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  • Dissent & Disruption - The Complete Alan Clarke

    From the BFI's press release...

    DISSENT & DISRUPTION: THE COMPLETE ALAN CLARKE

    Legendary television drama director's compelling work presented in its entirety by the BFI

    Includes the newly-discovered Directors' Cut of The Firm, David Bowie in Baal, three previously-thought-lost episodes from 1967-1968 and footage from an unfinished documentary project

    “As a director you have to try to be like Alan Clarke - anonymous, subversive, compassionate, and moral.” Paul Greengrass (United 93, Captain Phillips)

    London, 3 February 2016 - Beginning 28 March, the BFI will present the entire BBC and ITV drama, and film productions of the great director/producer/writer Alan Clarke (1935 -1990) with a season at BFI Southbank, DVD and Blu-ray releases, via VOD on BFI Player and in BFI Mediatheques across the UK.

    Although best remembered for three controversial and groundbreaking dramas - the notorious Scum, Made in Britain and The Firm - the breadth of Clarke's radical, political, innovative, inspirational work, with actors including Gary Oldman (The Firm), Ray Winstone (Scum), Tim Roth (Made in Britain) and even David Bowie (Baal), and his influence on directors like Gus Van Sant, Paul Greengrass, Harmony Korine, Clio Barnard and Shane Meadows should see him rightly regarded as one of Britain's greatest ever filmmaking talents. While much of his work was documentary-like in its gritty realism, and in the way he focused on society's marginal groups and underdogs, his versatility saw him turn his hand to comedy (Rita, Sue and Bob Too), minimalism (Elephant, Christine) and adaptations of writers as diverse as Bertolt Brecht and Georg Bí¼chner.

    Speaking in 2000 to 400 Blows Productions, Gary Oldman said: “He radiated with energy. The energy coming off him. The enthusiasm. And one got the impression that he liked actors. Actors want to be liked, that's the game we're in… You felt very confident around Alan. He made you feel confident. That anything was possible and that you could… you could go the whole nine yards with him. You could try anything with Alan.”

    The BFI will offer the most comprehensive collection and widest possible access to Clarke's enduringly powerful work than ever achieved before, including Made in Britain, The Firm, Baal, Penda's Fen, Elephant, Diane, Nina, Christine and The Road. After a screening of the recently discovered director's cut of The Firm, critic and broadcaster Danny Leigh (whose BBC film British Film Mavericks: Alan Clarke was broadcast in 2015), will host an on-stage discussion on Clarke's uncompromising style, looking at his legacy and the filmmakers he has inspired with producer David M Thompson, writer David Leland, and daughter Molly Clarke.

    Clarke discovered incredible British talent. Among the young actors he cast in what became landmark moments early in their careers are Ray Winstone and Phil Daniels in Scum, Tim Roth (Made in Britain), Jane Horrocks (Road), Lesley Sharp (Road; Rita, Sue and Bob Too), Lesley Manville (The Firm) and David Threlfall, best-known for Shameless, who made his acting debut in Scum.

    Great female writers and producers played a key part in Clarke's career and stories focusing on sometimes flawed, sometimes bewildered but always extraordinary women form an important part of his canon. In “Alan Clarke's Women”, collaborators including producer Margaret Matheson, writer Jehane Markham and actors Lesley Sharp and Eleanor Bron will be on-stage (following a screening of Nina) to discuss his handling of feminine and feminist subjects.

    Working in television during a significant period in the evolution of TV drama, Clarke's peers were the likes of Mike Leigh, Ken Loach, Dennis Potter and Stephen Frears, who said, in Alan Clarke (Faber & Faber): “He was sceptical, cynical of authority, rebellious but not ideological, instinctively principled but also practical and canny, solitary but the best company, authoritative but not in search of power…as serious and as funny as anyone I've ever met…He was the best of us.”

