On the Black Hill
A film by Andrew Grieve based on the novel by Bruce Chatwin
Bob Peck, Gemma Jones
‘A film of integrity, insight and beauty’ Observer
Set in the stunningly dramatic Welsh Borders, this evocative adaptation of Bruce Chatwin’s prize-winning 1982 novel, directed by Andrew Grieve (Hornblower, Letter from the East), is presented on Blu-ray for the first time.
Released in a Dual Format Edition by the BFI on 22 August 2016, a variety of accompanying new and archival special features will include an introduction by Andrew Grieve and films by Arthur Elton and Basil Wright from the BFI National Archive.
Chronicling the travails of the Jones family – Amos (Bob Peck, Jurassic Park), Mary (Gemma Jones, Bridget Jones’s Diary), and their three children – the heart of the story is the intense relationship between their sons, identical twins Benjamin and Lewis (played by real-life brothers Mike and Robert Gwilym). Sharing a unique bond, the brothers journey through eight decades of life, death and hardship together, all the while tied to the land on which they were raised.
The epic sweep of the film takes in two world wars, exploring themes of nationalism, class, community, faith and pacifism. Though unrelenting in its portrayal of the raw experiences of rural life, On the Black Hill celebrates the people of the Black Mountains and its landscape, made transcendent by the magnificent cinematography of Thaddeus O’Sullivan.
Special features
• Newly remastered and presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition
• An Introduction by Andrew Grieve (2016, 20 mins): newly-filmed interview with the director
• Special Collections Gallery: a selection of stills and promotional media
• Shadow on the Mountains (Arthur Elton, 1931, 20 mins)
• O’er Hill and Dale (Basil Wright, 1932, 16 mins)
• Complete screenplay and original press book (Downloadable PDFs – DVD only)
• Illustrated booklet with writing by Andrew Grieve, Brian Hoyle, Kevin Jackson, Jonathan Chatwin, Philip Kemp and Kathleen Luckey, and full film credits
Product details
RRP: £19.99/ Cat. no. BFIB1262 / Cert 15
UK / 1988 / colour / 116 mins / English language, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.85:1 // BD50: 1080p, 24fps, PCM 2.0 mono (48kHz/16-bit) / DVD9: PAL, 25fps, PCM mono (48kHz/16-bit)
On the Black Hill
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- MichaelB
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On the Black Hill
Full specs announced:
- What A Disgrace
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Re: On the Black Hill
My disc of this film exhibits freezing and skipping issues. Has anyone else had any experience? I can't find any information, which I assume is either the result of this being a problem with my individual disc, or the problem being unrecorded due to the film being rather obscure.
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- Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 8:27 am
Re: On the Black Hill
I had no problem with my copy, which we watched earlier this year.