MFB: February 1934

Newcomers might want to read the Introduction for a brief history of the Monthly Film Bulletin (MFB), and for an overview of this blog's intentions.

----------oOo----------

The first few years of the MFB did not represent the magazine as it is now fondly remembered. In fact, an editorial in the very first issue makes it clear the magazine was primarily concerned with educational and documentary films not intended for general exhibition, and reviews of such material made up the bulk of the premiere edition (riveting examples include Lancashire at Work and Tropical Ceylon).

At first, so-called 'entertainment films' were relegated to the back of the magazine, and were afforded no more attention than a cursory sentence or two. But this section appears to have caught the attention of readers from the outset, since the length of the reviews expanded over the course of the first year until they formed an integral part of the overall publication. However, the entertainment section would retain its second-class status until finally moved to a dominant position at the front of the magazine in January 1939. Full coverage of 'educational' items continued until 1950, at which point the number of such reviews was greatly diminished in favour of the magazine's new primary purpose - reviews of commercial film productions.

Here, month by month, are every one of those feature-length 'commercial' items, beginning with the very first issue of MFB, published a lifetime ago:

----------oOo----------

Monthly Film Bulletin
February 1934
Vol. 1 No. 1

Aunt Sally
(USA: Along Came Sally)
UK - 1933 - 85m - bw
Gaumont-British (A) (cut)
D: Tim Whelan

The Bowery
USA - 1933 - 92m - bw
United Artists (A) (cut)
D: Raoul Walsh
Also reviewed: Feb 1947.

The Constant Nymph
UK - 1933 - 97m - bw
Gaumont-British (A) (cut)
D: Basil Dean

The Deserter
Дезертир
USSR - 1933 - 105m - bw
The Film Society (Banned)
D: Vsevolod Pudovskin
Rejected by the BBFC in 1934, but made available for private bookings.

General John Regan
UK - 1933 - 74m - bw
United Artists (U)
D: Henry Edwards

The Kennel Murder Case
USA - 1934 - 73m - bw
Warner (A)
D: Michael Curtiz
Series: The Canary Murder Case (1929).

Kuhle Wampe
Kuhle Wampe oder: Wem gehört die Welt?
(aka: Kuhle Wampe, or To Whom Does the World Belong?)
(aka: Whither Germany)
Ger - 1931 - 80m - bw
The Film Society
D: Slatan Dudow
Also reviewed: Jul 1978.

Lady for a Day
USA - 1933 - 96m - bw
Columbia (U) (cut)
D: Frank Capra

La maternelle
(aka: Children of Montmartre)
Fr - 1932 - 89m - bw
The Film Society
D: Jean-Benoît Lévy, Marie Epstein
Also reviewed: Feb 1948.

Morning Glory
USA - 1933 - 74m - bw
RKO Radio (A)
D: Lowell Sherman
Also reviewed: Jul 1977

Mutter Krausen
Mutter Krausens Fahrt ins Glück
(aka: Mother Krause's Journey to Happiness)
Ger - 1929 - silent - bw
The Film Society (A)
D: Phil Jutzi

Night Flight
USA - 1933 - 84m - bw
MGM (A)
D: Clarence Brown

One Sunday Afternoon
USA - 1933 - 85m - bw
Paramount (A)
D: Stephen Roberts

Před maturitou
Czech - 1932 - 91m - bw
The Film Society
D: Svatopluk Innemann, Vladislav Vancura

Reifende Jugend
(USA: The Growing Youth)
Ger - 1933 - 115m - bw
The Film Society
D: Carl Froehlich
Also reviewed: Feb 1936.

A Simple Case
Простой случай
(USA: Life is Beautiful)
USSR - 1930 - 96m - bw
The Film Society
D: Vsevolod Pudovkin

S.O.S. Iceberg
USA/Ger - 1933 - 95m - bw
Universal (A) (cut)
D: Tay Garnett
Also filmed in a German version, S.O.S. Eisberg (1933), shot on the same sets, with cast members exclusive to each edition.

This is the Life
UK - 1933 - 78m - bw
British Lion (U)
D: Albert de Courville

Three-Cornered Moon
USA - 1933 - 77m - bw
Paramount (U)
D: Elliott Nugent

Turn Back the Clock
USA - 1933 - 79m - bw
MGM (A)
D: Edgar Selwyn

The Way to Love
USA - 1933 - 80m - bw
Paramount (A)
D: Norman Taurog

Censor certificates

NB. In entries where no certificate is listed, that means the film bypassed BBFC scrutiny and played in selected cinemas under licence from local authorities. The same film might subsequently have been released on UK video, subject to BBFC certification and/or censorship (where necessary).

