Of Time and the City

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MichaelB
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Of Time and the City

#1 Post by MichaelB » Tue Feb 17, 2009 12:06 pm

Full specs announced:
Terence Davies’s ode to his native Liverpool has wowed audiences and critics alike after being hailed as the highlight of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival where it received its premiere.

This is a spectacular return to form by Davies, long-hailed as one of Britain’s greatest filmmakers. Of Time and the City is an illuminating and heartfelt work, powerfully evoking life in post-war Britain while exploring the nature of love, memory, and the toll that the passing years take on the cities and communities that we cherish.

No simple documentary, it is an entrancing piece of autobiographical cinema that reaches far beyond the city in which it is set, weaving a rich tapestry from archive and contemporary footage, music, voice, literary quotation, personal reminiscence and wickedly funny observation.

Released in cinemas nationwide by the BFI in October 2008, it has been acclaimed around the world, and producers Roy Boulter and Solon Papadopoulos were nominated for a BAFTA Award this year.

Special features
The making of Of Time and the City (2009) – in new interviews, Terence Davies and the film’s producers and archive producer discuss the making of the film and the inspirations behind it
Listen to Britain (Humphrey Jennings, Stuart McAllister, 1942) the classic wartime documentary which helped inspire Of Time and the City, presented with a personal introduction by Terence Davies
• Q&A with Terence Davies at Cambridge Arts Picturehouse
• Original trailer
• Illustrated booklet featuring essays, credits and director biography

Release date: 30 March 2009
RRP £19.99 / cat. no. BFIVD789 / cert 12
UK / 2008 / colour / 74 mins / optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / DVD-9 / aspect ratio 1.77:1 (16x9 anamorphic widescreen)
Davies is one of the great DVD commentators, but I can see why they thought a commentary was a bit redundant in this case!

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Dr Amicus
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Re: Of Time and the City

#2 Post by Dr Amicus » Tue Feb 17, 2009 12:14 pm

Thanks for that Michael - This is a must buy for me as it never came anywhere near Guernsey (however as I'm on the committee of our local Film Society, if I love this as much as I hope I will, that might well change).

Just one question - is this coming out on Blu-Ray as well? I'm sure I saw somewhere it was.

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Re: Of Time and the City

#3 Post by MichaelB » Tue Feb 17, 2009 12:20 pm

Dr Amicus wrote:Just one question - is this coming out on Blu-Ray as well? I'm sure I saw somewhere it was.
I'll double-check, but I don't believe it is any more.

If I remember rightly from a casual conversation with someone who worked on it, too much of the film turned out to be sourced from SD video to justify an HD upgrade. You could conceivably go back to the original footage, telecine it again to HD and essentially remake the film from scratch, but I can see why that was ruled out!

UPDATE: I'm happy to confirm that my memory was entirely accurate. The transfer supervisor commented in more detail:
Of Time and the City was produced through the Digital Departures Initiative by Hurricane Films in association with Northwest Vision and Media, Liverpool 08, BBC Films and UK Film Council.

For reasons of a micro-budget and the basic fact that the film relied so heavily on footage from regional archives (only available in SD), the film was produced PAL standard definition and delivered on Digibeta.

An up-conversion in HD was created for the Cannes screening and was used for DSN screenings throughout the UK. In addition the BFI worked carefully with Terence Davies to create a new digital internegative which represented the film at the highest possible quality, given the SD source materials. 35mm prints were struck from this new film element for UK theatrical distribution. This allowed for a much wider release in the UK.

So bear in mind that every version of this film that you saw regardless of whether it was in the cinema or not was derived from that original SD master.

The BFI DVD is made directly from the master Digibeta as delivered. The decision was made not to go Blu-Ray on this title as this would only be an up-conversion from PAL elements.
Last edited by MichaelB on Wed Feb 18, 2009 5:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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foggy eyes
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Re: Of Time and the City

#4 Post by foggy eyes » Tue Feb 17, 2009 1:00 pm

I saw an "HD" projection of this in a theatre, and it did look resolutely SD (as if from a DVD). With that in mind, as Michael says, I don't think there'd be much point in "upgrading" to Blu-ray...

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Dr Amicus
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Re: Of Time and the City

#5 Post by Dr Amicus » Wed Feb 18, 2009 4:39 am

To be honest, this never looked the most likely candidate for HD.

On the other hand, Sky Arts about a year ago showed the Trilogy and Distant Voices Still Lives in HD...

