Upcoming BFI Blu-ray Releases
HomeUpcoming BFI Blu-ray Releases
Posted August 7, 2021 06:29 PM by Webmaster
The British Film Institute will add a number of new titles to its Blu-ray catalog later this year. Amongst them are: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Les Enfants Terribles (1950), and Out of the Blue (1980).
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Description: When multiple residents of a Californian backwater begin to suffer from identical frenzied delusions, Dr Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) suspects the town is in the grip of a new kind of epidemic. But his investigations soon reveal the terrifying truth, uncovering not a medical emergency but an extra-terrestrial invasion that threatens mankind's very existence.
Directed by Don Siegel (Dirty Harry), this 1950s classic brings the fear of the unknown to the streets of America. A milestone of the science-fiction genre and a critique of post-war American society, Invasion of the Body Snatchers remains an enduring and suspenseful classic. Presented on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, experience the thrills and horrors of this highly influential movie like never before.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Out of the Blue
Description: Responsible for a deadly accident whilst driving intoxicated, Don Barnes (Dennis Hopper) struggles to reconnect with his family after returning from a stretch in prison. With his wife (Sharon Farrell) a promiscuous drug addict and his disturbed daughter (Linda Manz) finding solace in punk rock and the music of Elvis Presley, the trauma of the past looms large as dark secrets slowly begin to emerge.
Featuring an astonishing performance by Manz, as an angry and disillusioned victim of her circumstances, this punk-fueled drama chronicles the collapse of sixties idealism into the nihilistic haze of the 1980s.
Despite only taking over directing duties 8 days into the shoot Out of the Blue arguably represents Hopper's strongest film as director and is a cult-classic ripe for rediscovery, it's presented here in a new 4K restoration and is on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Naked
Description: Johnny (David Thewlis) is a frenetic and destructive outsider who tears through the lives of others like an emotional tornado. On the run from Manchester, he seeks sanctuary with his ex-girlfriend Louise (Lesley Sharp) in London, where he immediately targets her vulnerable housemate Sophie (Katrin Cartlidge) with his unique blend of predatory charm.
From there he embarks on a nocturnal odyssey across the city, dragging other disaffected souls into his orbit as he spirals towards his own personal apocalypse. Mike Leigh's Cannes-winning film is a masterful, controversial, and totally unforgettable exploration of society in free-fall at the tail end of Thatcher's Britain.
Naked has been newly remastered by the BFI National Archive and is available on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.
STREET DATE: NOVEMBER 22.
Bleak Moments
Description: Sylvia (Anne Raitt) leads a quiet life caring for her sister Hilda (Sarah Stephenson) who has complex care needs. Their lonely suburban existence is accentuated by a social awkwardness that detaches them from the community and fuels a life of seclusion and despair.
Released in 1971 to critical acclaim, Mike Leigh's debut feature film is a haunting study of social isolation. Uncompromising and deeply affecting, the film introduced Leigh's unique and highly influential natural style that he has continued to develop over a 50 year career.
A true landmark in the history of British film, Bleak Moments has been newly remastered in 2K by the BFI and is presented on Blu-ray for the very first time.
STREET DATE: NOVEMBER 22.
Les Enfants Terribles
Description: In this compelling tale of incestuous obsession, a teenage brother and sister, Paul and Elisabeth, create an intense, private world in their untidy shared single room. Within the room, they live, sleep, argue and play out their erotically charged games without heed to the real world going on around them. However, when outsiders intrude into their intensely private realm, the scene is set for tragedy.
A hauntingly atmospheric adaptation of Jean Cocteau's 1929 claustrophobic hothouse novel, for which he also wrote the screenplay and provided the voice-over, the film is dominated by a performance of fierce intensity by Nicole Stéphane as the scheming heroine Elisabeth.
Les Enfants Terribles brought two very different film-makers together for the first time – the mercurial, multi-talented Jean Cocteau and the single-minded, self-sufficient Jean-Pierre Melville. Despite clashing with one another, what emerged is a unique film that is as true to Cocteau's vision as to Melville's.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Short Sharp Shocks Volume 2
Description: The latest in the critically acclaimed BFI Flipside series – continuing its ongoing mission to curate an alternative Brit-screen history of overlooked rarities in deluxe home-entertainment editions – is a second edition of strange, striking, thrilling, horrific, eerie and eccentric short subjects from the heyday of the British cinematic supporting program.
This carefully-curated collection includes a plethora of sought-after titles, many newly remastered in HD for the very first time – and showcases an eclectic range of delights spanning the second half of the 20th century. A Lavish double-disc limited edition set, it comes complete with an illustrated booklet with full credits and new contextual writing on the film by devotees of the field. Expect strange, spooky stories, odd twists in the tale, imaginative low-budget weirdness and oodles of atmosphere in these juicy bite-size morsels of cult film delight from decades gone by.