----------oOo----------

1912 - 1951
Except in one instance (see below), the certificates issued during this period offered guidance to the general public but were not compulsory. However, they were strictly enforced by many councils throughout the UK.

U = Universal. Suitable for all.
A = Adult. Persons under 16 should be accompanied by an adult guardian.
H = Horrific. Persons under 16 not admitted. This certificate was first introduced in 1933 as an advisory rating (children allowed if accompanied by an adult). However, it became compulsory in June 1937, at which point all persons under 16 were refused entry to any such film.

----------oOo----------

1951 - 1970

U = Universal. Suitable for all.
A = Adult. Persons under 16 should be accompanied by an adult guardian (advisory, not compulsory).
X = Persons under 16 not admitted.

----------oOo----------

1970 - 1983

U = Universal. Suitable for all.
A = Advisory. Some material may not be suitable for young children.
AA = Persons under 14 not admitted.
X = Persons under 18 not admitted.

----------oOo----------

1983 - Present

U = Universal. Suitable for all.
PG = Parental Guidance. Some material may not be suitable for young children.
12 = Persons under 12 not admitted (1989 - 2002).
12A = Persons under 12 require accompanying adult guardian (2002 - present).
15 = Persons under 15 not admitted.
18 = Persons under 18 not admitted.
R18 = Persons under 18 not admitted. Films with this rating are restricted to cinemas and sex shops specifically licensed to sell or exhibit 'Adult' material. Hardcore pornography was legalised in the year 2000 following a court case which forced the censors' hand. Prior to that, R18 films were only marginally more explicit than their softcore X/18 counterparts.

----------oOo----------

Miscellaneous

(Banned) = Where this appears in parentheses after the distributor, it means the film was rejected by the BBFC for cinema exhibition but still released under license by local councils.
(E) = Not an official BBFC certificate, but used on home video releases to indicate the film is exempt from classification.
(Uc) = Universal, particularly suitable for pre-school children. Short-lived certificate, for video only.

Glossary

Glossary of terms used throughout the Index, including some of the photographic and audio processes which have been used over the decades to enhance the cinematic experience:

----------oOo----------

• 3-D = Three-dimensional (stereoscopic) film.

• 70mm Cinerama = Single-strip version of the Cinerama (qv) format, in which large gauge films (spherical/anamorphic 70mm or Technirama) are converted into 'rectified' 5-perf 70mm prints designed for projection on the huge, curved Cinerama screen.

• Arri 765 = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1.

• Auro 11.1 = Digital sound format which uses 'layers' of sound (surround, height and ceiling) to create an illusion of three-dimensional sonic realism. Such films will play back in standard 5.1 in cinemas not equipped for Auro rendering.

• Barco Escape = Digital widescreen format which utilises three scope (2.39:1) screens curved around the front and sides of the cinema auditorium to create an immersive image with a 7.17:1 aspect ratio.

• BBFC = British Board of Film Classification. Known, more appropriately, as the British Board of Film Censors until 1983.

• BFI = British Film Institute.

• bw = Black and white.

• CFGS [see: China Film Giant Screen]

• China Film Giant Screen = Large Format (digital), with two overlapping 2K-resolution images projected onto a giant screen, similar to IMAX-D (qv). In fact, so similar, IMAX sued the company behind CFGS - and won! 11.1-channel audio.

• CinemaScope 55 = 8-perf 55mm anamorphic film. 6-perf release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.55:1.

• Cinemiracle = Three 6-perf 35mm (spherical) frames projected side by side to create a single seamless image. Aspect ratio: 2.51:1.

• Cinerama = Three 6-perf 35mm (spherical) frames projected side by side to create a single seamless image. Aspect ratio: 2.59:1. See also: 70mm Cinerama.

• col = Colour.

• (cut) = Where this appears after the BBFC certificate, it indicates that a film has been cut by the Board at some stage, either on film or video. The cuts may have since been restored and the uncensored version 'approved' for UK distribution but, amongst other things, this blog exists to provide an overview of just how much the BBFC has intervened on 'our' behalf over the decades, almost always for the flimsiest of reasons. You can check the current cut/uncut status of individual titles at the online BBFC database.

• DEFA 70 = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1.

• Dimension 150 = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1.

