The BFI Blu-ray and DVD Release Thread

[Susan Foreman]

April 15th

Special features

❉ Newly restored from the original camera negative by the BFI, and presented here in High Definition and Standard Definition
❉ Audio commentary by actor Alan Bates, director Clive Donner and producer Michael Birkett (2002)
❉ Introduction by critic and author Michael Billington (2002, 6 mins)
❉ On Location with The Caretaker (1962, 4 mins): an extract from the TV series This Week in Britain
❉ The Caretaker: From Play Into Film (2002, 17 mins): a video essay by Michael Billington, using materials donated by Clive Donner to the BFI National Archive
❉ US opening titles (1963, 2 mins): the opening title sequence from the US where the film was released as The Guest
❉ Last To Go (1969, 6 mins): the last of five animated shorts directed by Gerald Potterton for Pinter People, voiced by Harold Pinter and Donald Pleasence
❉ Harold Pinter’s Play Discussed by Clive Donner (1973, 47 mins): the BAFTA-winning director discusses his adaptation of The Caretaker
❉ Stills Gallery
❉ Fully illustrated booklet with new essay by critic and author Amy Simmons, writing by Michael Billington and Clive Donner and full film credits (FIRST PRESSING ONLY)

[Susan Foreman]

April 15

Special Features

❉ Let’s Go Crazy (1951, 33 mins): a nightclub-set madcap variety show featuring Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan
❉ The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1960, 11 mins): Richard Lester and Peter Sellers’ Goonish comic short, featuring Sellers, Spike Milligan and Leo McKern
❉ Film Star: Peter Sellers (1967, 37 mins): a profile of the actor and comedian
❉ Maurice Woodruff Interview (1967, 19 mins): Peter Sellers’ favourite clairvoyant interviewed by Bernard Braden for a TV series, Now and Then, that was never made
❉ John Boulting Interview (1967, 21 mins): the director discusses his relationship with Sellers in an unbroadcast Now and Then interview with Bernard Braden
❉ Peter Sellers at the NFT (1960, 92 mins, audio only): the actor addresses an enthusiastic throng of fans
❉ Abigail McKern Interview (2019, 20 mins): the daughter of Leo McKern discusses the great actor’s life and career
❉ The Poetry of Realism (2019, 13 mins): journalist Kat Ellinger’s video essay on Marcel Pagnol, the writer of the film’s theatrical source, Topaze
❉ Fully illustrated booklet with a new essay by the BFI’s Vic Pratt, biographies of Herbert Lom and Nadia Gray by John Oliver and full film credits (FIRST PRESSING ONLY)

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Some nice bargains on BFI titles over at Base.com at the moment.

[Susan Foreman]

Ooooh! Part 1

September 16 - 'Do Not Adjust Your Set'. Pre-order at Amazon UK - £23.47

"Do Not Adjust Your Set (3-disc DVD set)
Directed by Daphne Shadwell

Innovative and influential, and originally envisaged as a children's show Do Not Adjust Your Set was a madcap early-evening comedy sketch show that quickly acquired a cult following with Swinging Sixties adults, who rushed home from work to see it. Written by and starring Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, with great performances and additional material from David Jason and Denise Coffey, it also provided an early showcase for the hilarious animations of Terry Gilliam, and the brilliantly bizarre musical antics of the legendary Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. For the first time anywhere all the fully existing episodes from the Rediffusion and Thames series of the show are brought together at last in one place for a deluxe package that includes five episodes new to DVD, at least two of which were previously thought lost, alongside new interviews with series director creator and producer Humphrey Barclay, writer and performer Michael Palin, uninvited guest star Tim Brooke-Taylor, animations from Terry Gilliam's personal collection, and a new documentary about the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, featuring new interviews with 1960s originators and key personnel Neil Innes, Rodney Slater, Roger Ruskin-Spear and 'Legs' Larry Smith"

Special features

• Includes all 14 fully surviving episodes, from both the Rediffusion and Thames series, five of which have never been previously released on DVD
• New digital transfers of rare animations by Terry Gilliam (Brazil, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) from his own film elements
• Newly recorded interview with Michael Palin
• Newly recorded interview with uninvited guest star Tim Brooke-Taylor (2019)
• Newly recorded interview with series creator and producer Humphrey Barclay (2019)
• Bonzo's on the Box: : Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band members reflect upon the history of the group and their appearances on television, in a special documentary made up of new interviews with key 1960s originators and personal Neil Innes, Rodney Slater, Roger Ruskin-Spear and 'Legs' Larry Smith (2019)
• ***FIRST PRESSING ONLY*** fully illustrated booklet with new writing on the series by the BFI's Vic Pratt and full series credits
• Other extras TBC

[Susan Foreman]

Ooooh! Part 2

September 16 - 'At Last The 1948 Show'. Pre-order at Amazon UK - £23.47

"At Last the 1948 Show (3-disc DVD set)
Directed by Ian Fordyce

This ground-breaking, splendidly silly and surreal comedy sketch series, written and performed by John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Marty Feldman, also starring the lovely Aimi MacDonald, was a major milestone on the road to Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Goodies and everything that came after. This lovingly curated new deluxe three-disc set restores all the existing episodes from both series of the programme in the correct order, and is as complete as is currently possible. It includes all ten surviving episodes, two almost completely reconstructed episodes, and the complete audio of a further episode with fragments of film restored; all drawn from the vaults of the BFI National Archive, and proudly presented alongside an array of newly-filmed and archive extras"

Special features

• Includes all the complete surviving episodes from series one and two, plus two reconstructed episodes, for the very first time
• Newly recorded interviews with Humphrey Barclay and Tim Brooke-Taylor (2019)
• Archive interviews with John Cleese, Marty Feldman, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Aimi MacDonald
• ***FIRST PRESSING ONLY*** fully illustrated booklet with new writing on the show by series expert Steve Bryant, not quite 400 words by Tim Brooke-Taylor and full credits
• Other extras TBC

[Demoncrat]

Oooooh part 3 then

Sold

ahem

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Vic Pratt interviewed by DVD Compare reveals forthcoming Flipside titles:

We have a Flipside Halloween special out later this year! A mondo-esque double-bill of "Secret Rites" and "Legend of the Witches"; two special, sensational feature-length early 70s witchcraft documentaries made with Alex ‘King of the Witches’ Sanders. "Legend..." is newly remastered from a preservation element and "Secret Rites" has never before been released on VHS or DVD – or so we think. Expect a load of extras too, of course.

[Justin101]

I also read that BFI is releasing Verhoven’s Spetters on blu but I can’t find any official word on that one. It came out on Kino a couple of years back though.

[Rob4]

great releases from Flipside

my holy grail of a Flipside release would be all those horror shorts released theatrically in the 70s and early 80s. they would make a great BR compilation. you could probably make up several volumes. i bet the rights are nightmare though...

[Mojo]

New BFI Flipside release in October :

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