RIDDLES OF THE SPHINX (DVD + Blu-ray)
A Film by Laura Mulvey and Peter Wollen
Laura Mulvey and Peter Wollen's visually accomplished and intellectually rigorous Riddles of the Sphinx is one of the most important avant-garde films to have emerged from Britain during the 1970s
The second collaboration between Mulvey and Wollen, both of whom are recognised as seminal figures in the field of film theory, Riddles of the Sphinx explores issues of female representation, the place of motherhood within society and the relationship between mother and daughter. Composed of a number of discrete sections, many of which are shot as continuous circular pans, the film takes place in a range of domestic and public spaces, shot in locations which include Malcolm LeGrice's kitchen and Stephen Dwoskin's bedroom.
The film's ground-breaking electronic score, by The Soft Machine's Mike Ratledge, was composed on synthesisers which were developed in collaboration with Denys Irving (the man behind the mysterious and controversial 1970s band Lucifer).
Newly mastered in High Definition, Riddles of the Sphinx is presented here with a number of essential extras, including a feature-length Laura Mulvey audio commentary, and Mulvey and Wollen's first film collaboration Penthesilea: Queen of the Amazons.
Special features
- Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition
- Newly recorded feature-length audio commentary with director Laura Mulvey and academic Winfried Pauleit
- Laura Mulvey in Conversation (2013, 15 mins): the filmmaker and academic discusses Riddles of the Sphinx
- Penthesilea: Queen of the Amazons (Peter Wollen and Laura Mulvey, 1974, 98 mins): trail-blazing avant-garde film exploring the image of the Amazonian woman in myth and popular culture
- Fully illustrated booklet featuring new essays by Sophie Mayer, Laura Mulvey, Rob Young, and complete film credits
UK | 1977 | colour | English Language, with optional English hard-of-hearing subtitles | 91 minutes | Original aspect ratio 1.33:1
Disc 1: BD50 | 1080p | 24fps | PCM mono audio (48k/24-bit)
Disc 2: DVD9 | PAL | Dolby Digital mono audio (192kbps)
Region 0 PAL DVD
Region free Blu-ray
