David Farnor | On 16, Apr 2016

Heard of BFI Player? Well, there’s also BFI Player+, a subscription service that offers an all-you-can-eat selection of hand-picked classics.

Every Friday, Mark Kermode highlights one of the collection’s titles with a video introduction. This week, it’s Nosferatu the Vampyre, Werner Herzog’s remake of F.W. Murnau’s vampire classic.

“Just because something was brilliant, it doesn’t mean it can’t be added to, or improved upon, by a filmmaker with a singular vision,” argues Kermode. Klaus Kinski dons the pale make-up of Murnau’s iconic monster, with Bruna Ganz playing Jonathan Harker – with copyright issues surrounding Bram Stoker’s original novel no longer an issue, Herzog was, unlike the German expressionist director before him, able to use the book’s actual names.

What else is available to stream? Every week, we bring you a round-up of the latest titles on BFI Player+.

The Nine Muses

John Akomfrah’s 2010 experimental documentary essay is a meditation on memory, migration and exile, as he explores migration to Britain in the wake of World War II.

Winstanley

Historian Kevin Brownlow shines a light on the unknown diggers of the 1640s, when the eponymous Winstanley leads a commune to cultivate and share the wealth of England’s common land, as poverty and unrest swept the country.

Sabotage

The story of a Scotland Yard undercover detective on the trail of a saboteur planning to set off a bomb in London, Hitchcock’s thriller is an early entry in the director’s career, but one that – once a Piccadilly Circus set piece unfolds – is no less tense.

Three Businessmen

Alex Cox pays tribute to uis Buñuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie with this story of three businessmen around the world that takes place all in one night.

Pressure

Horace Ové’s 1975 film follows Tony, a son of West Indian immigrants, who is torn between his church-going parents and his militant brother. The BFI hails the drama as Britain’s first black feature film, documenting life in 1970s London for disenchanted black youths.

Maeve

If you thought the recent 71 gave you a new perspective on the Troubles, try 1981’s experimental film Maeve, which sees directors Pat Murphy and John Davis examine events from an alternative, feminist perspective.

Nighthawks

Ron Peck’s story of a teacher who spends his nights looking for Mr. Right in London’s gay club scene was Britain’s first major gay film, proving a landmark in cinema – and an excellent portrait of a closeted man in a homophobic society.

A BFI Player+ subscription costs £4.99 a month, with a 30-day free trial. For more information, visit http://player.bfi.org.uk

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