The British Film Institute will add eight new titles to its Blu-ray catalog early next year. Amongst them are
Beat the Devil (1953),
Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), and
Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971).
Please note that exact technical specs and supplemental features to be included on these releases will be announced as their street dates approach.
Cyrano de Bergerac
Synopsis: Cyrano (Gerard Depardieu), a swashbuckling hero with a gift for verse - and a prominent proboscis - is madly in love with the most beautiful woman in Paris. Deterred though by his feelings of physical inadequacy, he instead uses his poetic skills to support another hapless suitor. But will the object of their affection realise who she's really falling for?
Humorous and touching in equal measure, Cyrano de Bergerac is a spectacular and vibrant adaptation of Edmond Rostand's classic novel. Depardieu has never been better than as the swaggering scribe, his performance enriched by the vigorous direction of Jean-Paul Rappeneau and lavish period design.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, this acclaimed world cinema classic is now available on Blu-ray for the very first time.
STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 17.
Beat the Devil
Synopsis: Humphrey Bogart stars in this classic adventure comedy directed by John Huston and written by Truman Capote.
One of a disparate group of fortune-seekers looking to claim uranium-rich land East Africa, a hard-up Billy Dannreuther (Bogart) faces the swindling machinations of his cohorts as they await passage from an Italian port. But with scheming and ruses aplenty, will this motley crew miss the boat completely...?
Presented in a new 4K restoration, this wry send-up of noir classics including Huston's own The Maltese Falcon - features an all-star cast including Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida and Peter Lorre.
STREET DATE: MARCH 16.
Scandal
Synopsis: After becoming enchanted by a young exotic dancer, Christine Keeler (Joanne Whalley), an English doctor (John Hurt) invites her to live with him. Through his contacts and parties she and her friend (Bridget Fonda) meet and begin to date various members of the ruling Conservative Party.
When Christine's affair with the Secretary of State for War John Profumo (Ian McKellan) goes public, scandal tears through the government and threatens the lifestyles and freedom of those involved. From producer Stephen Woolley and director Michael Caton-Jones (Rob Roy) this 30th Anniversary Edition is newly restored from original film materials.
STREET DATE: FEBRUARY 17.
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Synopsis: Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson star in John Schlesinger's piercing and brilliantly observed suburban drama.
A recent divorcée (Jackson) and middle-aged Jewish doctor (Finch) find themselves embroiled in a progressive love triangle with a bisexual artist (Murray Head). Both discover a new freedom with their young lover, as they confront the convention and obstacles that have defined their lives.
An exploration of middle-class life and permissiveness in 1970s London, its depiction of homosexuality changed the landscape of LGBTQ+ representation on screen. Featuring outstanding BAFTA-winning performances by Finch and Jackson, Sunday Bloody Sunday is a tender and complex view on the politics of love, lust and longing.
STREET DATE: MARCH 16.
Tongues Untied
Synopsis: After its 1989 release and subsequent screening on public television, Tongues Untied polarised critics with its unapologetic portrayal of black gay experience in America. Part documentary, part performance, it was described as the film we have been waiting for by critic Cary Alan Johnson and vilified as a misuse of public funds by right-wing presidential hopeful Pat Buchanan. Such divided opinions were testament to the films lasting impact as a powerful depiction of the ongoing black liberation movement, twinned with devastation of the AIDS crisis. 30 years on, the poetry of Marlon Riggs himself, as well as performances from Essex Hemphill and Brian Freeman, comprise a unique record of a critical historical moment with fierce intelligence, virtuosic rhythm and courageous hope that still stuns today.
STREET DATE: MARCH 16.
Bait
Synopsis: Contemporary Cornwall. Martin Ward is a cove fisherman, without a boat. His brother Steven has re-purposed their father's vessel as a tourist tripper, driving a wedge between the brothers. With their childhood home now a get-away for London money, Martin is displaced to the estate above the picturesque harbour. As his struggle to restore the family to their traditional place creates increasing friction with tourists and locals alike, a tragedy at the heart of the family changes his world.
STREET DATE: JANUARY 20.
Cosh Boy
Synopsis: A gang of juvenile delinquents tear up post-war London in Lewis Gilbert's (The Spy Who Loved Me, Alfie) shocking and energetic X-rated drama.
Roy (James Kenney) is a brash, chain-smoking thug who bullies his friends (including Rene, played by a young Joan Collins) into subservience. He and his gang assault and rob people on the street, but things get increasingly dangerous when their behaviour escalates to murderous consequences.
Unafraid to tackle a host of taboo subjects, Cosh Boy is a penetrating portrait of 1950s Britain and its simmering social tensions. One, if not the first British film to receive an X certificate, this landmark classic is available on Blu-ray for the first time and is the 40th entry to the longstanding BFI Flipside catalogue.
STREET DATE: JANUARY 20.
Judgment at Nuremberg
SynopsisThe political and moral conflicts at the core of the Nuremberg trials are brought to the fore in Stanley Kramer's celebrated dramatization,
In the aftermath of World War two, Judge Dan Haywood (Spencer Tracey) presides over the military tribunals of members of the Nazi regime. War crimes and atrocities have been committed but it is the guilt of the defendant's clear? Are the accused simply guilty of following the diktats of a superior authority? Are they pawns in a larger geo-political struggle?
Featuring an all-star cast including Tracey, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Maximillian Schell and Montgomery Clift, this court room classic is a tense and thought-provoking drama, now available on Blu-ray for the very first time in the UK.:
STREET DATE: JANUARY 20.