• Dolby Atmos = Object-based audio enhancement which employs multiple speakers (up to 64 in total at the time of writing) around and above the audience in suitably-equipped cinemas. This augments a 7.1 or 5.1 soundtrack by allowing each specific audio element to exist within - or travel across - a wider range of additional speakers, thereby creating an illusion of three-dimensional sonic realism. Such films will play back in standard 7.1 or 5.1 in cinemas not equipped for Atmos rendering.

• Dolby Stereo = 4-channel stereo sound. 70mm release prints contain either 4.2- or 5.1-channel audio.

• Dolby Stereo SR = 4-channel stereo sound, with Spectral Recording enhanced dynamic range. 70mm release prints contain either 4.2- or 5.1-channel audio.

• DTS:X = Object-based audio enhancement which employs multiple speakers around and above the audience in suitably-equipped cinemas. This allows each specific audio element to exist within - or travel across - a wider range of speakers, thereby creating an illusion of three-dimensional sonic realism. Such films will play back in standard 7.1 or 5.1 in cinemas not equipped for DTS:X rendering.

• Duo-Vision = 4-perf 35mm anamorphic film. Two 1.37:1-shaped images (showing different angles of the same scene) configured side by side on the wide 2.35:1 frame (2.39:1 projection).

• Eagle Stereo = 4.2-channel stereo sound. This is simply Ultra-Stereo (qv) with two extra channels of deep bass encoding, used on 70mm prints of Cobra (1986).

• Fantasound = 3-channel stereo sound.

• Feelarama = Extreme low-frequency sound effect, similar to Sensurround (qv).

• fps = Frames per second.

• Grandeur = 4-perf 70mm spherical film. Aspect ratio: 2.13:1.

• Hi-Fi Stereo 70 = 3-D format in which the separate left-right images are placed adjacent to one another in the space normally occupied by a single 5-perf 65mm frame and subjected to an anamorphic squeeze, yielding a 2.20:1 aspect ratio. Release prints configured in 5-perf 70mm. Also known as Stereovision 70, Triarama and Super Cinema 3-D.

• Hypergonar = 4-perf 35mm anamorphic film. Aspect ratio: 2.66:1.

• Illusion-O = Sometimes credited as a 3-D process, but the format involves nothing more than glasses with coloured filters, through which patrons of the 1960 film 13 Ghosts could choose whether or not to view ghostly on-screen figures.

• IMAX = 15-perf 65mm spherical film. 15-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 1.44:1 (though it can accommodate a variety of ratios within its massive frame).

• IMAX 3-D = Stereoscopic format involving the creation and projection of separate left-right images on two strips of 15-perf 65mm (spherical) film. 15-perf 70mm release prints. Primary aspect ratio: 1.44:1.

• IMAX 6-track = 6-channel audio, plus sub-bass, used in IMAX (qv) and IMAX-D (qv) presentations.

• IMAX 12-track = 12-channel audio, plus sub-bass, with 2 additional side channels and 4 more in the ceiling. Used in IMAX-L (qv) presentations.

• IMAX-D = IMAX-Digital. Two overlapping 2K-resolution images projected onto an IMAX screen. 2-D and 3-D versions available. Aspect ratio: 1.90:1 (though it can accommodate a variety of ratios within the frame). 6-track audio.

• IMAX-D/L = Film released in both IMAX-D (digital, qv) and IMAX-L (laser, qv) formats.

• IMAX-D 3-D = Two overlapping 2K-resolution images - one for left eye, one for right eye - projected onto an IMAX screen.

• IMAX-L = IMAX-Laser. Two overlapping 4K-resolution images projected via laser onto an IMAX screen. 2-D and 3-D versions available. Aspect ratio: 1.44:1 (though it can accommodate a variety of ratios within the frame). 12-track audio.

• Infrasound = 4-channel stereo sound.

• Kinopanorama = Three 6-perf 35mm (spherical) frames projected side by side to create a single seamless image. Aspect ratio: 2.59:1.

• Kinopanorama 70 = 5-perf 70mm spherical film. Aspect ratio: 2.55:1.

• (LF) = Large Format. This refers to any film shot in a gauge larger than 5-perf 70mm, intended for screening in IMAX venues or similar.

• Magnifilm = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. Aspect ratio: 2.05:1.

• MegaSound = Deep bass audio enhancement.

• MFB = Monthly Film Bulletin (magazine).

