An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley

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antnield
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An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley

#1 Post by antnield » Thu Jan 20, 2011 9:29 am

Release date 28th March according to Central Books. Info on the contents and individual films on Richard Woolley's website.
Last edited by antnield on Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:08 am, edited 1 time in total.

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antnield
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Re: The Richard Woolley Collection

#2 Post by antnield » Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:02 am

Here's the packshot:

Image

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zedz
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Re: An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley

#3 Post by zedz » Thu Jan 20, 2011 2:45 pm

I know nothing about his films, but who could resist that cover?

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MichaelB
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Re: An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley

#4 Post by MichaelB » Thu Feb 03, 2011 7:48 am

Full specs announced:
An Unflinching Eye
The films of Richard Woolley


Between 1970 and 1988 British filmmaker Richard Woolley created a body of exciting and challenging work, variously seen in cinemas, on television and in international film festivals, but almost impossible to see since. These seven films have been collected together and are released in a four-disc DVD box set by the BFI on 28 March.

Tackling controversial themes, such as class, race, sexuality and the human instinct for violence, Richard Woolley directed a number of radical and uncompromising films, which explore the ways we relate to, and ultimately destroy, one another even as we strive to develop the means to better understand and communicate with those around us.

This collection, detailed below, offers the long-overdue opportunity to experience first hand the power of such extraordinary and unique films as 1976’s Illusive Crime, which caused outrage upon its release; Telling Tales, the much acclaimed soap-meets-Straub debut feature from 1978; 1981’s controversial and critically-acclaimed Brothers and Sisters, set against a backdrop of Yorkshire Ripper-style murders; and Woolley’s final film, Girl from the South (1988) which views black Britons through the prism of an interracial relationship.

- Kniephofstrasse (1973, 35 mins): Complex but compelling formalist film, which investigates the relationship between sound and image
- Drinnen und Draussen / Inside and Outside (1974, 40 mins): Experimental narrative film exploring conformity in East and West Germany
- Illusive Crime (1976, 50 mins): Uncompromising, originally structured drama in which a violent sexual act is committed
- Telling Tales (1978, 90 mins): Deft interweaving of stories, set against backdrop of failing marriage, provides platform for dissection of class and gender roles
- Brothers and Sisters (1981, 96 mins): Radical politics meet alternative thriller in the story of a prostitute’s murder in a Yorkshire city
- Waiting for Alan (1984, 45 mins): Unconventional, minutely observed domestic drama centred on ritualised boredom of a middle-class housewife
- Girl from the South (1988, 84 mins): Young girl from rich family falls in love with unemployed black boy and tries to persuade him they are equals
- New video interviews with Richard Woolley

Release date: 28 March 2011
RRP: £29.99 / cat. no. BFIV917 / Cert 15 / 4-disc box set
UK / 1973-1988 / colour, and black & white / 450 mins / English language /
4 x DVD 5 / original aspect ratios

sam madson
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Re: An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley

#5 Post by sam madson » Thu Feb 24, 2011 6:36 am

Glad to see Richard Woolley's films have finally been brought together and issued on DVD -full marks to British Film Institute for getting this boxset out. Suspect it may be a limited edition, so definitely worth getting hold of.

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Wu.Qinghua
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Re: An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley

#6 Post by Wu.Qinghua » Fri Mar 18, 2011 7:45 pm

I just wanted to pre-order the Woolley set, but reading the description over at the BFI's filmstore and looking at the cover art on Richard Woolley's website I noticed that there's no reference to any subtitles anyplace.

Does anyone know whether this will be the fact? Or am I just too foolish to spot them?

I can't help, but it would be a big letdown, if there were no h-o-h subtitles included in the set.

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MichaelB
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Re: An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley

#7 Post by MichaelB » Mon Mar 21, 2011 3:56 am

Sadly, I can confirm that there won't be subtitles on any of the films in this set.

Although the BFI produces most of its DVD releases in-house, this is one of the rare instances where it's merely the distributor and has no control over the discs' actual content.

sam madson
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Re: An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley

#8 Post by sam madson » Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:05 am

What sort of subtitles are we talking about here? In my advance copy of the set the two German language films on first disc do have English subtitles, but there are no additional English subtitles for the English language films - i.e. all the other films on the boxset. That said, the dialogue is very clear - and mostly very upfront on the soundtrack - on all films.