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Re: Of Time and the City

#6 Post by MichaelB » Wed Feb 18, 2009 5:32 am

Dr Amicus wrote:On the other hand, Sky Arts about a year ago showed the Trilogy and Distant Voices Still Lives in HD...
Yes, those would have been sourced from the HD masters that were prepared when the films were restored under Davies' supervision some two or three years ago. Since they were all film-sourced, the problems with Of Time and the City wouldn't have arisen - in fact, I think in all cases the original negatives were used.

I'm not aware of any concrete plans to release Davies' earlier work on Blu-ray, though it certainly shouldn't be ruled out - since HD masters exist already, it's clearly not going to be a major technical challenge.

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Dr Amicus
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Re: Of Time and the City

#7 Post by Dr Amicus » Wed Feb 18, 2009 5:55 am

And very nice they looked too!

Anyway, back on topic - this looks an impressive release. I was in two minds about getting it as I was expecting an early TV showing, but with the extras look interesting. Davies is an entertaining and fascinating speaker, so the more of him on the disc the better.

And the Jennings is just the icing on the cake.

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Re: Of Time and the City

#8 Post by ryan11 » Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:43 pm

An interesting review and interview with Terence Davies about the film on ABC radio. Hopefully this can be played or downloaded outside of Australia.

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Dr Amicus
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Re: Of Time and the City

#9 Post by Dr Amicus » Mon Apr 06, 2009 6:44 am

This arrived on Saturday - and it went straight into the DVD player. I managed about half before my 1 year old woke up from his nap but, whilst this is only provisional, I already love this film. Full thoughts once I get to see the whole thing, but I'm already raving about it to friends and family.

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Re: Of Time and the City

#10 Post by devlinnn » Tue Apr 07, 2009 3:36 am

This is a spectacular return to form by Davies, long-hailed as one of Britain’s greatest filmmakers. Of Time and the City is an illuminating and heartfelt work, powerfully evoking life in post-war Britain while exploring the nature of love, memory, and the toll that the passing years take on the cities and communities that we cherish.
So it says on the DVD, and in Michael's initial post from the BFI.
... a spectacular return to form....one of Britain's greatest filmmakers.
Sorry to quibble, but when one returns to form, the presumption would be that one must have been 'out of form'. Since when has 'one of Britain's greatest filmmakers' been out of form? Is this the excuse given by those minding the pennies in the UK when Davies takes his cap and shovel to ask for a lousy pittance to make a film - "Sorry Terry - it reads here you're 'out of form'. Maybe next time."

I'm guessing 'one of Britain's greatest filmmakers' was suddenly in form when his documentary - made through funding via a local arts grant - triumphed at Cannes and at festivals around the world.
BFI - "Terry's 'back in form' - get the rights! Get the rights! Lets get the DVD out quick and make some cash before he's out of form."

Luckily the BFI got out the DVD in time, cause it looks like 'one of Britain's greatest filmmakers' is now firmly out of form again, as he's been unable to raise 250,000 quid to make his 'romantic comedy' that is for all intents and purposes 'ready to go.'

Hopefully 'one of Britain's greatest filmmakers' can survive another eight years out of work, while he waits patiently for his 'return to form'.

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Re: Of Time and the City

#11 Post by MichaelB » Tue Apr 07, 2009 5:45 am

devlinnn wrote:BFI - "Terry's 'back in form' - get the rights! Get the rights! Lets get the DVD out quick and make some cash before he's out of form."
And just what was the point of that nasty little sideswipe?

If the rights to Of Time and the City had been picked up by an opportunist distributor with no previous experience of handling Davies' work, your cynical jibe might have had some validity, but you presumably know as well as I do that no other organisation on the planet has contributed more to nurturing and maintaining his career and reputation than the BFI.

Which is why he wasn't exactly miffed that the BFI ended up handling the film's distribution. Especially given that (for all your "make some cash" snark) it was hardly blockbusting multiplex material, and festival hits often fail to translate into sustained arthouse success.

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Re: Of Time and the City

#12 Post by Dr Amicus » Tue Apr 07, 2009 6:18 am

I have to say I had reservations about the choice of words, but certainly not to the extent of devlinnn. After all, all but 2 of Davies's films have been put out on DVD by the BFI in very nice editions - and Davies's early work was sponsored (if that's the best word) by them as well.

My view is that it's not so much a return to form (I liked The House of Mirth very much and consider that a return to form after the interesting but lesser The Neon Bible) as a long-awaited return to film-making!

