Requiem for a Village – Blu-Ray

Requiem for a Village (US Limited Edition)

Director: David Gladwell

Cast: Vic Smith, Alice Barker, Charlie Collett, Hilary Runnacles, Clarence Balls, Jack Parsons, Peter Campbell

When an old man sees the dead rise from their graves in a rural English churchyard, the past and present are thrown together and a dialogue between the old and the new, tradition and progress, man and machine, is set in motion. Lyricism, violence and the uncanny collide to produce an extraordinary film of great power and potency.

Perhaps better known for work as the editor of Lindsay Anderson’s If…. and O Lucky Man!, David Gladwell directs this visionary folk offering with an artist’s eye. Exquisite slow-motion, no-holds-barred brutality, and weird alchemy are enriched by the astounding score from acclaimed composer David Fanshawe. Making its US Blu-ray debut, Requiem for a Village arrives complete with all-new director commentaries and a collection of Gladwell’s short films which foreshadow many of the themes and techniques of his remarkable debut.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• High Definition remaster

• Original mono audio

• Audio commentary with writer-director David Gladwell and film historian Sam Dunn, focusing on Requiem for a Village (2022)

• Audio commentary with writer-director David Gladwell and film historian Sam Dunn, focusing on Gladwell’s life and career (2022)

• A Summer Discord (1955): short, silent amateur film by Gladwell which pays homage to Jean Vigo

• Miss Thompson Goes Shopping(1958): short, lyrical film by Gladwell based on a poem by Martin Armstrong

• An Untitled Film (1964): experimental short film by Gladwell with electronic score by composer and choreographer Ernest Berk

• The Great Steam Fair (1964): documentary short, co-directed by Gladwell and Derrick Knight, focusing on the steam engines and traditional fairground rides at an event in Berkshire, England

• 28b Camden Street (1965): documentary short by Gladwell about a community of artists

• New Ways at Northgate(1969): Gladwell’s ground-breaking documentary, exploring the ‘re-humanising’ of disabled people

• Can Horses Sing? (1971): documentary short, directed by Elizabeth Sussex and edited by Gladwell, charting a day in the life of a village school in rural Scotland

• Can Horses Sing? audio commentary with film historian Thirza Wakefield (2022)

• Image gallery of Gladwell’s paintings

• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the feature and all six short films

• Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Ben Nicholson, archival articles, Adam Scovell on the short films, and film credits

• US premiere on Blu-ray

• Limited edition of 3,000 copies