7/22/2019 Interview With Flipside's Sam Dunn

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Those obscure objects of (British) Cinema.

A conversation with Flipsides Sam Dunn

Since 2009 Flipside (http://www.bfi.org.uk/flipside.html) brings back the

cinematographic ghosts of British Cinema. These hidden gems rather than simplypleasing the cinefiles offer an alternative history of cinema in the UK, untapped gems,

hidden under the strata of decades worth of the more visible works which eclipse them.

The filmic equivalent of rich coal seams or oil wells

Daniele Rugo speaks to the man behind the BFI Flipside collection.

1.

What is the idea and what are the circumstances behind the birth of Flipside?

Flipside was the brainchild of Vic Pratt and William Fowler, two BFI Curators (for

Fiction and Artists Moving Image respectively) who developed the screening strand atthe BFI Southbank in 2006, and continue to curate it to this day.

On the big screen, Flipside has always had an international focus (though with a heavy

emphasis on British), and has been dedicated to showcasing the many bizarre, obscure

and under-seen films which are preserved within the BFI National Archive.

The Flipside Collection on DVD/Blu-ray, however, concentrates solely on telling the

complex story behind a hidden history of British cinema. The strand was launched in

May 2009 with The Bed Sitting Room, London in the Raw and Primitive London.

2.

What are the criteria that guide the selection of the films?

A film should be British. Of course, the collection features the work of some exceptional

international directors including Richard Lester and Jerzy Skolimowski as well as

films which are international co-productions, or even shot for the most part outside of

Britain (such as Deep End, which qualifies as British in a number of other ways).

As the collection is concerned with shedding light on long-forgotten, undervalued and

long-unseen works, a prerequisite is that the films we select havent already been

published on any home video format. However, there have been some exceptions to thisrule.

Pete Walkers Man of Violence had a VHS outing in the early 80s but was never re-

issued or made available on DVD. We knew we had access to very high quality film

materials which would make for a beautiful release. Also, we knew that it was not the

kind of film that was otherwise represented within the collection. Finally, the film has

some incredible location work that gives it great historical and social value.

7/22/2019 Interview With Flipside's Sam Dunn

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Similarly, Lindsay Shonteffs Permissive had had a VHS release in the late 90s.

However, the release made relatively little impact, and didnt do much for getting the

film back on the cultural map, so to speak. Its an exceptional film in a number of ways,

not least because it completely fails to deliver on its apparent promise of exploitation

thrills, and in fact takes the viewer on an unexpectedly grim journey. Again, it addressescertain themes and speaks to a particular mode of production which means that it

occupies a unique place within the Flipside range. Its also got some very rare footage of

some fascinating bands in their heyday, especially Comus, who also composed the

incidental music.

Peter Watkins Privilege had had a US DVD release, through New Yorker Films, but we

couldnt really consider not giving the film its UK premiere release on the basis that it

was available elsewhere (and as New Yorker was having some troubles at the time, it

looked as though the title might go out of print, which was something we wanted to

insure against).

3.

Bringing an archive to light is always a tricky affair. While it helps understanding a

certain history, a set of genealogies, it can always cast a shadow on perhaps even

disqualify the accepted history. Films we have so far considered as being

milestones may become less important and lose their place. Is there a way of

avoiding this risk, or is it perhaps always necessary to renegotiate the history of

film, regardless of the consequences?

As a publisher, the BFI has always had been responsible for setting the agenda in the area

of home entertainment releasing. During its earliest days, its Connoisseur imprint was

one of only a very few labels, and it truly led the way in bringing works by some of theworlds greatest directors Tati, Ophuls, Fellini, Pasolini back into circulation (outside,

that is, of whatever limited exposure they may have been getting on TV or in rep

cinemas).

Since that time, the landscape has changed radically, and the success of home video,

specifically the World Cinema genre on VHS, and subsequently DVD, gave rise to a

rapidly-expanding number of labels all of whom saw that there was a growing market for

international films. And, well, the rest is history (as they say). Now, if you want Fellini

youve got it. And, if you want Bergman youve got it. And were not only talking

here about the best-known works of a given auteur (as was the case in the early days of

VHS) but of complete collections.

When I joined the BFI in 2008, I felt that what was missing from this picture was any

representation of those films or filmmakers which have never been celebrated or

recognised. And while this is certainly the remit of Flipside, its important to make

clear that its actually the philosophy which permeates and informs almost everything we

do.

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So, while the BFIs publishing label still works hard to bring a number of essential (and

often otherwise unreleased) works from a number of great directors (including Pasolini,

Kurosawa, Schroeder, etc.) to DVD/Blu-ray in high quality editions, it also publishes a

range of works which have been lost to audiences since their original screenings.

Recent/ongoing examples could include: the many COI films we regularly publish; the

original Czech version of Svankmajers Alice; the films of John Krish; Pontings TheGreat White Silence; Asquiths Cottage on Dartmoor (and, soon, Underground); Tony

Garnetts Prostitute; the films of Jeff Keen; Bertoluccis Before the Revolution; the films

of the Adelphi studio; etc.

4.

Do you think you could do for British Cinema what Henri Langlois did for French

Cinema? Not just preserving those obscure objects of cinema otherwise lost, but

inspire and nourish a generation of future filmmakers?

Itd be wonderful to think that through making these films available (whether the Flipside

strand, or the wider range of titles) a knock-on effect could be that we provide thecircumstances for new filmmakers to see them, and to be inspired by them. This question

is central to almost everything which the BFI gets up to.

Recent examples which would seem to suggest that we are being successful in this

respect include kind words from the likes of Nicolas Winding Refn (who continues to

champion what were doing by citing our releases in the national press - he said in the

Observer that his current favourite film was Man of Violence - or advocating with

statements such as Every time BFI Flipside releases a newly discovered film I always go

and get it. It's like finding lost treasure.) and Ben Wheatley (who remarked that

Flipside provides a window onto a time in British cinema when real film artists stalked

our land.). I think both of these filmmakers see the Flipside releases as speaking to themin a way that many other releases dont. The films in the strand are made by filmmakers

who fought to create something unique and off the beaten track, and this definitely

resonates with them.

5.

Why were these films lost? What are the conditions that decree the oblivion of a

film?

The reasons are many and varied: a film may have suffered poor box office returns or bad

reviews; it could have been given only half-baked distribution; it might have been held up

due to any number of legal issues; or spent years in limbo due to the pecking order ofmajor studio priorities. The passage of time tends to cement the fact of a films

unavailability and firmly consign it to the lost pile, but rather than see such films as

long-gone and worthless, Id prefer to view them as untapped gems, hidden under the

strata of decades worth of the more visible works which eclipse them. The filmic

equivalent of rich coal seams or oil wells.

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6.

Can you mention a recent British film or a number of them that, despite its

intrinsic significance, has been already forgotten (and is therefore a candidate for a

future Flipside edition)?

Im not sure that I can answer the question exactly as posed, but there are films Richard

Bracewells The Gigolos, for instance, or This Is What It Is by Cristian Solimeno which

have been made with small budgets by people whose passion for cinema and its potential

is infectious. The BFI did actually release The Gigolos, but This Is What It Is has, as far

as Im aware, not been released at all to date

At this stage in the evolution of Flipside its hard to say how soon is too soon for a film.

So far, the majority of the films weve been releasing were made in the 60s and 70s, and

weve moved into the 80s with Voice Over (and will continue this direction in future).

The question of what we do with the 80s, 90s and beyond is an interesting one. For now,

I can only advise that you watch this space