• MGM Camera 65 = 5-perf 65mm anamorphic film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.76:1. Few - if any - films shot in this format were ever screened at the full 2.76:1 ratio for practical reasons, and studio MGM (which had developed the process) declared the optimal aspect ratio to be 2.55:1. However, most films shot in this format are now reproduced on home video at the full 2.76:1 ratio, so both screen shapes are technically 'correct'. Subsequently renamed Ultra Panavision 70 (qv).

• (OL) = Online. Film produced for distribution over the Internet.

• Panavision Super 70 = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1. Also known as Panavision System 70.

• Polyvision = Three 4-perf 35mm spherical images projected side by side to create a single seamless image. Aspect ratio: 4.00:1.

• (pre-VRA) = A film released directly to home video without a BBFC certificate, before the introduction of the Video Recordings Act 1984.

• QSound = Audio enhancement which pans various effects across the soundstage, creating the illusion of three-dimensional sound.

• Quadraphonic Sound = 4-channel stereo sound.

• Quintaphonic Sound = 5-channel stereo sound.

• S&S = Sight & Sound (magazine).

• scope = Film with a projected aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (prior to 1971) or 2.39:1 (1971 onwards). A small number of scope movies were shot and projected at 2.00:1 or 2.55:1 and this is noted in parentheses - ie. 'scope (2.55:1)' - where relevant.

• ScreenX = Immersive format in which three screens traverse the entire length of the front and sides of the cinema auditorium, creating a single 270-degree image.

• Sensurround = Extreme low-frequency sound effect.

• Sound 360 = 4-channel stereo sound format employed on the film Damnation Alley (1977), which basically relocated the front-left and -right speakers to the sides of the auditorium and cranked up the volume, making for an aggressive surround experience.

• Sovscope 70 = 5-perf 70mm spherical film. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1.

• StereoSonic Sound = 4-channel stereo sound.

• Stereovision 70 = 3-D format in which the separate left-right images are placed adjacent to one another in the space normally occupied by a single 5-perf 65mm frame and subjected to an anamorphic squeeze, yielding a 2.20:1 aspect ratio. Release prints configured in 5-perf 70mm. Also known as Hi-Fi Stereo 70, Triarama and Super Cinema 3-D. Not to be confused with the later StereoVision 70 format, which yielded a 1.37:1 projectable image.

• Super Panavision 70 = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1. Some of the earliest films shot in this format are credited on-screen as 'Panavision 70'.

• Superpanorama 70 = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1. Sometimes listed as MCS Superpanorama 70 or MCS-70.

• Super Technirama 70 = Not a 65mm origination format, despite appearances to the contrary! Such films were shot in 'standard' Technirama (8-perf 35mm anamorphic), rendering a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. A 2.21:1 portion of the image (2.20:1 from the late 1970's onward) was subsequently extracted and 'unsqueezed' before being printed in 5-perf 70mm spherical. The results were billed as 'Super Technirama 70', though some early titles credit nothing more than 'Technirama 70' on-screen.

• Technirama = 8-perf 35mm anamorphic film. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1.

• Todd-AO = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1.

• Todd-70 = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1.

• Triarama = 3-D format in which the separate left-right images are placed adjacent to one another in the space normally occupied by a single 5-perf 65mm frame and subjected to an anamorphic squeeze, yielding a 2.20:1 aspect ratio. Release prints configured in 5-perf 70mm. Also known as Hi-Fi Stereo 70, Stereovision 70 and Super Cinema 3-D. Not to be confused with another format known as Triarama, devised in the early 1950's, in which two 1-perf 16mm spherical images were projected side by side to create a single seamless image (that format isn't listed here, since no feature-length items were ever shot in this process).

• (TV) = TV movie.

• Ultra Panavision 70 = 5-perf 65mm anamorphic film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.76:1. Few - if any - films shot in this format were ever screened at the full 2.76:1 ratio for practical reasons, and studio MGM (which had developed the process) declared the optimal aspect ratio to be 2.55:1. However, most films shot in this format are now reproduced on home video at the full 2.76:1 ratio, so both screen shapes are technically 'correct'. Originally known as MGM Camera 65 (qv).

• Ultra-Stereo = 4-channel stereo sound. See also: Eagle Stereo (qv).

• V: = This symbol preceding the name of a film's distributor (ie. 'V: Guild') means the film was released directly to home video in the UK, though it may have been screened theatrically in other territories.

• (V) = Film produced exclusively for distribution on home video.

• Vistasonic = 4-channel stereo sound.

• VistaVision = 8-perf 35mm spherical film. The primary aspect ratio was 1.85:1, though films shot in VistaVision could be projected in any ratio between 1.66:1 and 2.00:1.

