Later this month the BFI are set to give Nietzchka Keene’s haunting debut feature a Blu-ray release.
Loosely based on a medieval folktale from the Brothers Grimm stories. We follows Margit (Björk, in her film debut over 30 years ago) and her sister as they seek safety after their mother, thought to be a witch, is killed. Finding apparent sanctuary with a widower and his young son, their uneasy family unit immediately falls under the sway of strange, dark forces. T
The release will include a range of extras including a new feature commentary, interviews and archival films.
Photographed in black and white amid the dramatic landscape of Iceland and now restored in 4K from the original negative. The Juniper Tree is an eerie, dreamlike meditation on magic, the destructive consequences of misogyny and the shadows that abide in far-flung places. A deeply atmospheric film, it is evocative of Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Day of Wrath and Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring.
Special features
-Presented in High Definition
-4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative
-New feature commentary by Icelandic cultural scholar Dr Guðrún D Whitehead
-Still (1978, 4 mins), Hinterland (1981, 25 mins), Aves (1998, 7 mins): three remastered short films by Nietzchka Keene
-Randy Sellars on The Juniper Tree (2019, 29 mins): video interview with the film’s cinematographer
-Interview with Nietzchka Keene (2002, 15 mins)
-Outtakes from The Juniper Tree (5 mins)
-The Witch’s Fiddle (1924, 7 mins): a British folk rarity from the BFI National Archive
Iceland – The Land of Ice and Fire (1929, 22 mins): little-seen footage of Iceland from the silent cinema era
-US theatrical trailer
***First pressing only*** illustrated booklet with writing by Dr. Deborah Allison, Angeline Gragasin, Patrick Moyroud, Amy Sloper and Paul Fairclough; credits and notes on the special features
USA, Iceland / 1990 / black and white / 79 mins / English language with optional subtitles for the Deaf and partial hearing / original aspect ratio 1.66:1 / BD50: 1080p, 24fps, PCM 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit)
You can pre-order / buy at BFI Store. The Juniper Tree will be released on Blu-ray from 23rd January.
