BFI To Release The Coi Collection Volume 8 - Your Children And You This April

The latest volume in the BFI’s ongoing series of film collections from the archives of the Central Office of Information, Your Children and You, released on 15 April, takes a look at social attitudes towards parenting and children in the post-war era. Hand-knitted woollies, a short back and sides, strict family roles, kids being encouraged to play outside, cut-glass English accents and endlessly charming boys and girls are all in evidence. And, somewhat surprisingly perhaps, there are no slaps, slippers or canes are to be found anywhere.

From post-war films to promote healthy eating, good schooling and getting your little ones off to sleep – three crucial issues for today’s parents – to a 1980s documentary on Mary Warnock’s work around ethical issues in the early days of IVF, this unique collection charts our ever-evolving attitudes to child-rearing.

On 15 April 2013 the BFI releases Your Children and You, a fascinating DVD collection of Government-sponsored films from 1946-1985 advising parents, teachers, students and carers on pregnancy, birth, parenting, childhood, child development, child psychology and school days.

From 1940s films promoting healthy eating, good schooling and getting your little ones off to sleep - three crucial issues for today's parents - to a 1980s documentary on Mary Warnock's work around ethical issues in the early days of IVF, this unique collection charts our ever-evolving attitudes to child-rearing.

The majority of films here were made during the 1940s, when a spike in the birth rate immediately after World War II meant there was a pressing need to give clear and effective instructions to first-time parents on the dos and don'ts of bringing up baby.

Highlights of the collection include: Your Children and You (1946), an unexpectedly contemporary guide to the practicalities of caring for babies and youngsters; Children Growing Up with Other People (1947), an observational film about childhood and adolescence; The Three A's: A County Modern School (1947), a portrait of the pioneering and idyllic-looking Allertonshire County Modern School in North Yorkshire; Charley Junior's Schooldays (1949), in which Halas and Batchelor colour animation illustrates the workings of the new Education Act; and Children's Thought and Language (1971), which looks at the development of language and reasoning amongst young children.

Also included are four complementary bonus films about childbirth and motherhood from the collection held in the Wellcome Library, giving an insight into the pre-NHS health and welfare landscape before 1948. Three of the films feature newly recorded soundtracks. Bathing and Dressing (1935) is a meticulous demonstration of how to bathe and change a very young baby, Toxaemia of Pregnancy (1958) is an educational film about this serious condition, Maternity: A Film of Queen Charlotte's Hospital (1935) is about antenatal and postnatal care in the 1930s, and Childbirth as an Athletic Feat (1939) demonstrates antenatal exercises suitable for mothers-to-be.

Disc One
• Your Children and You (1946)
• Children Growing Up with Other People (1947)
• Your Children's Meals (1947)
• The Three A's: A County Modern School (1947)
• Charley Junior's Schooldays (1949)
…plus bonus Wellcome Library films:
• Bathing and Dressing, Parts 1 & 2 (1935) (new soundtrack)
• Toxaemia of Pregnancy (1958) (original audio)

Disc Two
• Your Children's Sleep (1948)
• A Family Affair (1950)
• Child Welfare (1962)
• Children's Society: Aunts and Uncles (1960)
• Children's Thought and Language (1971)
• A Woman's Place (Test Tube Babies) (1985)
…plus bonus Wellcome Library films:
• Maternity: A film of Queen Charlotte's Hospital (1932) (new musical accompaniment)
• Childbirth as an Athletic Feat (1939) (new musical accompaniment)

In addition to the four Wellcome Library films, there is an illustrated booklet with essays and film notes by BFI National Archive curators and Wellcome Library experts.

Pre-order/buy:COI Collection: Volume 8 - Your Children and You [DVD]

BFI to release Roman Polanski's Tess (1979) on DVD & Blu-ray This March

On 18 March the BFI will release Tess, the triple Oscar-winning 1979 adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, directed by Roman Polanski (Chinatown, The Pianist). This beautiful-looking film, mastered from a stunning 4K ultra high resolution digital restoration, is presented in a Dual Format Edition, bringing it to Blu-ray for the first time in the UK. Special features include three documentaries covering the adaptation, the technical challenges and the filming experience.

