Shakespeare Wallah
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2019 1:30 pm
Announced for April 15. No concrete details confirmed other than that it's a recent restoration.
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A Merchant Ivory production
Shakespeare Wallah
Directed by James Ivory
BFI Blu-ray release on 15 April 2019, followed by iTunes release on 29 April
Shakespeare Wallah, the film that brought Merchant Ivory to international attention in 1965, is presented on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, in a new 2K restoration, released by the BFI on 15 April 2019 with an iTunes release on 29 April.
Shot by Satyajit Ray’s cameraman, Subrata Mitra, and scored by Ray himself, the film is a delicate love story that sets the tone for many of the partnership’s collaborations and remains a beguiling, multi-layered cinematic landmark.
During the early days of post-colonial India, a company of nomadic actors travel across the country performing Shakespeare. When a young troupe member, Lizzie (Felicity Kendal) falls in love with playboy Sanju (Shashi Kapoor), the pair must overcome cultural differences and the scheming of film actress and rival for Sanju’s affections Manjula (Madhur Jaffrey).
Special features
• New 2K restoration
• The Guardian Lecture: Ismail Merchant and James Ivory (1983, 82 mins): the director and producer in conversation with David Robinson at the NFT
• The Guardian Interview: Shashi Kapoor (1994, 54 mins, audio only): the actor in conversation with film critic Derek Malcolm at the NFT
• Conversations from the Quad with James Ivory and Madhur Jaffrey (2018, 48 mins): the director and actor discuss working together
• A Road in India (1938, 9 mins)
• Technicolor travelogue shot by award-winning cinematographer Jack Cardiff
• Original trailer (1965)
• Restoration trailer (2017)
Product details
RRP: £19.99/ Cat. no. BFIB1334 / Cert PG
UK / 1965 / black and white / 122 mins / English language, with optional hard-of-hearing subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.85:1 / BD50, 1080p, 24fps, PCM 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit)