Murder in the Cathedral

[swo17]

Nov 23

MURDER IN THE CATHERDRAL (Limited Edition Dual Format)
A film by George Hoellering

This adaptation of TS Eliot's classic verse drama is released for the first time on Blu-ray and DVD in this strictly limited Dual Format Edition.

Recounting the love-hate relationship between 12th century British monarch Henry ll and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. The film is unique in its use of mainly non-professional actors to tell the story of Becket's temptations before he was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.

This rarely-seen film features Eliot's voice as well as music by the internationally renowned composer Làszló Lajtha. Also included in this specially-curated edition are three of Hoellering's richly evocative short films.

Special features

•Three short films by director George Hoellering
•Extended version of the film
•Fully illustrated booklet with essays and full film credits
•Other extras TBC

[What A Disgrace]

Sold.

What is it, though?

[antnield]

The short films have been named as Message From Canterbury (1944), Glasgow Orpheus Choir (1951) and Shapes and Forms (1950).

[MichaelB]

Hoellering's big creative breakthrough, the pioneering documentary Hortobágy (1936) is out on English-friendly DVD in Hungary as part of the increasingly impressive Hungarian National Film Archive restoration series.

His other claim to fame is as the founder of Oxford Street's legendary (albeit sadly long defunct) Academy Cinema, of distinctive woodcut-posters fame.

[tenia]

This rarely-seen film features Eliot s voice as well as music by the internationally renowned composer Làszló Lajtha. Also included in this specially-curated edition are tree of Hoellering's richly evocative short films.

Special features

New High Definition transfers of all films
Original theatrical version (114 mins, black and white)
Alternative festival cut (136 mins, black and white, Blu-ray exclusive): longer version of Murder in the Cathedral containing alternative and additional sequences
Alternative and deleted sequences (black and white, DVD only): footage from the longer festival cut of Murder in the Cathedral
Message from Canterbury (George Hoellering, 1944): documentary short in which the Archbishop Dr. William Temple delivers his sermon
Shapes and Forms (George Hoellering, 1950): a striking and expressive film in which examples of primitive and modern art are juxtaposed to reveal correspondences
Glasgow Orpheus Choir (George Hoellering, 1951): charming short made after the announcement of the retirement of the choir's conductor, Sir Hugh Robertson
Fully illustrated booklet with essays by Andrew Hoellering and András Szekfü, and full film credits

| UK | 1952 | black & white | 115 minutes

[aszekfu]

Two very small corrections to the excellent introductions:
- the name of the conductor is Sir Hugh Roberton (and not Robertson)
- as Andrew Hoellering has pointed out, the founder of the Academy Cinema was Elsie Cohen in the early thirties.
George Hoellering was the managing director from 1944 until his death in 1980.

[ethel]

T.S. Eliot's play was part of the 1950s wave of drama in verse - several now largely forgotten plays by several British poets and playwrights.

The play covered the same subject matter as the now slightly better remembered 1964 BECKET with Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton, directed by Peter Glenville from the play by Anouilh.

Devotees of Eliot and this film are encouraged to seek out the book called The Film of Murder in the Cathedral (Faber 1952). It contains additional scenes, new texts by Eliot and Hoellering, colour plates of costume and set designs, dozens of storyboard sketches, many glamorous cast portraits by the great theatre photographer Angus McBean, and a couple of hundred small frame enlargements in sequence. Enormous care was taken with this book, but screenings of the film seem to have been limited in recent decades to the BFI in London.

Abandoned copies are available by the score on abebooks. (I got mine for 64p, including a flawless dust jacket.)

[What A Disgrace]

Having just acquired some Flipside titles I'd neglected, it occurs to me that this release sounds very much like a Flipside release, but clearly isn't. I know the Flipside label is supposed to come back, but why was it not used for this release?

[knives]

I'm not authoritative by any means, but this doesn't seem to fit with the more underground or experimental bent of Flipside. It's from a fairly well known play and was funded through very traditional studio means (for England) if I understand matters correctly.

[MichaelB]

Full specs announced:

T S Eliot’s
Murder in the Cathedral
A film by George Hoellering

This astonishing 1952 adaptation of T S Eliot's classic verse drama recounts the love-hate relationship between twelfth-century British monarch Henry ll and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket.

Rarely-seen, it is released for the first time on DVD and Blu-ray in a Dual Format Edition by the BFI on 23 November 2015. Presented in a newly remastered version, it will be accompanied by a selection of fascinating extras, including three of Hoellering's richly evocative short films, all made in the years before Murder in the Cathedral.

Featuring a cast of mainly non-professional actors, the voice of Eliot himself, and music by the internationally renowned composer László Lajtha, Hoellering's exquisitely realised film tells the story of Becket's temptations before his murder in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.

Special features
• All films remastered in 2K;
• Alternative festival cut (139 mins, black and white, Blu-ray exclusive): longer version of Murder in the Cathedral, containing alternative and additional sequences;
• Alternative and deleted sequences (black and white, DVD only, 50 mins): footage from the longer festival cut of Murder in the Cathedral;
• Message from Canterbury (George Hoellering, 1944, 24 mins): documentary short in which the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr William Temple delivers his sermon;
• Shapes and Forms (George Hoellering, 1950, 21 mins): striking and expressive film in which examples of primitive and modern art are juxtaposed to reveal correspondences;
• Glasgow Orpheus Choir (George Hoellering, 1951, 13 mins): charming short made after the announcement of the retirement of the choir's conductor, Sir Hugh Roberton;
• Illustrated booklet with essays by Andrew Hoellering and András Szekfü, and full film credits

Product details
RRP: £19.99 / Cat. no. BFIB224 / Cert PG
UK / 1952 / black and white / 114 mins / English language, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.33:1 / BD50: 1080p, 24fps, LPCM 1.0 mono audio (48k/16-bit) / DVD9: PAL, Dolby Digital 1.0 mono audio (192kbps)

[Lowry_Sam]

I wouldn't mind seeing this, if anything for comparison's sake, but Becket is probably my favorite play on film of all time. How does this compare?

[L.A.]

DVDBeaver.