Nastassia Kinski (Cat People, Paris, Texas) gives a career-defining performance as the ill-fated peasant girl of noble origin, whose beauty is both her fortune and her undoing and has strong support from Peter Firth (Equus, The Hunt for Red October, Spooks) and Leigh Lawson (Being Julia, Casanova, Silent Witness).

Reportedly the most expensive film ever made in France at the time, both the long shoot and post-production work had their problems. Original cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth died suddenly during filming and was replaced by Ghislain Cloquet. The Wessex setting needed to be authentically recreated in France, right down to a replica Stonehenge. The film was the first in France to use Dolby Stereo and with an initial cut of over three hours, months more work was needed to reduce it by 20 minutes.

The film went on to win Oscars for Art Direction, Cinematography and Costume Design, the latter won by Anthony Powell, whose original designs are seen here in a short film, a BAFTA for Cinematography and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film.

Hardy’s enduring 1891 novel continues to sell strongly and last year booksellers reported a huge spike in sales after its appearance and significance in the 4 million-selling erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey.

Special Features:
• New 4K digital restoration
• Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition
• Tess: From Novel to Screen (Laurent Bouzereau, 2004, 29 minutes, DVD only): Polanski on the adaptation of Hardy's classic novel with contributions from Hardy scholars and cast and crew
• Filming Tess (Laurent Bouzereau, 2004, 26 mins, DVD only): cast and crew discuss the technical challenges they faced
• Tess: The Experience (Laurent Bouzereau, 2004, 20 mins, DVD only): those who worked on Tess discuss their experiences
• Costume Designs (2013, 2 mins): Anthony Powell's award-winning designs
• Original theatrical trailer
• Illustrated booklet with essays and credits

Pre-order / Buy:Tess (DVD & Blu-ray) [1979]

Park Circus To Re-Release Jerry Schatzberg's Digitally Restored Scarecrow

Park Circus have announced 26th April 2013 sees the UK re-release of Jerry Schatzberg's Scarecrow,starring Al Pacino and Gene Hackman. Scarecrow has been digitally remastered to celebrate the Palme d'Or winning film's 40th Anniversary.

From professional photographer Jerry Schatzberg won the Palme d’Or in 1973 for this rarely screened eccentric on-the-road American classic, starring the acclaimed duo Gene Hackman and Al Pacino. A tale of intense and newfound friendship between lowly Max (Hackman – stated as his favourite ever role) and Lion (Pacino), Scarecrow is digitally restored and ripe for rediscovery on the big screen.
Opening amidst an isolated backdrop of dusty American landscape, Max, just released from prison, happens upon Lion. A muted meeting at first soon blossoms into the beginning of a new friendship that takes them hitchhiking across America to realise Max’s dream of opening his own car wash in Pittsburgh. Encountering a series of oddball characters along the way, often delving deep into the protagonists’ peculiarities and personal problems, Scarecrow is an intriguing, gritty gem from a significant period of great American cinema.

Scarecrow has been newly restored by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film will open in the UK on 26th April at BFI Southbank and selected cinemas nationwide.

Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas! Watch 100 Year Old Santa Claus Films

Well I hope all the boy and girls in film fanland tonight will brush their teeth, hang up their stockings and get some shut eye as our favourite overweight man with a big white beard and a iconic red and white suite will be delivering his presents as we sleep. Ole Santa Clause is the icon for this time of the year outside the religion importance of this time of the year and is subject to many Christmas based films every year. Lets step back in time to over 100 years ago and thanks to BFI (via Filmschoolrejects) we have 5 films all short films which show Old Saint Nick or the spirit of Christmas.

George Albert Smith‘s 1898 short Santa Claus (aka The Visit From Santa Claus), which is one of the first on screen adaptations of Santa showing the big man deliver gifts to a house but compare it to The Night Before Christmas not the Tim Burton  film but Edwin S Porter's version. produced by none other than Thomas Edison which expands on the delivering with going into Santa's workshop as well as a wonderful sleigh ride. A Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus based on Virginia O’Hanlon story Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus which expands more on the characters magic and a myth of a boy who lasso's Santa taking him back to Virginia and to homes of poor kids which apparently he doesn't do! In the 1914 docunmentary come fantasy Making Christmas Crackers, we see a set of women create the crackers we like to pull at our dinners with the final part we see Santa appear when some kids pull a giant cracker. Finally we have   Wladyslaw Starewicz's  The Insects’ Christmas a creepy but intriguing Polish short which sees a Santa ornament celebrate Christmas in the company of insects.

