Founded in 1933, the British Film Institute is a London charity that runs the BFI National Archive and publishes Blu-rays for the UK market. Releases lean on archive restorations of British cinema, silent film, documentary and world classics, usually with booklets and short films as extras. The BFI Flipside line, launched in 2009, revives overlooked British films, and UHD discs began with The Seventh Seal in 2021.
BFI
149 films on Best BluraysBest video release: 19 in 4K125 in HD4 in SD1 with no official release3 more for audio only2 more announced
Best 4K release by tier:
- Excellent13
- Solid3
- Disappointing2
Films where BFI's release is the pick. How picks are made
125 of 149 films match · Page 3 of 7
Films where BFI's release is the pick. How picks are made
Director: Roberto Rossellini
Best English-Friendly & Video:
BFI Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: John Cassavetes
Best English-Friendly:
Criterion = BFI
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)
Director: Roberto Rossellini
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)
Best Video:
Video Notes:
Criterion darker and more contrast than BFI and Plaion Germany see cap https://caps-a-holic.com/c_list.php?c=2461
Best English-Friendly:
Shout! Factory vs BFI?
Best Video:
US Shout! Factory vs BFI vs StudioCanal Germany
Video Notes:
No comparison
Directors: Leontine Sagan & Carl Froelich
Best English-Friendly & Video:
BFI or Kino Lorber?
Sources: dvdcompare.net (opens in a new tab)
Video Notes:
Seems like BFI similar A/V to Kino Lorber, but more extras https://www.dvdcompare.net/review.php?rid=6545
Best English-Friendly & Video:
BFI Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Best English-Friendly & Video:
BFI Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Claire Denis
Best English-Friendly:
BFI Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Video Notes:
FiM encode; BFI shows noticeable macroblocking
Director: F. W. Murnau
Best English-Friendly & Video:
2006 Restoration: Eureka Blu-ray
1995 photochemical restoration: BFI Blu-ray
Best Audio:
Eureka with Murnau institute restoration featuring score based on original score, BFI uses Photoplay restoration with James Bernard score
Additional Info:
Both Eureka and BFI Blu-rays are worthy of owning. Each restoration has unique positives and extras. The James Bernard score on the BFI is outstanding and the image tinting is different to how the Murnau institute official restoration was done. The Eureka MoC Blu-ray is stuffed with extras and remains one of the best-made Blu-rays of all time. Whatever you do: AVOID THE Kino Lorber Blu-ray!!! It uses the same Murnau institute restoration but drops frames for the whole feature - thus it loses a significant portion of the film! This was never acknowledged or addressed. The Kino Lorber Blu-ray remains one of the worst Blu-rays of all time for this reason.
Director: Luis Buñuel
Best English-Friendly & Video:
BFI Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
BFI Blu-ray
Know a film where the BFI release is the one to buy? Suggest it