    After beginning his career at ATV and Associated Rediffusion, Alan Clarke joined the BBC in 1969 and made his mark in the weekly feature-length drama strands The Wednesday Play and Play for Today, with a new and highly distinctive directorial style. He developed a cult following for his hard-hitting work which dissected the darker side of British life. He told stories about neglected or despised groups in contemporary society, like skinheads and football hooligans, and he focused on the troubles in Northern Ireland on three occasions. Clarke worked with a regular team of high-calibre writers that included David Leland, David Rudkin, Roy Minton, Alun Owen and Edna O'Brien. In 1977, Scum, his violent exposé of shockingly brutal conditions in a borstal, was banned by a nervous BBC and not shown for 14 years. Determined to see the story told, Clarke then made the film version released in 1979 to great acclaim.

    Dissent & Disruption: The Complete Alan Clarke - BFI Southbank Season 28 March - 30 April 2016

    Among Clarke's best-known work that will be screened during the season is Diane (1975), Baal (1982), Made in Britain (1983), Contact (1985), Road (1987), Christine (1987), Elephant, (1989) and The Firm (1989). Rarely-seen productions will include Under the Age (1972) and To Encourage the Others (1972).

    A Missing Believed Wiped Special: Alan Clarke Half Hour Stories, will reveal three once-thought-lost episodes from Associated Rediffusion's Half Hour Story strand where Clarke cut his directorial teeth in the late 1960s; The Gentleman Caller (with George Cole) (1967), George's Room (with John Neville and Geraldine Moffat) (1967) and Thief (with Alan Lake and Sian Philips) (1968).

    A highlight of the season will be a preview of the forthcoming documentary Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light, directed by Andy Kelleher. Contributors include Ray Winstone, Lesley Sharp and David Leland. Here, in the words of his peers, is a biography, a detailed survey of his work and an affirmation of Alan Clarke as one of the greatest British filmmakers of the 20th century.

    BFI Blu-ray and DVD releases in May and June

    The BFI will release two DVD box sets and a complete Blu-ray box set with extensive newly created special features:

    Alan Clarke at the BBC, Volume 1: Dissent (1969-1977) - 6-DVD box set

    Includes newly remastered presentations of all surviving Alan Clarke BBC TV productions up to 1977, as well as filmed introductions by writer David Leland, extracts from BBC discussion shows Tonight and Arena, new multi-part documentary Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light, audio commentaries and a booklet containing new essays and full credits.

    Release date: 23 May

    Alan Clarke at the BBC, Volume 2: Disruption (1978-1989) - 6-DVD box set

    Includes newly remastered presentations of all Alan Clarke BBC TV productions from 1978 to 1989, as well as filmed introductions by writer David Leland, extracts from BBC discussion show Open Air, new multi-part documentary Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light, footage from Alan Clarke's unbroadcast documentary Bukovsky (1977), two versions of The Firm, audio commentaries and a booklet containing new essays and full credits.

    Release date: 20 June

    Dissent & Disruption: The Complete Alan Clarke at the BBC - Limited Edition 13-Disc Blu-ray box set

    Includes all surviving BBC TV productions directed by Alan Clarke, extensive extra features (as detailed above), a comprehensive book with new essays and full credits, and an exclusive bonus DVD containing the seven surviving Half Hour Story episodes directed by Clarke: Shelter (1967), The Gentleman Caller (1967, previously considered lost), George's Room (1967, previously considered partially lost); Goodnight Albert (1968), Stella (1968), The Fifty Seventh Saturday (1968) and Thief (1968, previously considered lost).

    Release date: 23 May

    Also on 23 May, The Firm will be released in a stand-alone Blu-ray edition, presenting the newly-discovered Director's Cut and the original broadcast version in High Definition for the very first time.

    BFI Player and Mediatheques

    A further selection of Clarke's work, including rarities, will be available to view for free from early May at all of the BFI's nine Mediatheques around the UK and a different selection will be accessible online on BFI Player (www.bfi.org.uk/player) from April.
    Rock! Shock! Pop!

  • #2
    Originally posted by Ian Jane View Post
    Dissent & Disruption: The Complete Alan Clarke at the BBC - Limited Edition 13-Disc Blu-ray box set

    Includes all surviving BBC TV productions directed by Alan Clarke, extensive extra features (as detailed above), a comprehensive book with new essays and full credits, and an exclusive bonus DVD containing the seven surviving Half Hour Story episodes directed by Clarke: Shelter (1967), The Gentleman Caller (1967, previously considered lost), George's Room (1967, previously considered partially lost); Goodnight Albert (1968), Stella (1968), The Fifty Seventh Saturday (1968) and Thief (1968, previously considered lost).