If devlinnn wants to vent ire / frustration at anyone, it's those responsible for the shutting down of the BFI Production Board...

PS - The Neon Bible, not a great film - and probably Davies's least work - but it really does need a Region 2 / B release (hello BFI!). And if someone could persuade the BBC (stop laughing Michael!) to release his radio work on CD as well...

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Re: Of Time and the City

#13 Post by devlinnn » Tue Apr 07, 2009 6:56 am

Dr Amicus wrote:I have to say I had reservations about the choice of words, but certainly not to the extent of devlinnn. After all, all but 2 of Davies's films have been put out on DVD by the BFI in very nice editions - and Davies's early work was sponsored (if that's the best word) by them as well.

My view is that it's not so much a return to form (I liked The House of Mirth very much and consider that a return to form after the interesting but lesser The Neon Bible) as a long-awaited return to film-making!

If devlinnn wants to vent ire / frustration at anyone, it's those responsible for the shutting down of the BFI Production Board...

PS - The Neon Bible, not a great film - and probably Davies's least work - but it really does need a Region 2 / B release (hello BFI!). And if someone could persuade the BBC (stop laughing Michael!) to release his radio work on CD as well...

Point taken. But if memory serves me correctly, the BFI Production Board refused Davies funding for commercial reasons before it closed down. Which it was entitled to do so. The BFI was also entitled to wait years to release their wonderful authorised DVDs. Again, most likely for understandable commercial reasons. The fact he was out of work for the eight years after making the masterful The House of Mirth is also here nor there to the BFI. Most are dealt bad hands in this game. But when I read the back of the latest DVD and see the words 'back in form' and 'greatest British filmmaker' - well, the hypocrisy just friggin' pisses me off.

Michael - the DVD is wonderful btw. My jibe, while directed at the marketing department, was more a scream in anger at how Davies has been treated by the British film industry in general over the past many years. Apologies if you felt my swipe was personally 'nasty'.

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Re: Of Time and the City

#14 Post by MichaelB » Tue Apr 07, 2009 7:32 am

devlinnn wrote:Point taken. But if memory serves me correctly, the BFI Production Board refused Davies funding for commercial reasons before it closed down. Which it was entitled to do so.
Actually, if you have a look at what the BFI funded since The Long Day Closes, you'll see that Production Board features were few and far between, and most of those were practically zero-budget efforts like Patrick Keiller's London. It's the age-old problem of too many people chasing too few funds, coupled with an explicit policy of nurturing new talent via the 'New Directors' programme.

Rightly or wrongly, Davies (like Greenaway, Jarman and other BFI "discoveries" from the 1970s and 1980s) was considered capable of raising funds elsewhere, and proved this by turning out features in 1995 and 2000 - not a gap that's especially unusual for him, incidentally, or indeed for anyone with limited commercial appeal. Obviously, things took a severe turn for the worse after 2000, but by that stage the BFI was no longer in the film-funding business.
The BFI was also entitled to wait years to release their wonderful authorised DVDs.
Yes, and for the same reasons: too many projects chasing too few funds. And in the case of Davies (and Bill Douglas) the attitude seems to have been "we'd rather do it properly than quickly". Sure, the DVDs could have been out in the early 2000s - there were few if any rights problems, after all - but they certainly wouldn't have been to the same HD-sourced standards, and would probably need remastering round about now. But they'd doubtless be at the back of the queue given the number of BFI catalogue titles that haven't been released at all!
The fact he was out of work for the eight years after making the masterful The House of Mirth is also here nor there to the BFI. Most are dealt bad hands in this game. But when I read the back of the latest DVD and see the words 'back in form' and 'greatest British filmmaker' - well, the hypocrisy just friggin' pisses me off.
What hypocrisy? Fully aware of Davies' stature, the BFI spent the mid-2000s restoring his entire pre-1992 back catalogue from the original negatives, giving the films a new big-screen showcase, definitive director-approved DVDs and a book on Distant Voices Still Lives. The bulk of this happened before Of Time and the City was even commissioned, never mind released - and indeed may well have been instrumental in him getting that commission in the first place.

Whatever the generic "British film industry" thinks of Davies' work, you can't fairly accuse the BFI of neglecting it.