• Vitascope = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. Aspect ratio: 2.05:1.

• VRA = Video Recordings Act 1984.

• WarnerPhonic Sound = 4-channel stereo sound.

Introduction (updated Feb 2019)

King Kong (1933)

Update

(February 2019)

Sadly, this blog has now been discontinued, but all entries will remain online for future reference and research purposes. Enjoy!

This blog started life as a record of reviews in Monthly Film Bulletin and Sight & Sound magazines (see below), but that Index was discontinued with the December 2017 edition of the latter publication.

From 1 May 2018, the blog's name was changed from Monthly Film Bulletin: Index to The UK Film Index, though the URL remains the same.

Tell your friends!

----------oOo----------

The Monthly Film Bulletin (MFB) was a magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI) from February 1934 to March 1991 which endeavoured to review every new feature film (and quite a few short items) released in the UK on a month-by-month basis. However, research indicates that the MFB wasn't as complete as its reputation suggests, particularly in the early years when the magazine was still finding its feet. Though thousands of films were duly covered by the MFB, hundreds more were discarded, and this continued throughout the magazine's history.

In April 1991, the MFB was discontinued and subsumed into the BFI's other ongoing publication Sight & Sound (S&S). That magazine's schedule was duly altered from quarterly to monthly to accommodate the change, and it continues to review theatrical releases to the present day.

However, in a recent e-mail exchange with the magazine's current editor, Nick James, it was confirmed to me that S&S is unable to review every film listed by the Film Distributors' Association, because "the whole system has been thoroughly subverted by distributors abusing the meaning of a national film release, flooding the market with films they bung onto a screen for a tiny handful of screenings (sometimes just the one) in order to get the download and DVD rights... no one can cope with the sheer volume of releases... what we're seeing is actually the breakdown of the theatrical screening's special status."

Whatever the case, this much is true: Since 1934, these two publications have provided a broad-ranging overview of commercial theatrical exhibition in the UK during the era of sound-on-film. That's a staggering achievement, and a vital record of the cinematic trends which have come and gone - and, in some cases, stubbornly persisted! - in UK cinemas since the early 1930's. It may not constitute a record of every film, but it certainly covers the vast majority of them, and the significance of such a database cannot be overstated.

Which is where we come in.

This blog aims to list every feature film (50 minutes or longer) reviewed within the pages of MFB and S&S, from February 1934 to the present. Each blog entry will represent a single month's worth of reviews and will consist of the following basic information:

• All films are listed under their UK release title, arranged alphabetically on a letter-by-letter basis (ie. It Can't Last Forever before I Thank a Fool). If the UK title differs from the original title in a film's primary country of origin, the original is given in italics directly underneath. Other English-language titles are also provided, including the US release where it differs from all the others. Definite and indefinite articles ('The', 'An', 'A', etc.) are ignored, including those in non-English titles ('Le', 'Gli', 'Ang', etc.). NB. I have endeavoured wherever possible to reproduce titles exactly as they appear on the print itself, right down to the last dot and dash (ie. Sunset Blvd. rather than 'Sunset Boulevard', and The Son of Kong rather than 'Son of Kong', etc.). My only deviation from this rule is the use of colons to accommodate sub-headings - eg. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter - even when they aren't used on-screen. Given the size and scope of this particular project, mistakes are inevitable, and I hope eagle-eyed readers will offer corrections where necessary, based on a viewing of the on-screen title itself.

• Country of origin.

• Copyright year.

• Running time (RT) in minutes. Some films exist in a variety of different versions, and some were released in the UK after extensive revisions by local distributors. The RT given in this blog refers to the 'definitive' version. Where the original UK release print differed to a significant degree, this is noted at the end of each entry. NB. Given the difficulty in establishing a definitive RT for silent films (due to the fact that many of them were shot and projected at speeds other than 24 frames per second), no RT is given for such films. Instead, they are noted simply as 'silent'. These titles are only included if they are known - or assumed - to run 50 minutes or longer, no matter what the original frame-rate may have been.

• Colour (col) and/or black and white (bw).

• Scope or 3-D notation, or any other special photographic process (Todd-AO, Cinerama, etc.). Tech details for these processes can be found in the Glossary.

• UK distributor.

