The British Film Institute has revealed that it is planning to add five titles to its impressive Blu-ray catalog between April and June: a collection of films by B.S. Johnson, John Krish's Captured (1959), Roberto Rossellini's Stromboli (1949), Pier Paolo Pasolini's Theorem (1968), and Anthony Asquith's Underground (1929).
Ingrid Bergman stars as Karin, a Second World War refugee who marries an Italian fisherman to escape from a displaced person's camp. She is filled with romantic notions as her husband takes her to his home - the island of Stromboli - but her dreams of an idyllic paradise are shattered by the reality of a barren, desolate landscape. She finds herself frowned upon by the local women and decides to leave, but her plan to raise enough money for her departure involves seducing the local priest. Street date: May 13th.
A mysterious stranger (Terence Stamp) arrives at an Italian household, and manages to seduce the entire family (maid included), thereby stripping away their comfortable bourgeois morals and identities. Street date: May 13th.
British silent movie from writer-director Anthony Asquith. Set in 1920s London, the story follows two men, Bill (Brian Aherne) and Bert (Cyril McLaglen), who fall for the same woman, Nell (Elissa Landi), after they encounter her on the Underground. Bill wins her affections but Bert has a nasty streak and is unwilling to let Nell's rejection go. Street date: June 17th.
The films of B. S. Johnson. Street date: April 15th.
Although best known as the ground-breaking author of Albert Angelo, The Unfortunates and Christy Malry's Own Double-Entry, B S Johnson (Feb 1933 - Nov 1973) was also the director of a number of extraordinary and daring films. This extensive collection in a BFI Flipside Dual Format Edition, brings his experimental shorts, humorous animation, provocative agitprop and uniquely personal documentary films together for the very first time.
From his award-winning 1967 experimental film You're Human Like the Rest of Them , which was based on his own poem, written in decasyllabics, to his ground-breaking TV films, including The Unfortunates (BBC) and the extraordinary Fat Man on a Beach (HTV), Johnson's work is fuelled by his passionate belief in the power of words and images to convey the truth of our existence, and is filled with his infectious sense of humour.
Amongst the ten premiere presentations in this unique collection is Not Counting the Savages, Johnson's uncompromising 1972 TV play, directed by Mike Newell. Considered lost for decades, it is presented from the only surviving material a black and white video recording discovered only a few months ago in the Johnson family home.
Extra features include a documentary on the British Library's B S Johnson Archive and an extensive booklet with new writings by contributors including directors Bruce Beresford and Michael Bakewell, Johnson biographer Jonathan Coe, and acclaimed comedy writer David Quantick (The Day Today, Brass Eye).
Content:
You're Human Like the Rest of Them (1967,17 mins): multi-award-winning tale of a teacher confronting his own mortality
Paradigm (1968, 9 mins): William Hoyland gives a performance of supreme virtuosity in this arresting experimental film
The Unfortunates (1969, 15 mins, DVD only): Johnson brings aspects of his book to life in this short BBC TV film
Up Yours Too Guillaume Apollinaire! (1969, 2 mins): humorous animated take on the calligrams of the famous poet and eroticist
Unfair! (1970, 8 mins): provocative agitprop piece with Bill Owen
March! (1970, 13 mins): documentary made for the ACTT union
Poem (1971, 1 min): poignant short set to the words of Samuel Beckett
B. S. Johnson on Dr. Samuel Johnson (1972, 26 mins): a learned and full-bodied appreciation of the great writer
Not Counting the Savages (1972, 29 mins, DVD only): Mike Newell s adaptation of Johnson's intense play, made for BBC TV s Thirty Minutes Theatre
Fat Man on a Beach (1974, 39 mins): part documentary, part creative exploration, this was a highlight of 1970s TV programming
Special Features:
The Johnson Papers (1013): inside the British Library's B S Johnson archive
Extensive booklet with new writing by Steve Johnson, Bruce Beresford, Michael Bakewell, Jonathan Coe, David Quantick, Dr Julia Jordan, Carman Callil, Dan Fox, and the BFI's Vic Pratt and Jim Dempster
John Krish's previously unreleased Captured (1959) is an intricate and powerful PoW drama which was branded 'restricted' for over half a century. Originally intended only for the eyes of high-ranking military personnel, this is the first time that the film has been released to a general audience. Presented with a selection of other hard-hitting Krish films, including H.M.P., a 1978 documentary about the prison service, this set also includes the first ever High Definition presentations of some of his most unforgettable and effective warning films (including the chilling The Finishing Line) as well as a newly-shot interview with the director. Street date: April 15th.