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Re: Of Time and the City

#15 Post by devlinnn » Tue Apr 07, 2009 8:36 pm

Michael, you seem to be putting the cart before the horse, and to suggest that the work of the BFI may have been 'instrumental' in getting Of Time and the City commissioned, when in fact 'one of Britains greatest filmmakers' had to apply with cap in hand along with 130 would be artists for some dough is rather ridiculous. If this was the case, the length of time getting out the DVDs may have cost him work during those eight years. Again, ridiculous.

But by stating Davies is 'back in form' in the press release and on the back of the DVD, I am fairly accusing the BFI of neglecting the 'complete work' that he has been able to produce. It reads as if The Neon Bible and The House of Mirth are fairly minor, as they were not blessed by a release by the BFI.

More hypocrisy can be found in a story told in the making of documentary on the DVD. Thoughts swept to Orson Welles and his personal struggles for finance, when the producers mentioned the requests from other directors, ("closet Terence Davies fans") to get early copies of the film. If Ridley Scott is so keen and desperate for a new Davies film, surely he could save a week of his lunch money and send a cheque.

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Re: Of Time and the City

#16 Post by MichaelB » Wed Apr 08, 2009 3:20 am

devlinnn wrote:Michael, you seem to be putting the cart before the horse, and to suggest that the work of the BFI may have been 'instrumental' in getting Of Time and the City commissioned, when in fact 'one of Britains greatest filmmakers' had to apply with cap in hand along with 130 would be artists for some dough is rather ridiculous. If this was the case, the length of time getting out the DVDs may have cost him work during those eight years. Again, ridiculous.
Not ridiculous at all. The early part of the year that Of Time and the City was commissioned saw a major BFI-sponsored theatrical revival of Davies' work, accompanied by a huge amount of media coverage in which the dominant theme was the industry's neglect of Davies' work. Film buffs had long known this, of course, but the issue was given a much higher public profile from April 2007 onwards. Obviously, I'm not saying that that was the sole reason he managed to get the new film off the ground, which clearly would be ridiculous, but it certainly didn't hurt.
But by stating Davies is 'back in form' in the press release and on the back of the DVD, I am fairly accusing the BFI of neglecting the 'complete work' that he has been able to produce. It reads as if The Neon Bible and The House of Mirth are fairly minor, as they were not blessed by a release by the BFI.
I think it's far more likely that the person who wrote the blurb, almost certainly to a tight deadline, never in their wildest imaginings thought that three small words would end up coming under such obsessive scrutiny by someone with a more generalised axe to grind. Anyway, The Neon Bible is fairly minor - I think even Davies himself acknowledges that!

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Re: Of Time and the City

#17 Post by Dr Amicus » Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:30 am

MichaelB wrote: Anyway, The Neon Bible is fairly minor - I think even Davies himself acknowledges that!
He does - although he has also daid that it gave him the confidence / experience to tackle House of Mirth.

I would still like to see a Region 2 release of it though - and considering how good the BFI releases have been...

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Re: Of Time and the City

#18 Post by foggy eyes » Wed Apr 08, 2009 7:52 am

I heard that the primary motivation for Davies' Of Time & the City grant was down to Don Boyd, who was on the panel and fought tooth & nail for it. (This info came from the horse's mouth, mind, so might have to be taken with a pinch of salt!)

I agree with devlinn that Davies' purported "return to form" is bullshit marketing hyperbole (read: a total myth), and bound to push buttons for those of us frustrated with the rough ride Davies has received from the UK film industry (in all its guises). The BFI are doing amazing work at the moment, but I can't help thinking that this was a slight touch of bad form...

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Re: Of Time and the City

#19 Post by peerpee » Wed Apr 08, 2009 9:33 am

They probably just meant "return to prominence" you know. I doubt they ever intended to slight any past work.

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Re: Of Time and the City

#20 Post by MichaelB » Wed Apr 08, 2009 10:29 am

Absolutely. As I said earlier, far, far too much is being read into three little words.

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Re: Of Time and the City

#21 Post by Nothing » Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:51 pm

I believe the four devilish initials that devlinnn is searching for are FCUK... Although the plethora of journalists, distributors and programmers who support FCUK policies by giving praise, column inches and screen space to the likes of Red Road, Bullet Boy, Donkey Punch and Better Things, etc, are equally to blame. Many of these latter types do actually work for the BFI.

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Re: Of Time and the City

#22 Post by thirtyframesasecond » Thu Apr 16, 2009 11:18 am

Having recently visited Liverpool, I kind of wished I'd seen this beforehand.

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Re: Of Time and the City

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Re: Of Time and the City

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