    Release date: 23 May

    Also on 23 May, The Firm will be released in a stand-alone Blu-ray edition, presenting the newly-discovered Director's Cut and the original broadcast version in High Definition for the very first time.
    This is a huge deal. Clarke is one of the great directors and the majority of his work has been almost impossible to see for years, collecting dust in the BBC archives and only available through bootleg recordings taped off their original transmissions.

    This isn't just release of the year material - it's possibly the release of the fucking decade.

    Comment


    • #3
      Cover art for The Firm...

      Click image for larger version

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      Rock! Shock! Pop!

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      • #4
        A bit more info, these are coming May 23rd.

        • Two six-disc DVD box sets, Alan Clarke at the BBC, Volume 1: Dissent (1969-77) and Alan Clarke at the BBC, Volume 2: Disruption (1978-1989), chart two decades of the director's work, including such acclaimed productions as Scum, Penda's Fen and Elephant, while a limited edition 13-disc Blu-ray box set, Dissent & Disruption: Alan Clarke at the BBC (1969-1989), will contain all of Clarke's surviving BBC productions as well as an exclusive bonus DVD of his late-60s 'Half Hour Story' episodes - two of which were previously thought lost.
        • Clarke's controversial drama The Firm (1989), which cemented Gary Oldman's reputation as one of the UK's most gifted actors, will also be released in standalone Blu-ray and DVD editions. Remastered in High Definition for the very first time, it will be presented in two variants: the original broadcast version and the newly discovered Director's Cut.
        • Also released in standalone Blu-ray and DVD editions will be Clarke's extraordinary adaptation of David Rudkin's remarkable Penda's Fen. Never before released on any home video format, it follows BFI Southbank's season of Rudkin's extraordinary TV plays taking place this month.
        Rock! Shock! Pop!

        Comment


        • #5
          I've only seen Made In Britain and The Firm, this looks pretty fantastic.

          Comment


          • #6
            Scum is really powerful and Elephant is a fascinating, experimental piece of agitprop. I bought the Anchor Bay box set way back when and was very impressed.
            Check out my F'dup Flix blog for more musings on disreputable films.

            Latest post: The "Halloween" series

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            • #7
              Click image for larger version

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              • #8
                The BFI has finally published the complete specs - they were adding things to this project as recently as a few weeks ago (notably a brand new audio commentary from Gary Oldman on the director's cut of The Firm).

                Dissent & Disruption: Alan Clarke at the BBC (1969-1989)
                13-disc Blu-ray box set
                Alan Clarke at the BBC, Vol 1: Dissent (1969-1977) 6-disc DVD
                Alan Clarke at the BBC, Vol 2: Disruption (1978-1989) 6-disc DVD
                Release date 30 May 2016


                'Clarke had it all - he had range, he had vision. He remains, in my eyes, quite simply the greatest British director of my lifetime.' Paul Greengrass

                'The absence from the cultural landscape of a true giant like Alan is immeasurable. No one has replaced him. I feel privileged to have been associated with him.' Gary Oldman

                Following on from BFI Southbank's current retrospective season celebrating the work of the great director/producer/writer Alan Clarke (1935-1990), 30 May will see the BFI's release of Dissent & Disruption: Alan Clarke at the BBC (1969-1989), a mammoth 13-disc Limited Edition Blu-ray box set, and two DVD volumes - Alan Clarke at the BBC, Volume 1: Dissent (1967-1977) and Volume 2: Disruption (1978-1989). Also released, one week prior to the box sets, will be The Firm Director's Cut (1989) and Penda's Fen (1974); each on Limited Edition Blu-ray and on DVD.