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MichaelB
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Re: An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley

#9 Post by MichaelB » Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:15 pm

Yes, sorry - I forgot about the German-language films, which obviously have English subtitles. But there aren't any hard-of-hearing subtitles.

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Wu.Qinghua
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Re: An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley

#10 Post by Wu.Qinghua » Tue Mar 22, 2011 6:46 pm

Oh, I am slow these days ... Thank you for your answers ... And yes, I was talking about English h-o-h subtitles, which also come in handy for non-native English speakers. Well, it's a pity, that they are omitted on the Woolley discs, though its good to hear that this omission is not due to a change in the BFI's policy. I have to admit that I felt stricken with panic when I realized they might be missing this time ...

I've checked the short excerpts on Woolley's website already and, from that experience, I admit that the dialogues seem to be rather clear and easy to understand, so I may buy them anyway. But being a non-native English speaker/listener with lots of interest in the BFI's discs, I like to stress, that I do appreciate optional English subtitles very much, as they allow me to consult them in case of trouble and to watch and discuss movies with friends of mine, who aren't used to watch English movies that much.


doc mccoy
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Re: An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley

#12 Post by doc mccoy » Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:43 am

Just got this and planning to plough into it soon. One minor nitpick - I know the BFI has to economize in these times, but I really miss the reinforced carboard casings that they used to have - with the GPOs and the earlier Land of Promise box; they've now had to use the thinner cardboard that Criterion uses.


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MichaelB
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Re: An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley

#14 Post by MichaelB » Tue May 04, 2021 9:21 am

After a period in the OOP wilderness, this is being reissued (again on DVD only) on July 19, with additions including two audio commentaries by Woolley and hard-of-hearing subtitles.

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MichaelB
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Re: An Unflinching Eye: The Films of Richard Woolley

#15 Post by MichaelB » Wed Jul 14, 2021 9:23 am

Full specs announced for the reissued version:
AN UNFLINCHING EYE
The Films of Richard Woolley


Re-issued in a 4-disc DVD set on 26 July 2021

Tackling controversial themes, such as class, race, sexuality and the human instinct for violence, Richard Woolley wrote and directed a number of radical and uncompromising films in the 1970s and 80s. Variously seen in cinemas, on television and in international film festivals during that period, they became almost impossible to see afterwards. In them, Woolley explores the ways we relate to, and ultimately destroy one another, even as we strive to develop the means to better understand and communicate with those around us.

After a limited release in 2011, the BFI re-issues the films in a 4-disc DVD set on 26 July. The collection includes short films, interviews and two previously unreleased audio commentaries by the director along with a newly produced illustrated booklet.

This set offers the opportunity to experience first-hand the power of these extraordinary and unique films. It includes Illusive Crime, which caused outrage upon its release in 1976; Telling Tales, Woolley’s much acclaimed soap-meets-Straub debut feature from 1978; 1981’s controversial Brothers and Sisters, with its echoes of the fear generated by the Yorkshire Ripper murders; and Woolley’s final film, Girl from the South (1988), which views the experience of Black Britons through the prism of an interracial relationship.

Special features
• Audio commentary on Brothers and Sisters and Telling Tales (2011): never-before-released audio commentaries by director Richard Woolley
• Kniephofstrasse (1974, 24 mins): complex but compelling formalist film, which investigates the relationship between sound and image
• Drinnen und Draussen (Inside and Outside) (1974, 34 mins): experimental narrative film exploring conformity in East and West Germany
• Waiting for Alan (1984, 42 mins): unconventional, minutely observed domestic drama centred on the ritualised boredom of a middle-class housewife
• Video interviews with Richard Woolley (79 mins total): split over four discs, Richard Woolley discusses his career and films
• New illustrated booklet featuring an essay by Anthony Nield and Richard Woolley’s article ‘Writer as Director: a Case Study – Brothers and Sisters ’, originally published in the Screenwriters Research Network’s Journal of Screenwriting in 2015, notes on the special features and full credits

Product details
RRP: £24.99 / Cat. no. BFIV2126 / 15
UK / 1976-1988 / black and white, colour / 298 mins / English language with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / original aspect ratios / DVD5 x 4, PAL, 25fps, Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio

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