Cinedelica: BFI Flipside to release Herostratus (1967) on DVD and Blu-ray

Following the launch of the BFI’s Flipside DVD & Blu-ray strand in May (with The Bed Sitting Room, London in the Raw and Primitive London), the BFI has informed us of the next three titles in the cult movie series - Herostratus, All the Right Noises and Man of Violence, all of which are released on 24th August 2009. So first up, let's look at Herostratus.

When Max, a young poet (played by Michael Gothard - The Devils, La Vallée) hires a marketing company to turn his suicide into a mass-media spectacle, he finds that his subversive intentions are quickly diluted into a reactionary gesture, and his motivations are revealed as a desperate attempt to seek attention through celebrity.

Unseen since its limited release in 1967, this lost gem from experimental filmmaker Don Levy was an influence on the likes of Stanley Kubrick, Nicolas Roeg and Michael Winner and is released by the Flipside team with a host of special features.

Those include:
A newly transferred to High Definition from the original negative
Don Levy's preferred widescreen presentation
Alternative 1.33:1 full frame presentation (Blu-ray exclusive extra).
Rare audio interview with Don Levy (1973): the only known recording of Levy discussing Herostratus
Ten Thousand Talents (1960): Levy's student film, a wry look at Cambridge life, featuring the voice of Peter Cook
Time Is (1964): Levy's remarkable science documentary
Five Films (1967): Levy's hypnotic experiments in film editing techniques
Illustrated booklet with newly commissioned essays and original documentation

You can pre-order now at the Amazon website - or you can wait for our review, which should be online soon.

Find out more at the Amazon website