                Although best remembered for three controversial and groundbreaking dramas - the notorious Scum, Made in Britain and The Firm - the breadth of Alan Clarke's radical, political, innovative, inspirational work, with actors including Gary Oldman, Philip Davis (The Firm), Ray Winstone, Phil Daniels (Scum), Tim Roth (Made in Britain) and even David Bowie (Baal), and his influence on directors like Gus Van Sant, Paul Greengrass, Harmony Korine, Clio Barnard and Shane Meadows should see him rightly regarded as one of Britain's greatest ever filmmaking talents. While much of his work was documentary-like in its gritty realism, and in the way he focused on society's marginal groups and underdogs, Clarke's versatility saw him turn his hand to comedy (Rita, Sue and Bob Too), minimalism (Elephant, Christine) and adaptations of writers as diverse as Bertolt Brecht and Georg Bí¼chner.

                These truly magnificent Blu-ray and DVD collections, the most comprehensive packages ever produced by the BFI for a single filmmaker, feature newly remastered presentations of all surviving Alan Clarke BBC TV productions, including Penda's Fen, Diane, Scum, Nina, Baal, Christine, Road, The Firm and Elephant, along with lesser-known work and previously unseen rarities.

                In addition to these enthralling films, there are over 25 special features in the Blu-ray box set. Highlights include a newly recorded commentary by Gary Oldman for The Firm Director's Cut, five filmed introductions by writer David Leland, extracts from BBC discussion shows Tonight and Open Air, the new multi-part documentary Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light, nine audio commentaries and a 200-page book containing new essays and full credits. The Blu-ray set also contains a bonus DVD of six long-unseen episodes from Rediffusion's Half Hour Story strand from the late 1960s. Full details on all special features are below.

                After beginning his career at ATV and Rediffusion, Alan Clarke joined the BBC in 1969 and made his mark in the weekly feature-length drama strands The Wednesday Play and Play for Today, with a new and highly distinctive directorial style. He developed a cult following for his hard-hitting work which dissected the darker side of British life, telling stories about neglected or despised groups in contemporary society, like skinheads and football hooligans, and he focused on the troubles in Northern Ireland for his groundbreaking works Contact and Elephant. Clarke worked with a regular team of high-calibre writers that included David Leland, David Rudkin, Roy Minton, Alun Owen and Edna O'Brien. In 1977, Scum, his violent exposé of shockingly brutal conditions in a borstal, was banned by a nervous BBC and not shown for 14 years. Determined to see the story told, Clarke then made the film version released in 1979 to great acclaim.

                Working in television during a significant period in the evolution of TV drama, Clarke's peers were the likes of Mike Leigh, Ken Loach, Dennis Potter and Stephen Frears, who said, in the Foreword to Alan Clarke (Ed: Richard Kelly, Faber & Faber, 1998): “He was sceptical, cynical of authority, rebellious but not ideological, instinctively principled but also practical and canny, solitary but the best company, authoritative but not in search of power…as serious and as funny as anyone I've ever met”. Interviewed in Corin Campbell Hill's documentary Director: Alan Clarke (1991) made the year after Clarke's death, Frears simply said: ”He was the best of all of us.”
                Dissent & Disruption: Alan Clarke at the BBC (1969-1989) - Limited Edition 13-disc Blu-ray box set
                Includes all surviving BBC TV productions directed by Alan Clarke, extensive extra features (as detailed below), a 200-page book with new essays and full credits, and an exclusive bonus DVD containing six of the seven surviving Half Hour Story episodes directed by Clarke:

                The Last Train Through Harecastle Tunnel (1969) / Sovereign's Company (1970) / The Hallelujah Handshake (1970) / To Encourage the Others (1972) / Under the Age (1972) / Horace (1972) / The Love-Girl and the Innocent (1973) / Penda's Fen (1974) / A Follower for Emily (1974) / Diane (1975) / Funny Farm (1975) / Scum (1977) / Nina (1978) / Danton's Death (1978) / Beloved Enemy (1981) / Psy-Warriors (1981) / Baal (1982) / Stars of the Roller State Disco (1984) / Contact (1985) / Christine (1987) / Road (1987) / The Firm: Director's Cut (1989, previously unreleased) / The Firm: Broadcast version (1989) / Elephant (1989)