We all take Christmas for granted and expect certain things, traditions so it's always fascinating to go back to a period before high tech films, computers, technology in general dominated our lives, when life was more innocent and the true message of Christmas wasn't about commercialization.










The Insects' Christmas from David Cairns on Vimeo.

Penny Woolcock's From the Sea to the Land Beyond BFI's First 2013 Release

This fascinating and moving film by award-winning director Penny Woolcock is a lyrical portrait of Britain’s coastline,created through an exquisite combination of evocative archive footage – drawn from the BFI National Archive – and stirring music. Brighton-based band British Sea Power set the course for this cinematic voyage with an original score that ebbs and flows with the natural sounds of seagulls, ships and
just the occasional snippet of speech. Uplifting and inspirational, From the Sea to the Land Beyond is released on DVD on 21 January 2013.


Travelling from 1901 through both World Wars, into peacetime and the modern age, From the Sea to the Land Beyond shows our coast as a place of leisure, industry and wild nature. With an emphasis on the romantic and the ritualistic, the archive footage used in the film’s assembly is rich and varied. Both film and music incorporate themes of work, play, childhood, romance,melancholy, hope, transportation, wilderness, the power of the elements and the beauty of wildlife.

Amongst many memorable and poignant images are those of a woman scaling a sheer cliff face to collect eggs, a group of Edwardian gentlemen playing beach combat games on the verge of World War I, bathers in top hats, a troupe of dancers on a pristine beach, the arrival by ship of émigrés from the Caribbean and India, the building of the Channel Tunnel, and present-day holidaymakers battling the wind and rain in Blackpool.

The film is comprised mainly of clips from four major BFI National Archive collections: the world-famous Mitchell and Kenyon films; Topical Budget (British silent era newsreels); public information films from the COI collection; travelogues from the British Transport Film Unit.

In her introductory essay in the DVD booklet, director Penny Woolcock (Tina Goes Shopping, The Principles of Lust) writes:‘In these days of formatted, factual entertainment and docu-soaps, tabloid television is created with twitchy fingers on the remote control in mind. Filmmakers find it hard to resist demands for commentaries that inform the viewer what they are about to see and reminding them of it as soon as it is over, and shovelling all the best bits in the film into the first couple of minutes andrepeating later. The opportunity of making something without these attendant anxieties was irresistible.’

Included amongst the DVD’s special features are some of the archive films which were used in From the Sea to the Land Beyond. One of them, Beside the Seaside, directed by Marion Grierson in 1935, is a wittily observant documentary that shows Londoners flocking to the coast to enjoy themselves during a heatwave. This, and the other archive films included as extras, feature newly recorded introductions by Penny Woolcock.

From the Sea to the Land Beyond was conceived and produced by Heather Croall, director of  Sheffield Doc/Fest, and Mark Atkin, director of Crossover Labs. It premiered in Sheffield's Crucible Theatre with a live score – to a standing ovation – in June 2012. The project was funded by The Space, an initiative of the BBC and The Arts Council. British Sea Power, a band famed for their live shows, have subsequently performed their original score at further screenings of the film.


Special features

• Making the Sea and the Land Beyond (2013, 25 mins): documentary with interviews withBritish Sea Power, Penny Woolcock and producers Mark Atkin and Heather Croall S.S Saxonia in Liverpool (James Kenyon, Sagar Mitchell, 1901, 3 mins): passengers and crew boarding the SS Saxonia

• Cunard Mail Steamer Lucania Leaving for America (James Kenyon, Sagar Mitchell,1901,3 mins): early footage of the Lucania passenger liner

• Beside the Seaside (Marion Grierson, 1935, 23 mins): Londoners flock to the South Coast to enjoy themselves by the seaside during a heatwave