Featuring the following films: Quiz Crime No.1 (1943, 14 mins) | Quiz Crime No.2 (1944, 19 mins) | The Three Children (1946, 3 mins) | Escape from Broadmoor (1948, 39 mins) | Mingaloo (1958, 20 mins) | Jack The Ripper with Screaming – Lord Sutch (1961, 3 mins) | The Face of Darkness (1976, 57 mins) | The Dumb Waiter (1979, 18 mins) | Hangman (1985, 17 mins) | The Mark of Lilith (1986, 33 mins).
Special Features:
Ingmar Bergman, Volume 2
Description: For over 50 years, Ingmar Bergman produced ground-breaking works of cinema that established him as one of the world's most acclaimed, enduring and influential filmmakers.
In the 1950s he firmly established himself at the vanguard of world cinema. Following his breakthrough success Summer with Monika (1953), Bergman continued with a series of ground-breaking productions. Many of which are still considered some of the greatest films ever made.
Presented over six discs, Ingmar Bergman: Volume 2 features eight landmark titles by the iconic filmmaker – presented together on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK. These include the Palme d'Or-nominated comedy Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), the introspective meditation on old age and human existence, Wild Strawberries (1957) and the iconic exploration of faith and death, The Seventh Seal (1957)
The films: Summer Interlude (1951), Waiting Women (1952), Summer with Monika (1953), A Lesson in Love (1954), Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), The Seventh Seal (1957), Wild Strawberries (1957), The Magician (1958).
Special Features and Technical Specs:
The Spoilers
Description: Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott and John Wayne wrestle with love and greed in this all-star gold rush adventure set in a turn-of-the-century Alaskan boomtown.
Dietrich is savvy saloon owner Cherry Malotte, whose honest former beau Ray (Wayne) looks like being swindled out of his claim by no-good town kingpin McNamara (Scott). It's a tale as wild as the frozen north itself, featuring an all-out fight to the finish between western icons Wayne and Scott, which is still considered one of the most spectacular action sequences ever filmed.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Pittsburgh
Description: Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott and John Wayne star in this rags-to-riches tale of friendship, love and power. Beautiful Josie Winters (Dietrich) inspires coalmining buddies Cash (Scott) and Pittsburgh (Wayne) to better themselves, and the men climb to the top of the business as they compete for her affections. But when Josie falls for the ruthless Pittsburgh, he spurns her to marry for power and she settles down with Cash instead. Can a world war reunite the feuding friends or will patriotism come second to their bitter rift?
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Lek and the Dogs
Description: Experimental artist and auteur Andrew Kötting creates a ground-breaking crossover between narrative film and contemporary art piece, based on the award-winning play by Hattie Naylor.
The film is inspired by the true story of Ivan Mishukov, who walked out of his apartment at the age of four and spent two years living on the city streets where he was adopted by a pack of wild dogs. In a recession-ravaged city, the child's world was dominated by deprivation and violence; his only hope was to turn to feral dogs for company, protection and warmth.
Kötting's spellbinding and utterly original story of survival draws on a range of innovative techniques, including home movies and archive to produce a montage essay on the state of the world. Lek, played by the French performance artist and actor Xavier Tchili returns with a mesmerising performance of a man close to the edge, buried under the weight of his own existential terrors.
With trace elements of Tarkovsky's Stalker and Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape the film sends the protagonist, Lek into a zone deep underground only to see him surface in the deserts of northern Chile. Ultimately the film inhabits a foggy no-man's land between documentary and fiction, essay and narrative whilst at the same time probing for answers to the universal questions of Where now? Who now? When now?
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Description: When multiple residents of a Californian backwater begin to suffer from identical frenzied delusions, Dr Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) suspects the town is in the grip of a new kind of epidemic. But his investigations soon reveal the terrifying truth, uncovering not a medical emergency but an extra-terrestrial invasion that threatens mankind's very existence.
