This week’s new releases on BFI Player+ (20th March)
James R | On 19, Mar 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 The Draughtsman’s Contract. Peter Greenaway’s 1982 erotic murder mystery put the indie director on the global map, not to mention soundtrack composer Michael Nyman.
“Agatha Christie this ain’t, but it is weirdly wonderful,” says Kermode. Art, sex, death and gardening. What’s not to like?
What else is available to stream? Every week, we bring you a round-up of the latest titles on BFI Player+:
The Headless Woman
BFI Player+ adds a rare contemporary title to its subscription portfolio in the form of Lucrecia Martel’s Argentine thriller about a woman who runs over what she thinks is a dog – but begins to suspect it may have been a child.
The Pendulum, The Pit and Hope
After The Fall of the House of Usher last week, the BFI continues its mini-Jan Svankmajer season with 1983’s The Pendulum, The Pit and Hope. His second Edgar Allan Poe adaptation is another stunning stop-motion short, with the Czech authorities at the time banning it, accusing him of making a disguised attack against their regime.
2 x 50 Years of French Cinema
Jean-Luc Godard produces this project, co-directed with his wife, Anne-Marie Mieville, which sees him travel around six regions from classic movies to interviews young locals about the films, the region and their significance.
The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveras
Auraeus Solito’s 2005 award winner is a coming-of-age tale about a flamboyant 12-year-old boy torn between his love for a young male policeman and his loyalty to his family.
The Company of Wolves
Neil Jordan’s take on Little Red Riding Hood combines wolves, humans, sexuality and Gothic sets to magical effect.
The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner
Eddie the Eagle may be about to slide into cinemas, but there’s always time to look back at Werner Herzog’s short film from 1975, which captures the eponymous ski jumper, who broke record after record – until one goes wrong.