• Worker’s Weekend (Ralph Eaton, 1943, 13 mins): the workers of the Vickers Armstrong factory in Broughton assemble a Wellington Bomber in the record time of 24½ hours

• Caller Herrin' (Alan Harper, 1947, 20 mins): the story of the herring fisheries in the North Sea
• Introductions to all the short films by Penny Woolcock
• British Sea Power in rehearsal (Ian Potts, 2012, 6 mins): footage of the band working on the film score
• Film and location identification track
• Illustrated booklet with an introductory essay by Penny Woolcock, film notes and credits

Pre-Order: From the Sea to the Land Beyond [DVD]

London: The Modern Babylon DVD Review

With 2012, Diamond Jubilee, Para-Olympics, Olympic Games and all, placing London under the gaze of the world’s media; London: The Modern Babylon gives the capital city another chance to take centre-stage.

Julien Temple’s kaleidoscopic ode to London mixes archive footage with interviews, film and television clips, documenting its history throughout the Twentieth Century up to the present day, from idyllic Edwardian summers, through war, immigration, rock and roll, and boom and bust. Temple mixes his footage, juxtaposing his images to create a fluid tableau of events covering the last hundred years or so. Early Twentieth Century immigrants appear alongside their modern day counterparts, suffragettes and Mary Jane’s Mishap, accounts of racial tension and class divides with the voyeuristic first-person filter of Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom. From 1905 to 2012 it’s a glimpse at a city which has changed immeasurably over the decades, but still retains an enduring sense of identity.

As is to be expected from the man who helmed such films as The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle and Oil City Confidential, music plays a pivotal role in the creation of this two hour, London-centric collage. Footage of bombed-out terraces and air-raid shelters roll along to the beat of Mr Churchill Says, while riots and anti-war demos (not surprisingly) dance to the tune of Street Fighting Man. The result is an entrancing amalgam of sights and sounds that feels immensely substantial, pertinent and raw, even if so much of this trip down memory lane might really be old news.

The stars of the show are without question the city’s inhabitants. Tony Benn, and the late Malcolm McLaren pop up to wax lyrical about their home town, along with numerous commoners who have made the city their home over the years. It’s an intriguing and expressive way of reinforcing the notion that an organisation is only as good as its people.

London may receive an inordinate amount of exposure in comparison to this nation’s other cities of note, but Temple’s ability to weave and create such an alluring, musical, rhythmic tribute should be of interest to even those who hail from very distant towns.

Chris Banks (@Chris_in_2D)

★★★★☆

Rating:15
UK DVD Release Date:29th October 2012
Directed by: Julien Temple
Cast: Michael Gambon, Hetty Bower , Miss Marsh , Tony Benn
Buy:London: The Modern BabylonOn DVD

Hitchcock's The Ring - Live Streaming Event tomorrow!

As part of the BFI's THE GENIUS OF HITCHCOCK season, tomorrow night at 8pm will see the live streaming of Hitchcock’s 1927 boxing melodrama, THE RING, via The Space(http://thespace.org/), in co-ordination with a screening of the film at London's Hackney Empire (a venue that Hitchcock himself frequented).

The Ring, a film that helped inspire The Artist according to its director Michel Hazanavicius, has also been given a new musical score by British jazz and hip-hop musician Soweto Kinch. A unique and exciting opportunity to see a classic film for free, the stream will begin on thespace.org at 8pm and viewers are encouraged to use hashtag #thering to talk about the film on Twitter.

For more details, visit http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/hitchcocks-ring-streams-live-online/
THE GENIUS OF HITCHCOCK, is a major celebration of the iconic British film director, the Master of Suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock. This event will showcase the complete works of his silent films, including the restoration and scoring of Hitchcock’s nine surviving silent’s films by the BFI National Archive as part of the London 2012 Festival celebrations.

The BFI has also created a dedicated microsite called - The 39 Steps to Hitchcock, this a step-by-step guide through one man's genius and features exclusive film extracts, interviews with close collaborators (Kim Novak, Tippi Hedren and more) and is a simple journey through his life and career through galleries curated by Hitchcock experts - bfi.org.uk/39steps .

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The Genius of Hitchcock Published via LongTail.tv

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