Cinema Retro has received the following press release from The British Film Institute. Click on the links below each title to order direct from the BFI store. These titles are in Region 2 format :
Three
new BFI Flipside titles released on 25 January:
Privilege, That Kind of Girl & Permissive
Â
The BFI’s Flipside DVD & Blu-ray
strand is now firmly established and acclaimed, with a diverse selection of
previously 'lost' British films – from 'B' movies to studio pictures and beyond
– released during 2009. On 25 January 2010 three more rare and
little-seen films are rescued from obscurity and made available to enjoy in high
quality editions – Privilege*, That Kind of Girl and
Permissive.
Â
Each title is newly-mastered to High
Definition from original film elements and presented with previously unavailable
short films, documentaries and interviews, some of which are preserved in the
BFI National Archive. All volumes come in collectable numbered packaging,
accompanied by extensive illustrated booklets with enlightening contributions
from special guest writers.
Â
Privilege (Peter Watkins,
1967)
Â
Steve Shorter, the biggest pop star of his
day, is loved by millions; his approval or endorsement can guide the choices and
actions of the masses. But, in reality, he is a puppet whose popularity is
carefully managed by government-backed handlers keen to keep the country’s youth
under control. Only an act of complete rebellion can set him free.
Â
Starring Manfred Mann’s lead singer Paul
Jones as Shorter, and iconic Sixties supermodel Jean Shrimpton as the
girl who tries to help him defy the system, Privilege is the third
feature from provocative British director Peter Watkins (The War Game,
Culloden), a filmmaker whose unique vérité-style and oppositional
themes have continually met with controversy throughout his career.
Â
Now being made available in the UK for the
first time since its original cinema release, Privilege is presented here
with two of Watkins' earliest film works.Â
Â
Special features
- Original Privilege trailer
- The Diary of an Unknown Soldier (Peter Watkins, 1969, 17 mins): a
young solider in the trenches of the First World War, preparing for combat,
shares his innermost feelings in this compelling short
- The Forgotten Faces (Peter Watkins, 1961, 19 mins): a gripping
newsreel-style account of the peoples’ uprising in Hungary, 1956, given
forceful authenticity by Watkins’ unique approach
- Extensive illustrated booklet with new essays by film historian Robert
Murphy and Watkins specialist John Cook
Â
*Due to an issue with materials,
Privilege will only be released on DVD in January, with a
Blu-ray edition to follow later in the year
Â