New BFI Blu-rays and DVDs announced for January to March 2022
Highlights include a UHD of a classic Australian western, a third volume of classic BBC TV plays and gems from the BFI National Archive.
We start 2022 with a rich and diverse slate of releases that take us to the desert sands of Australia, the Antarctic ice sheets and the streets of London.
John Hillcoat’s modern classic The Proposition (2005) – newly restored in 4K by the BFI and The Film Consortium – arrives on 4K UHD and Blu-ray this February. Written by Nick Cave and featuring a stellar cast including Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone and Emily Watson, these limited edition 2-disc sets are presented with bespoke packaging and an extensive selection of new and archive special features.
January sees Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries (1957) receive a standalone Blu-ray release. One of the director’s most popular and accessible films, this introspective meditation on old age and human existence is presented in high definition and with a fully illustrated booklet.
This special 3-disc dual format edition – out in February – features South (1919), the classic film record of Shackleton’s polar expedition directed by Frank Hurley, restored by the BFI National Archive. It’s presented with a newly recorded score by Neil Brand, alongside an extensive collection of archive films (sourced from archives around the world) that shed light on the expeditions and explorers that endeavoured to make it to the South Pole in the early 20th century.
A third set of classic BBC TV plays arrives on Blu-ray in March. Play for Today: Volume 3 features six landmark plays – all available in high definition for the very first time – including the BAFTA-winning Edna, the Inebriate Woman (1971), Horace Ové’s A Hole in Babylon (1979) and Just Another Saturday (1975), featuring Billy Connolly in his very first TV role.
David Oyelowo stars as a teacher making a painful journey towards self-discovery in the BAFTA-winning Shoot the Messenger (2006). A bold and provocative drama written by Sharon Foster and directed by Ngozi Onwurah (Welcome II to the Terrordome), the film will be available on Blu-ray for the very first time in March 2022.
Also in March, we celebrate the pioneering work of Britain’s documentary-making women with The Camera Is Ours: Britain’s Women Documentary Makers. Featuring a number of landmark films – preserved and digitised by the BFI National Archive – by the likes of Ruby Grierson, Kay Mander and Muriel Box, this 2-disc DVD release also features a brand new documentary on the career of filmmaker Jill Craigie, plus a booklet of new essays.
