Penda's Fen
A film by Alan Clarke
Written by David Rudkin
On Blu-ray & DVD
Originally shown on BBC1 in 1974 and rarely seen since, Penda's Fen has become the stuff of legend, its name invoking the spirit of a time when television had the power to provoke and astound.
Released for the very first time on Blu-ray and DVD on 23 May 2016 by the BFI, this astonishing work from Alan Clarke (Scum, Rita, Sue and Bob Too, The Firm) has been newly transferred in High Definition, and is presented with a newly created documentary featuring interviews with its writer David Rudkin and producer David Rose.
Exploring themes of personal and national identity, language, history and industrial progress, Penda's Fen is an unclassifiable drama that boldly weaves its exquisite, fantastical imagery with the rousing music of Elgar to tell a tale of ancient legends and sexual awakening which stands as one of British television's greatest ever achievements.
Special features
-World premier release
-Newly remastered in High Definition
-The Landscape of Feelings: The road to Penda's Fen (2016, 16 mins): new documentary on the making of Rudkin and Clarke's ground-breaking drama, featuring an interviews with writer David Rudkin and producer David Rose, as well as contributions from Clarke collaborators such as writer David Yallop, actor Sean Chapman and playwright David Leland
-Illustrated booklet with new writing by Sukhdev Sandhu and full credits
Blu-ray product details
RRP: £19.99/ Cat. no. BFIB1222 / Cert 12
UK / 1974 / colour / 89 mins / English, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.33:1 / BD25 / 25fps / 1080p/50i / LPCM 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit)
DVD product details
RRP: £19.99 / Cat. no. BFIV2070 / Cert 12
UK / 1974 / colour / 89 mins / English, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.33:1 / DVD9 / PAL / 25fps / Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio (320kbps)
Comment