                Special features
                • Exclusive bonus DVD with six Clarke-directed Rediffusion Half Hour Story episodes: Shelter (1967, 27 mins); The Gentleman Caller (1967, 25 mins); Goodnight Albert (1968, 26 mins); Stella (1968, 26 mins); The Fifty-Seventh Saturday (1968, 26 mins); and Thief (1968, 26 mins)
                • George's Room (1967, 25 mins): Clarke's colour production for Rediffusion, written by Alun Owen, and starring Geraldine Moffatt and John Neville
                • Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light (2016, 230 mins approx): twelve-part documentary featuring interviews with fifty of Clarke's collaborators, family and friends
                • Alan Clarke at The Questor's Theatre: stills gallery documenting Clarke's time as a theatre director in Ealing
                • David Leland introduces To Encourage the Others (1991, 3 mins)
                • Diane audio commentary with Janine Duvitski and Richard Kelly (2016)
                • David Leland introduces Scum (1991, 7 mins)
                • Scum audio commentary with David Threlfall, Margaret Matheson, Phil Daniels and Nigel Floyd (2004)
                • Tonight: Scum discussion (1978, 11 mins)
                • Arena: 'When is a play not a play?' (1978, 46 mins): fascinating documentary examining the then-new trend in TV plays which combined elements of documentary and drama to create gritty, and often brutal, work
                • Bukovsky (Alan Clarke, 1977, 50 mins): Alan Clarke's never-before-seen documentary
                • Bukovsky outtakes (50 mins): location footage, including sections featuring Clarke himself
                • Bukovsky audio commentary with Jehane Markham, Grenville Middleton and Sam Dunn (2016)
                • David Markham interview with Alan Clarke (20 mins, audio only): recorded during the production of Bukovsky
                • Alan Clarke's letters to the Markhams: stills gallery, with readings by Jehane Markham
                • David Leland introduces Contact (1991, 4 mins)
                • Contact audio commentary with Sean Chapman and Allan Bairstow (2016)
                • AFN Clarke on Contact (2016): the writer of Contact recalls the production and working with Alan Clarke
                • Christine audio commentary with Corin Campbell Hill and Sam Dunn (2016)
                • David Leland introduces Road (1991, 3 mins)
                • Road audio commentary with Corin Campbell Hill, Stuart Walker and Sam Dunn (2016)
                • Open Air: Road discussion (1987, 26 mins): audience feedback programme featuring Road star Mossie Smith, co-producer Andrée Molyneux and Alan Clarke
                • Alan Clarke on location: gallery of previously-unseen photographs
                • David Leland introduces The Firm (1991, 3 mins)
                • The Firm (Director's Cut) audio commentary with Gary Oldman
                • The Firm (Broadcast version) audio commentary with Lesley Manville, Phil Davis, David Rolinson and Dick Fiddy (2007)
                • Elephant audio commentary with Danny Boyle and Mark Kermode (2004)
                • Open Air: Elephant discussion (1989, 21 mins)
                • Alan Clarke interview (1989): Clarke discusses Elephant and The Firm in an interview shot in LA
                • Fully illustrated 200-page book with a foreword by Molly Clarke, an introduction by Danny Leigh and new essays by David Rolinson, Lisa Kerrigan, Alex Davidson, Mark Duguid, Nick Wrigley, Kaleem Aftab, Sukhdev Sandu, Lizzie Francke, Ashley Clark, Sam Dunn, Allan Bairstow, Richard T Kelly and Nick James; and full production credits

                Product details
                RRP: £149.99/ Cat. no. BFIB1250 / Cert 18
                UK / 1969-1989 / colour, black and white / 1995 mins (+ extras) / original aspect ratios 1.33:1 / English language with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / 25fps/1080p/50i / 2 x BD50, 9 x BD25 + 2 x DVD9 / BD: LPCM 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit) / DVD: Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio (320 kbps)
                Alan Clarke at the BBC, volume 1: Dissent (1969-1977) - 6-DVD box set
                Includes newly remastered presentations of all surviving Alan Clarke BBC TV productions up to 1977, as well as filmed introductions by writer David Leland, extracts from BBC discussion shows Tonight and Arena, parts 1-6 of new multi-part documentary Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light, audio commentaries and a 100-page book containing new essays and full credits.