Directed by Don Siegel (Dirty Harry), this 1950s classic brings the fear of the unknown to the streets of America. A milestone of the science-fiction genre and a critique of post-war American society, Invasion of the Body Snatchers remains an enduring and suspenseful classic. Presented on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, experience the thrills and horrors of this highly influential movie like never before.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- Audio commentary with Dana Wynter, Kevin McCarthy and Joe Dante (2006)
- Sleep No More: Invasion of the Body Snatchers Revisited (27 mins): archive featurette focusing on the production history and historical significance of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Includes clips from interviews with Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, John Landis, Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers), and science fiction historian Bob Burns
- Return to Santa Mira (16 mins): a look at the location where key segments from Invasion of the Body Snatchers were shot
- What's In a Name? (3 mins): a short video piece about the title of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and some of the changes that were made to get it right
- The Fear and the Fiction: The Body Snatchers Phenomenon (8 mins): archive extra featuring interviews with Kevin McCarthy, co-screenwriter Stuart Gordon, John Landis, cultural historian Leo Brandy, Don Siegel's assistant Stuart Kaminsky, and Dana Wynter
- Trailer
- First pressing only: Illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Dr Deborah Allison
- AND MORE...
Out of the Blue
Description: Responsible for a deadly accident whilst driving intoxicated, Don Barnes (Dennis Hopper) struggles to reconnect with his family after returning from a stretch in prison. With his wife (Sharon Farrell) a promiscuous drug addict and his disturbed daughter (Linda Manz) finding solace in punk rock and the music of Elvis Presley, the trauma of the past looms large as dark secrets slowly begin to emerge.
Featuring an astonishing performance by Manz, as an angry and disillusioned victim of her circumstances, this punk-fueled drama chronicles the collapse of sixties idealism into the nihilistic haze of the 1980s.
Despite only taking over directing duties 8 days into the shoot Out of the Blue arguably represents Hopper's strongest film as director and is a cult-classic ripe for rediscovery, it's presented here in a new 4K restoration and is on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
- TWO-DISC SET
- Audio commentary with writer and director Dennis Hopper and producer Paul Lewis (2000)
- Montclair Film Festival Q&A with Elizabeth Karr and John Alan Simon (2020, 30 mins)
- Jack Nicholson radio spot (1982)
- Reconstructed original US trailer
- 40th Anniversary re-release trailer
- AND MORE...
Naked
Description: Johnny (David Thewlis) is a frenetic and destructive outsider who tears through the lives of others like an emotional tornado. On the run from Manchester, he seeks sanctuary with his ex-girlfriend Louise (Lesley Sharp) in London, where he immediately targets her vulnerable housemate Sophie (Katrin Cartlidge) with his unique blend of predatory charm.
From there he embarks on a nocturnal odyssey across the city, dragging other disaffected souls into his orbit as he spirals towards his own personal apocalypse. Mike Leigh's Cannes-winning film is a masterful, controversial, and totally unforgettable exploration of society in free-fall at the tail end of Thatcher's Britain.
Naked has been newly remastered by the BFI National Archive and is available on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.
STREET DATE: NOVEMBER 22.
Bleak Moments
Description: Sylvia (Anne Raitt) leads a quiet life caring for her sister Hilda (Sarah Stephenson) who has complex care needs. Their lonely suburban existence is accentuated by a social awkwardness that detaches them from the community and fuels a life of seclusion and despair.
Released in 1971 to critical acclaim, Mike Leigh's debut feature film is a haunting study of social isolation. Uncompromising and deeply affecting, the film introduced Leigh's unique and highly influential natural style that he has continued to develop over a 50 year career.
A true landmark in the history of British film, Bleak Moments has been newly remastered in 2K by the BFI and is presented on Blu-ray for the very first time.
STREET DATE: NOVEMBER 22.
Les Enfants Terribles
Description: In this compelling tale of incestuous obsession, a teenage brother and sister, Paul and Elisabeth, create an intense, private world in their untidy shared single room. Within the room, they live, sleep, argue and play out their erotically charged games without heed to the real world going on around them. However, when outsiders intrude into their intensely private realm, the scene is set for tragedy.
A hauntingly atmospheric adaptation of Jean Cocteau's 1929 claustrophobic hothouse novel, for which he also wrote the screenplay and provided the voice-over, the film is dominated by a performance of fierce intensity by Nicole Stéphane as the scheming heroine Elisabeth.
Les Enfants Terribles brought two very different film-makers together for the first time – the mercurial, multi-talented Jean Cocteau and the single-minded, self-sufficient Jean-Pierre Melville. Despite clashing with one another, what emerged is a unique film that is as true to Cocteau's vision as to Melville's.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
- Audio commentary by novelist and critic Gilbert Adair (2004)
- Interview with actress Nicole Stéphane (13 mins)
- AND MORE...
Short Sharp Shocks Volume 2
Description: The latest in the critically acclaimed BFI Flipside series – continuing its ongoing mission to curate an alternative Brit-screen history of overlooked rarities in deluxe home-entertainment editions – is a second edition of strange, striking, thrilling, horrific, eerie and eccentric short subjects from the heyday of the British cinematic supporting program.
