BFI Video has announced two titles as part of its Flipside series, devoted to rescuing "weird and wonderful British films from obscurity. On September 13, the studio will release
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (Clive Donner, 1967) and, fresh from its recent theatrical run,
Bronco Bullfrog (Barney Platts-Mills, 1969). Both will be presented in two-disc BD/DVD dual format editions.
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
This glossy coming-of-age comedy, directed by Clive Donner
(The Caretaker), follows the exploits of sex-obsessed Jamie (Barry Evans) and his attempts to join the Swinging Sixties set and lose his virginity.
Filled with the distinctive sights and sounds of late-1960s Stevenage and based on the novel by Hunter Davies (The Beatles biography), this enduring cult classic also stars Judy Geeson and Denholm Elliot and features music by The Spencer Davies Group and Traffic. This world premiere presentation is fully uncut (an alternative, censored cut is also offered on the Blu-ray).
Special features:
- Because That Road Is Trodden (Tim King, 1969, 23 mins): dream-like confessional concerning the fantasies of a public schoolboy
- Stevenage (Gordon Ruttan, 1971, 21 mins): documentary celebration of Britain's first New Town
- Illustrated booklet with contributions from Hunter Davies, Steve Chibnall, Vic Pratt and William Fowler
Bronco Bullfrog
Barney Platts-Mills made this cult film on just £17,000 back in 1969; using kids from the East-End (and their parents) with no background in acting, black and white film (because he couldn't afford color) and real locations in the now destroyed homes of the London East End and docks. The film went on to become a classic amongst the Mod revivalists.
Special features:
- Everybody's An Actor, Shakespeare Said (1968, 30 mins): Platts-Mills' documentary charts Joan Littlewood's theatre work with the teenagers who would star in Bronco Bullfrog
- Joan Littlewood interview (1968, 21 mins): the formidable and outspoken theater director discusses her career
- Seven Green Bottles (Eric Marquis, 1975, 35 mins): a cautionary tale of seven young delinquents, played by non-professional actors
- Illustrated booklet with newly commissioned essays, photographs and film credits
The next Flipside releases will be
Private Road (Barney Platts-Mills, 1971) and a double feature of
Duffer (Joseph Despins, William Dumaresq, 1971) and
The Moon over the Alley (Joseph Despins, 1976) in January 2011.