                The Last Train Through Harecastle Tunnel (1969) / Sovereign's Company (1970) / The Hallelujah Handshake (1970) / To Encourage the Others (1972) / Under the Age (1972) / Horace (1972) / The Love-Girl and the Innocent (1973) / Penda's Fen (1974) / A Follower for Emily (1974) / Diane (1975) / Funny Farm (1975) / Scum (1977)

                Special features
                • Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light (2016): parts 1-6 of a new documentary featuring interviews with fifty of Clarke's collaborators, family and friends
                • George's Room (1967, 25 mins): Clarke's colour production for Rediffusion, written by Alun Owen, and starring Geraldine Moffatt and John Neville
                • Alan Clarke at The Questor's Theatre: stills gallery documenting Clarke's time as a theatre director in Ealing
                • David Leland introduces To Encourage the Others (1991)
                • Diane audio commentary with Janine Duvitski and Richard Kelly (2016)
                • David Leland introduces Scum (1991, 7 mins)
                • Scum audio commentary with David Threlfall, Margaret Matheson, Phil Daniels and Nigel Floyd (2004)
                • Tonight: Scum discussion (1978)
                • Arena: 'When is a play not a play?' (1978): fascinating documentary examining the then-new trend in TV plays which combined elements of documentary and drama to create gritty, and often brutal, work
                • Fully illustrated 100-page book with a foreword by Molly Clarke and new essays by Alex Davidson, Mark Duguid, Nick Wrigley, Kaleem Aftab, Sukhdev Sandu, Lisa Kerrigan, David Rolinson, Lizzie Francke and Ashley Clark; and full production credits

                Product details
                RRP: £69.99/ Cat. no. BFIV2065 / Cert 18
                UK / 1969-1977 / colour, black and white / 978 mins (+ extras) / original aspect ratio 1.33:1 / English with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / 25 fps / 6 x PAL DVD9 / Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio (320 kbps
                Alan Clarke at the BBC, volume 2: Disruption (1978-1989) - 6-DVD box set
                Includes newly remastered presentations of all Alan Clarke BBC TV productions from 1978 to 1989, as well as three filmed introductions by writer David Leland, extracts from BBC discussion show Open Air, parts 7-12 of new multi-part documentary Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light, footage from Alan Clarke's unbroadcast documentary Bukovsky (1977), two versions of The Firm, five audio commentaries and a 100-page book.

                Nina (1978) / Danton's Death (1978) / Beloved Enemy (1981) / Psy-Warriors (1981) / Baal (1982) / Stars of the Roller State Disco (1984) / Contact (1985) / Christine (1987) / Road (1987) / The Firm: Director's Cut (1989, previously unreleased) / The Firm: Broadcast version (1989) / Elephant (1989)

                Special features
                • Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light (2016): parts 7-12 of a new documentary featuring interviews with fifty of Clarke's collaborators, family and friends
                • Bukovsky (Alan Clarke, 1977, 50 mins): Alan Clarke's never-before-seen documentary
                • Bukovsky outtakes (50 mins): location footage, including sections featuring Clarke himself
                • Bukovsky audio commentary with Jehane Markham, Grenville Middleton and Sam Dunn (2016)
                • David Markham interview with Alan Clarke (20 mins, audio only): recorded during the production of Bukovsky
                • Alan Clarke's letters to the Markhams: stills gallery, with readings by Jehane Markham
                • David Leland introduces Contact (1991, 4 mins)
                • Contact audio commentary with Sean Chapman and Allan Bairstow (2016)
                • AFN Clarke on Contact (2016): the writer of Contact recalls the production and working with Alan Clarke
                • Christine audio commentary with Corin Campbell Hill and Sam Dunn (2016)
                • David Leland introduces Road (1991, 3 mins)
                • Road audio commentary with Corin Campbell Hill, Stuart Walker and Sam Dunn (2016)
                • Open Air: Road discussion (1987, 26 mins): audience feedback programme featuring Road star Mossie Smith, co-producer Andrée Molyneux and Alan Clarke
                • Alan Clarke on location: gallery of previously-unseen photographs
                • David Leland introduces The Firm (1991, 3 mins)
                • The Firm (Director's Cut) audio commentary with Gary Oldman
                • The Firm (Broadcast version) audio commentary with Lesley Manville, Phil Davis, David Rolinson and Dick Fiddy (2007)
                • Elephant audio commentary with Danny Boyle and Mark Kermode (2004)
                • Open Air: Elephant discussion (1989, 21 mins)
                • Alan Clarke interview (1989): Clarke discusses Elephant and The Firm in an interview shot in LA
                • Fully illustrated 100-page book with an introduction by Danny Leigh and new essays by Kaleem Aftab, Sam Dunn, Lisa Kerrigan, David Rolinson, Mark Duguid, Ashley Clark, Allan Bairstow, Lizzie Francke, Richard T Kelly and Nick James; and full production credits

