The British Film Institute has officially announced and detailed its upcoming Dual Format Edition of Laura Mulvey and Peter Wollen's
Riddles of the Sphinx (1977). Featuring music by The Soft Machine's Mike Ratledge,
Riddle of the Sphinx is one of the most important avant-garde films to have emerged from Britain during the 1970s. Street date is September 23rd.
Official synopsis: The second collaboration between Mulvey and Wollen, both of whom are recognised as seminal figures in the field of film theory, Riddles of the Sphinx explores issues of female representation, the place of motherhood within society and the relationship between mother and daughter. Composed of a number of discrete sections, many of which are shot as continuous circular pans, the film takes place in a range of domestic and public spaces, shot in locations which include Malcolm LeGrice's kitchen and Stephen Dwoskin's bedroom.
The film's ground-breaking electronic score, by The Soft Machine's Mike Ratledge, was composed on synthesisers which were developed in collaboration with Denys Irving (the man behind the mysterious and controversial 1970s band Lucifer).
Special Features:
- Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition
- Newly recorded feature-length audio commentary with Laura Mulvey and academic Winfried Pauleit
- Laura Mulvey in Conversation (2013, 15 mins): the filmmaker and academic discusses Riddles of the Sphinx and her other films
- Penthesilea: Queen of the Amazonz (Peter Wollen and Laura Mulvey, 1974, 98 mins): trail-blazing avant-garde film exploring the image of the Amazonian woman in myth and popular culture
- Illustrated booklet featuring new essays by Sophie Mayer, Laura Mulvey and Rob Young, and complete film credits