This carefully-curated collection includes a plethora of sought-after titles, many newly remastered in HD for the very first time – and showcases an eclectic range of delights spanning the second half of the 20th century. A Lavish double-disc limited edition set, it comes complete with an illustrated booklet with full credits and new contextual writing on the film by devotees of the field. Expect strange, spooky stories, odd twists in the tale, imaginative low-budget weirdness and oodles of atmosphere in these juicy bite-size morsels of cult film delight from decades gone by.
Featuring the following films: Quiz Crime No.1 (1943, 14 mins) | Quiz Crime No.2 (1944, 19 mins) | The Three Children (1946, 3 mins) | Escape from Broadmoor (1948, 39 mins) | Mingaloo (1958, 20 mins) | Jack The Ripper with Screaming – Lord Sutch (1961, 3 mins) | The Face of Darkness (1976, 57 mins) | The Dumb Waiter (1979, 18 mins) | Hangman (1985, 17 mins) | The Mark of Lilith (1986, 33 mins).
Special Features:
- New interview with The Mark of Lilith director Robert Bierman (2021)
- AND MORE...
Ingmar Bergman, Volume 2
Description: For over 50 years, Ingmar Bergman produced ground-breaking works of cinema that established him as one of the world's most acclaimed, enduring and influential filmmakers.
In the 1950s he firmly established himself at the vanguard of world cinema. Following his breakthrough success Summer with Monika (1953), Bergman continued with a series of ground-breaking productions. Many of which are still considered some of the greatest films ever made.
Presented over six discs, Ingmar Bergman: Volume 2 features eight landmark titles by the iconic filmmaker – presented together on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK. These include the Palme d'Or-nominated comedy Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), the introspective meditation on old age and human existence, Wild Strawberries (1957) and the iconic exploration of faith and death, The Seventh Seal (1957)
The films: Summer Interlude (1951), Waiting Women (1952), Summer with Monika (1953), A Lesson in Love (1954), Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), The Seventh Seal (1957), Wild Strawberries (1957), The Magician (1958).
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- Audio commentary on The Seventh Seal by film critic and editor-in-chief of Diabolique magazine, Kat Ellinger
- Perfect-bound book featuring new essays by David Jenkins, Ellen Cheshire, Leigh Singer, Kieron McCormack, Philip Kemp, Jessica Land, Geoff Andrew and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
- AND MORE...
The Spoilers
Description: Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott and John Wayne wrestle with love and greed in this all-star gold rush adventure set in a turn-of-the-century Alaskan boomtown.
Dietrich is savvy saloon owner Cherry Malotte, whose honest former beau Ray (Wayne) looks like being swindled out of his claim by no-good town kingpin McNamara (Scott). It's a tale as wild as the frozen north itself, featuring an all-out fight to the finish between western icons Wayne and Scott, which is still considered one of the most spectacular action sequences ever filmed.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- Feature commentary by film historian Toby Roan
- Music and effects track
- Gallery of stills and publicity materials
Pittsburgh
Description: Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott and John Wayne star in this rags-to-riches tale of friendship, love and power. Beautiful Josie Winters (Dietrich) inspires coalmining buddies Cash (Scott) and Pittsburgh (Wayne) to better themselves, and the men climb to the top of the business as they compete for her affections. But when Josie falls for the ruthless Pittsburgh, he spurns her to marry for power and she settles down with Cash instead. Can a world war reunite the feuding friends or will patriotism come second to their bitter rift?
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- Feature commentary by critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson
- Music and effects track
- Gallery of stills and publicity materials
Lek and the Dogs
Description: Experimental artist and auteur Andrew Kötting creates a ground-breaking crossover between narrative film and contemporary art piece, based on the award-winning play by Hattie Naylor.
The film is inspired by the true story of Ivan Mishukov, who walked out of his apartment at the age of four and spent two years living on the city streets where he was adopted by a pack of wild dogs. In a recession-ravaged city, the child's world was dominated by deprivation and violence; his only hope was to turn to feral dogs for company, protection and warmth.
Kötting's spellbinding and utterly original story of survival draws on a range of innovative techniques, including home movies and archive to produce a montage essay on the state of the world. Lek, played by the French performance artist and actor Xavier Tchili returns with a mesmerising performance of a man close to the edge, buried under the weight of his own existential terrors.
With trace elements of Tarkovsky's Stalker and Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape the film sends the protagonist, Lek into a zone deep underground only to see him surface in the deserts of northern Chile. Ultimately the film inhabits a foggy no-man's land between documentary and fiction, essay and narrative whilst at the same time probing for answers to the universal questions of Where now? Who now? When now?
