The BFI's new 'Land of Promise' 4-disc set

[John Hodson]

DVD Times on the BFI's mouth-watering 4-disc Land of Promise set, here.

[Rob Compton]

Many thanks John. This looks to be a "must-buy" collection



rgds

Rob

[Mark O]

Thanks for the info John.........It'll certainly be on my list, I love all the nostalgic 'Britain as it once was' shorts, though wether I'd want be living in a Britain 'that once was' is a different thing entirely!

[John Hodson]

BTW, FilmFirst are re-issuing The Humphrey Jennings Collection presumably to cash in on this release (and why not - for some strange reason MovieMail have the re-issue at £2 more than the current disc!), and if you haven't got it, then I can highly recommend it (you'll find come crossover with the BFI set) - sheer bloody poetry.

[david_dsmedia]

Anybody ordering this?

Land of Promise: The British Documentary Movement 1930-1950

BFI Filmstore Documentary

- BFI 4-disc set with 13 hours of re-mastered footage, in deluxe presentation box with 96-page booklet. Webpage cited above has complete list of films.

Costs £35 though other outfits selling it for a bit less. (Sadly, it's a bit outside my monthly budget at present.)

[Dave Rattigan]

Thanks for the heads-up. I think I know what my dad's getting this Christmas!

[John Hodson]

My copy was mailed by Amazon.co.uk this morning.



Which is nice.

[wagner1966]

Hopefully Amazon have sent mine out as well - Could be my most exciting delivery since finally getting Wagners Ring on DVD!



Roll on - why didn't I go for express delivery

[John Hodson]

DVDBeaver has a host of screenshots here.

[WickedLadyKiller]

This looks really good - lots of intriguing films.



Good to see some of Rotha's work getting a wider release - just a shame that they haven't included World of Plenty, a picture I've been looking to get hold of for some time. I know that WoP is unlikely to set many people's pulses racing, but it's a fascinating piece and quite inspiring at times. Still quite pertinant too.

[John Hodson]

Mine arrived today; it's a stunning package and an absolute bargain.

[wagner1966]

Arrived today

As John says - a stunning package. The book is a joy - not just the usual booklet but a proper book in the BFI film classics style. I look forward to indulging when I get enough time..



Ben

[Octave]

I wonder if someone here who owns this set can do me a favor for a paper I'm writing and get me a couple of screen grabs.



Near the beginning of "Eastern Valley" on the first DVD, there's a cut between a hand clutching coins and a hand grabbing at mud. Any chance someone could capture both of those images?



Then, on the second Disc, about halfway through "Summer on the Farm," there's a nifty little graphic of a map of Manchester and the surrounding countryside, with arrows pointing between the city and symbols of food and wool sources in the country, and little stick-figures of people going between them. Any way someone could grab that image too?



The two together make for a rather effective, if crude, demonstration of a distinction between a more radical socialist rhetoric of the pre-war years and the consensus politics of economic planning wartime. I was able to study the films at MOMA but can't afford ordering the set right now just for a couple of screen grabs, and since I'm in New York, libraries aren't an option. Maybe next year I'll be able to - there's much on it that's awfully tempting.



Many thanks,

Tom

[canon]

I can do this. I'll try and do it today, and email you the three images separately, as JPEGs.

[Octave]

Many thanks to Canon for the first-rate captures. I appreciate it, and they'll make the paper that much clearer.

[John Hodson]

Currently £17.99 at Moviemail. Bargain.

[Caine]

I ordered it today from Amazon, along with a Powell & Pressburger boxset £17.97



& a copy of P&Ps Tales of Hoffman for my Mum...damn you Crooky....damn you to Hell!

[Steve Crook]

name='Caine']I ordered it today from Amazon, along with a Powell & Pressburger boxset £17.97



& a copy of P&Ps Tales of Hoffman for my Mum...damn you Crooky....damn you to Hell!

The boxed sets are a great way to introduce people to the wonders of P&P. The HMV set in the white box is now at give-away prices. The ITV set in the black box is a bit more expensive but still a bargain, and it does have The Tales of Hoffmann and Black Narcissus which were omitted from the HMV set.



Steve

[Dandelion]

It's in my rental queue from a DVD club. Looking forward to watching it.

[CaptainWaggett]

name='John Hodson']Currently £17.99 at Moviemail. Bargain.

Wow! The word bargaintastic could have been invented for this! Thanks John