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Following the world premiere of The Epic of Everest at the 2013 London Film Festival and its critically acclaimed theatrical release, Captain John Noel's official record of the 1924 Everest expedition - featuring a new score by Simon Fisher Turner - will be released both on its own and bundled with The Great White Silence this Monday (27 January). To celebrate this silent classic's Dual Format release, we have Two The Epic of Everest & The Great White Silence box sets to give away to our readers, courtesy of the BFI. This is an exclusive competition for our Facebook and Twitter fans, so if you haven't already, 'Like' us at facebook.com/CineVueUK or follow us @CineVue before answering the question below.

Feature 29 Oct 2013 - 06:26

Don't go out in the wind and rain, stay inside and listen to some film soundtracks. Ivan's got some recommendations...

October is a horrible month to go outside but indoors, it’s an auditory utopia for film music fans. Here are four reasons why.

The Broken Circle Breakdown - The Broken Circle Breakdown Bluegrass Band

It’s always a good sign when a film forms its own band just for the soundtrack.

“If I needed you, would you come to me? Would you come to me for to ease my pain?” That was a question asked by Townes Van Zandt in 1972 and made famous by Emmylou Harris and Don Williams in 1981. 30 odd years later and it’s given a new, raw lease of life by this heartbreaking Belgian film, which follows the crumbling relationship of two musicians in a country group.

Writer and actress Veerle Baetens...

On the other side of my content filled posts for Sound on Sight, I manage a semi-popular Tumblr blog called Obscure and Offbeat Cinema. There is virtually no written content and the vast majority of what I present are screenshots taken from films that I’m watching or planning to watch. Though a popular film will sneak in now and then, the focus remains on films that are off the beaten path. With over 3000 images posted in 2012, I thought it would be interesting to single out my favourite shots seen for the first time this year and share them with you. This link is quite obviously unique to my own cinematic experience of 2012, as well as my own personal quirks and aesthetic obsessions, so you might not agree with all of the choices. I also warn, this list may not be Safe for Work and in the case of objectionable...

We're now into the season that really should be known as Listmas, where everyone is compiling lists of their top 10s of 2011. But there is plenty of fine, less showy work being done, even behind the scenes, that often doesn't get the credit it deserves. So here's a shout out and a thank you to those in the DVD/Blu-ray medium who have made staying in as much fun as going out.

Best restoration

The Great White Silence

Originally released in 1924, Herbert G Ponting's documentary charted Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova expedition to the south pole. Ponting only accompanied the team as far as the Antarctic coastline base camp, but this was enough to capture sights never before filmed, as well as a solid historical document of a legendary feat. The rest of the expedition is portrayed using his eerie and poignant footage of Scott, Oates, et al,...

Simon Fisher Turner was an actor, a punk rocker and a pop singer before he found his true calling as a composer of experimental soundtracks

He has had a 40-year career spanning music and film. But for millions, Simon Fisher Turner is an artist encountered only unconsciously, via a BBC 1 channel ident. His soundtrack of piano and voice accompanying a helicopter flying over the sea to land on Bishop's Rock lighthouse has featured heavily in the broadcaster's schedule since 2008. Yet if its ubiquity seems to taunt the relative obscurity of the composer, the aquatic element, at least, seems to be in keeping with his tastes. "I love being by the sea and around water," says Turner, who was brought up in Cornwall by an archaeologist mother and submariner father. It was while away with Hms Otter that Captain Turner bought his son a tape recorder and started a fascination with field recordings that still abides.

Herbert Ponting's 1924 film The Great White Silence is a fantastic true account of Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated 1910-13 expedition to reach the South Pole. Accompanying the expedition, Ponting captured probably the first ever footage of the alien terrain and wildlife of Antarctica, presenting it with a keen documentarian's eye as well as surprisingly witty commentary on the numerous intertitles. The first half of Ponting's feature-length document plays much like a nature film, capturing the day to day life of seals, seagulls and penguins, among others. Unlike the wildlife documentaries of today, the filmmakers and other members of the expedition frequently invade the frame and openly disrupt the natural order of events. Ponting confesses a number of times to scaring off seagulls and penguins in...

The Great White Silence

DVD & Blu-ray, BFI

Considering the year and the conditions, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Captain Scott's ill-fated Antarctic expedition of 1910 couldn't have been thoroughly documented on film.

It just wasn't possible back then to film in such adverse conditions, was it? In fairness, it really wasn't – this was a journey to an area they weren't even sure humans could survive in, let alone primitive film equipment. Seeing this amazing movie, then, is like seeing footage of the building of the pyramids or the sinking of the Titanic – it shouldn't exist, but it does. That's thanks to film-maker Herbert Ponting who, in an era that was all about making the impossible happen, went where no cameraman had been before, hanging off the side of the ship to capture the prow smashing the pack ice and wandering off for days to document the lives of such exotic...

Deep End

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from the British Film Institute:

Make film your New Year resolution

BFI Southbank – BFI Distribution – BFI Festivals – BFI IMAX – BFI DVD – BFI Membership BFI Online – BFI Filmstore – BFI Mediatheques – BFI Gallery – Sight & Sound 2011 is set to become a landmark year for the BFI and this will be reflected in the broad and diverse range of film offerings for audiences across the UK. From film and television premieres and seasons at BFI Southbank, the most eclectic range of DVDs and nationwide theatrical releases by the most influential artists of British and world cinema, to a free insight into the BFI Archive via the Mediatheques around the country and online, there is something to entertain, educate and inspire anyone who loves film. BFI Southbank Great Auteurs – seasons include Howard Hawks (Jan/Feb), Francois Truffaut (Feb/March) Nicolas Roeg (March), Terence Rattigan (April...