                Product details
                RRP: £69.99/ Cat. no. BFIV2066 / Cert 18
                UK / 1978-1989 / colour / 861 mins (+ extras) / original aspect ratio 1.35:1 / English language with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / 25fps / 6 x PAL DVD9 / Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio (320 kbps)
                I think this is hands down the most impressive box set that I've ever seen to be devoted to a single filmmaker - and you can tell what a phenomenal labour of love it must have been just by looking at the kind of things they tracked down and created.

                Comment


                • #9
                  With a release like that it's going to be hard not to buy this set.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Yes! They had me sold already at Alan Clarke, but this is SPECTACULAR!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      CineOutsider has reviewed the entire box (and in considerable detail). The conclusion sets the generally upbeat tone:

                      This is not just the best box set of the year, it's far and away one of the best I've ever encountered from any distributor, anywhere. Sell your car, sell your jewellery, sell your family if you have to, and buy this magnificent and lovingly produced release.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        The BFI have announced an indefinite delay to the release.

                        No indication as to why but the safest bet is some kind of last-minute rights issue. Hopefully it's something that can be sorted out easily, anything requiring changes of content, re-authoring etc. could be disastrous. MichaelB has posted over on CriterionForum that, according to his sources, it's totally out of the BFI's hands for the moment.

                        I have no idea what the contracts for old British TV productions look like, but I imagine they're a nightmare to deal with. Over here in NZ clearing the rights for old TV is difficult because all the acting contracts have significant residuals for screenings written into them.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          It would be odd if they've been forced to delay it due to the upcoming Euro 2016 tournament in France. There is history of English hooligans travelling to France during the last European tournament held there. Re-issuing a football hooligan film just now might not go down to well with the Authorities (with a capital A!)

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Given that their standalone release of The Firm hasn't been delayed or recalled, I doubt that would have anything to do with it.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Ignatius View Post
                              I have no idea what the contracts for old British TV productions look like, but I imagine they're a nightmare to deal with. Over here in NZ clearing the rights for old TV is difficult because all the acting contracts have significant residuals for screenings written into them.
                              They are indeed an absolute nightmare, especially if they date from the pre-video era - as applies to virtually all of these. The basic problem is that the original contracts simply won't have factored in the prospect of commercial retail release, and both the BBC and BFI are sticklers for dotting every T and crossing every I (for entirely understandable reasons, given that the entire business model of the BFI in particular depends on them maintaining good relationships with rightsholders).

                              And it's not just fiction that's the problem - I recently tried to license an old South Bank Show for one of my projects, but ITV made it very clear that the cost of securing all the necessary clearances would make it financially prohibitive. I pointed out that the BFI managed to license the Werner Herzog SBS, but they said that that was the reason why they're not doing it any more! Gallingly, I had the original producer/director firmly on side, but there was nothing he could do.

                              Originally posted by Bogart View Post
                              It would be odd if they've been forced to delay it due to the upcoming Euro 2016 tournament in France. There is history of English hooligans travelling to France during the last European tournament held there. Re-issuing a football hooligan film just now might not go down to well with the Authorities (with a capital A!)
                              Wildly unlikely. Once the contracts have been signed, nobody can "force" the BFI to delay the release, and the date of Euro 2016 has been set in stone for years. The most likely explanation is a tiny but annoying rights issue affecting just one of the productions (out of thirty!).

                              Comment

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