• Original censor's certificate, including a note of whether the film has ever been cut by the BBFC, either on film or video (you can search the online BBFC database for details of cuts and to find out if uncensored versions of individual titles have since been 'approved' for UK distribution). Where no certificate is provided, that means the film wasn't given a general UK release and played in selected cinemas under licence from local authorities. Indications of censorship activity are crucially important, because each cut (and rejection of entire films) is intended to 'reassure' the public they're being 'shielded' from cinematic excess. This is a self-serving lie, because it assumes that everyone it claims to 'protect' - including every UK resident who reads these words - is either too stupid or incompetent to make those decisions for themselves. Censorship belongs in the hands of individuals, NOT the government, the BBFC or self-proclaimed arbiters of moral standards. It is YOUR RIGHT to decide what is suitable/unsuitable for you and your family, and NOT the province of politicians and centralised organisations. And yet, the history of UK film and video has been blighted by constant interference from those who seek to impose their will on the population at large, using a raft of 'plausible' arguments built on quicksand to make censorship seem not only desirable, but necessary. It is not. It never has been. And when those who wish to impose their idea of censorship tell you otherwise, they are literally insulting your intelligence. Laws which allow the BBFC to ban and censor material on the basis of 'potential harm' are especially monstrous, since the evidence of such harm - potential or otherwise - is not merely flimsy, it is literally non-existent. The Video Recordings Act and the Obscene Publications Act need to be repealed, or at least rewritten to remove all notions of 'harm' caused to the general population by art of any particular stripe, and the BBFC's powers to censor and reject should be limited to the removal of images depicting unsimulated harm - psychological or physical - inflicted on people or animals during the production of a film. Greater emphasis should be placed on classification and consumer advice, since these are key to informing the public about contentious material, and would ultimately allow individuals to make their own choices, rather than having them imposed by others.

• Director (D:).

• Note of sequels or series, along with an indication of when (or if) those films were reviewed in MFB or S&S.

• Multichannel sound formats (Dolby Stereo, WarnerPhonic, 6-channel, Quadraphonic, etc.). Many films are released with a number of different soundtracks, but this blog only lists the primary format(s), the ones which best represents the film as it was meant to be heard. Digital multichannel formats - Dolby Digital, DTS, etc. - are rendered throughout the Index as an audio configuration such as 5.1 (ie. five discrete channels of sound and another channel for low frequency effects). This is because digital audio allows for an increasingly dizzying number of configurations on each print, and it's often difficult to keep track of which specific format has been used on individual films. For example, I • Frankenstein (2013) has credits for (deep breath!) Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround 7.1, Dolby Atmos, Datasat Digital Sound, Auro 11.1 and SDDS, not to mention a 6-track version for IMAX presentations! In that case, I've listed the primary audio formats: 'Dolby Atmos / Auro 11.1 / IMAX 6-track'. Such films will play back in 7.1 or 5.1 in cinemas which are not yet equipped for the very latest sonic technologies. NB. Where no sound format is listed, the film was recorded and released in mono. See the Glossary for tech details of the various sound formats mentioned throughout this Index.

Examples:

The Devil's Backbone
El espinazo del diablo
Spain/Mexico - 2001 - 108m - col
Optimum (15)
D: Guillermo del Toro
Audio: 5.1

Forbidden City
Sorrows of the Forbidden City
清宮秘史
(aka: Secrets of the Qing Court)
Hong Kong - 1948 - 120m - bw
GCT (U)
D: Zhu Shi-lin

Raiders of the Lost Ark
USA - 1981 - 115m - col / scope
CIC (A)
D: Steven Spielberg
35mm and 70mm release prints. Converted to IMAX-D (with 5.1 audio) for a 2012 re-release.
Followed by: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984, Jul/1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989, Jul/1989), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008, Aug/2008).
4.2-channel Dolby Stereo

Further information (cast lists, plot details, etc.) on each title is available from a multitude of online sources. This blog exists simply to list the films themselves, correcting mistakes and omissions which sometimes crept into the original publications.

An important point: These lists represent the films as presented on a monthly basis within the pages of MFB and S&S, but the blog itself does not seek to retain the tone or ethos of the magazines. The BFI favours 'art house' material over commercial and/or grindhouse productions, whereas I prefer the bombastic and sensational, and this will be reflected via my choice of ad-mats and movie stills. I am not guided by 'critical consensus' (which often seems to run counter to what general audiences actually enjoy), but by my own impulses, which are as eclectic and non-conformist as anyone else's. That said, readers should be in no doubt that every film in this listing has its own importance, and I've striven to treat them all equally in terms of research and attention. The decision to illustrate some titles and not others is entirely personal and reflects my own tastes. Hopefully, those tastes are broad enough to interest a wide variety of visitors to the blog.

Enjoy!