Ratched. Now I'm telling you to open the ward room window and climb on out before they give you a pre-frontal lobotomy and I have to smother you with a pillow. I'm assigning an intern from the press office to that website and they're going to check it every night before they go home. If they discover you've been there, I'm going to shove a motherboard so far up your ass…'
: - )
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You catch a shark, cut off its fins and tail, throw it back into the water ALIVE, but now unable to swim - so it slowly drowns - only to dry then boil those fins down to make a tasteless watery broth that costs the earth and is nothing more than a status symbol.
Ignorance personified.
Member
Posts: 55
Deceased
Posts: 84
The snooty arrogance in some of these posts is the main reason I couldn't wait to get out of film school ten years ago. At film school you have three types of student: the eager-beaver learner, the clued-up learner and the arrogant twat who thinks he knows everything! And if you're offended by that third comment, then you know damn well it's you and I've touched a raw nerve.
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Posts: 83
I'm pretty sure I fall into the clued-up learner (well, film watcher really). I did Film Studies for O and A Level in the late 80's! Most of my knowledge comes from watching and reading about film.
I've never seen an Ozu film before, but I've got over 70 Criterion dvds and I am always on the look out for titles which I probably wouldn't be interested in otherwise, and Tokyo Story is genuinely touching. Most of us are going to be old at some point and the idea of being a burden on a modern family is the main theme of TS.
I'll still keep my 2 disc Criterion release, though.
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Posts: 9
Tokyo Story + Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family
Early Summer + What Did the Lady Forget?
Late Spring + The Only Son
I may replace my old Tartan boxset for just those alone.