Our Collections: Spotlight on Library Resources Blog Posts

Spotlight on: BFI Player for HE, with UR's Head of eLearning

In a previous Spotlight post, we featured the Library's new subscription to BFI Player for Higher Education, the specially curated film streaming platform from the British Film Institute. Matthew Vose, Head of eLearning Services (and film buff) has been busy exploring this fantastic resource, free to you as a Roehampton student or staff member. Read on for Matthew's top film tips!

"BFI Player for Higher Education is more than just another streaming service, and through Roehampton you can get free access to the full library of contemporary, classic, indie, and mainstream films they have available. BFI, and the Player by extension, fills a unique niche in the film and streaming landscape, prioritising cinematic range and curation over quantity. The films come from around the world, and throughout the eras, so it is perhaps the most effective service to fill any missing gaps in your cinematic experience. Here are some highlights of features and films to seek out, or to use in your teaching as a further extension of your module’s materials. (There are almost 12,000 films available for subscribers - which you get free as a university member - as well as over 1700 films for rental). 

To get access, use your Roehampton login details on library.roehampton.ac.uk/bfiplayer to set up an account and use the service completely for free. You can access BFI Player on your PC, laptop, tablet, phone, and TV. 

Love & Friendship, 2016 

https://player.bfi.org.uk/subscription/film/watch-love-friendship-2016-online 

Whit Stillman releases only one or two films per decade, starting with Metropolitan in 1990. Love and Friendship is his most recent, and it is his first straight adaptation of a Jane Austen novella (Lady Susan). The film tells the tale of recently-widowed Lady Susan Vernon moving through her Regency society whilst seeking a match for her daughter, and possibly herself. Featuring Kate Beckinsale and Morfydd Clark, Stillman’s trademark focus on dialogue is perfect for a period piece (alongside Austen’s sharp writing and observations of her time), whilst being stylistically distinct from similar adaptations. 

Further viewing: Frances Ha, Little Women, Much Ado About Nothing, Pride & Prejudice.

La Haine, 1995 

https://player.bfi.org.uk/subscription/film/watch-la-haine-1995-online 

Paris has always been portrayed as romantic and glamourous, but in 1995 La Haine presented a starkly different view, from the ordinary people living on the edge of the city. Police brutality and institutional racism spark the events of the film over 24 hours, showing life as it exists on the fringes of the city. Based on real events, La Haine introduced the world to Vincent Cassel and marks a significant moment in French cinema, incorporating aspects of the New Wave and classics whilst transitioning to an even starker and more honest experience of French life. 

Further viewing – Girlhood, Divines 

Films Directed By Women 

Only 15% of films from America are directed by women. In Europe that increases, but only to about 25%. For anyone actively seeking out films directed by women, BFI Player is a great place to find a range of old and new films from around the world. The selection below would settle you in for a range of stories and experiences.  

Cléo from 5 to 7 – 1962 

https://player.bfi.org.uk/subscription/film/watch-cleo-from-5-to-7-1962-online 

Agnes Varda’s classic real time film Cléo from 5 to 7 is almost distracting in how much she shows off by having mirrors on every surface throughout the film without showing the camera in them, allowing us to always see what is going on around Cléo (between 5 and 7). 

Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles – 1975 

https://player.bfi.org.uk/subscription/film/watch-jeanne-dielman-23-quai-du-commerce-1080-bruxelles-1975-online 

Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles was voted the greatest film of all time in Sight and Sounds’ 2022 poll. A complex portrayal of a homemaker struggling to raise and provide for her son, the extended shots and sequences of the film portray Jeanne’s experiences without judgement. 

Scrapper – 2023 

https://player.bfi.org.uk/subscription/film/watch-scrapper-2023-online 

Scrapper should by all measures be a difficult watch, about a 12 year old girl who is secretly living on her own after the death of her mother, as her father re-enters her life. But the performance by Lola Campbell as Georgie is entrancing, with comedy and depth, alongside Harris Dickinson trying to work out how to be a father, and the film is ultimately a delightful child’s eye view of their experiences. 

Girls Girls Girls – 2021 

https://player.bfi.org.uk/subscription/film/watch-girls-girls-girls-2021-online 

Girls Girls Girls is a Finnish film from Alli Haapasalo about two friends trying to awkwardly find love and understand themselves in a refreshing take on the teen coming of age story. 

Further viewing – Women with a movie camera collection, Daisies, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Capernaum 

Worthy Classics 

When we talk about curation of film, BFI Player is one of the singularly best places to find some of the most-lauded films from the last 150 years. I won’t go into unnecessary detail about the films listed below, but suffice to say that a lot of films that people say you ‘must watch’ are likely to be available on the service, with other selections from those directors and countries also available. 

Citizen Kane – 1941 

https://player.bfi.org.uk/subscription/film/watch-citizen-kane-1941-online 

Persona – 1966 

https://player.bfi.org.uk/subscription/film/watch-persona-1966-online 

Nosferatu – 1922 

https://player.bfi.org.uk/subscription/film/watch-nosferatu-1922-online 

Rashomon – 1950 

https://player.bfi.org.uk/subscription/film/watch-rashomon-1950-online 

M – 1931 

https://player.bfi.org.uk/subscription/film/watch-m-1931-online 

Further viewing – Paris Texas, Tokyo Story, Suspiria, Caravaggio 

Collections 

https://player.bfi.org.uk/subscription/collection/tilda-swinton 

One disadvantage of streaming services can be the overwhelming sense of choice that often stymies any decision. BFI Player has a range of collections, by actor, director, style, genre, country, era, theme, and more. These are a great place to start your exploration of the service and identify what you would like to watch. 

My recommendation when choosing a film is always to watch something featuring Tilda Swinton, because you can't fail to find it interesting. The Tilda Swinton collection currently has 7 films demonstrating her range and diverse filmography. These include her debut in Derek Jarman’s Caravaggio, an unusual motion poem in Last and First Men from the composer of Arrival, and her collaboration with Joanna Hogg in The Eternal Daughter, where she plays the role created by her daughter Honor in The Souvenir. 

Further viewing – Classic Collaborations, Backed by the BFI, Academy Awards 

Recently Added 

https://player.bfi.org.uk/subscription/collection/recently-added 

The final section to bring to your attention to is the Recently Added. As you would expect, the latest films to come to the service can be found here. Major new additions are often delivered with an introduction from Mark Kermode or are highlighted against recent news and events that make them particularly pertinent. Rather than the monthly addition and removal that happens with other services, BFI Player is constantly adding to the available selection. 

Summary 

Whilst I could continue listing films (and do this list again purely on documentaries), I hope it serves to show that BFI Player for HE has an incredible range of films available, and chances are that any film you select to watch will be of high quality. 

To get access, use your Roehampton login details on library.roehampton.ac.uk/bfiplayer to set up an account and use the service completely for free. 

Roehampton staff and students also get access to Kanopy, another great service with a range of films available, and Roehampton Online Broadcasts (ROB) for broadcast TV and radio programmes." 

Thank you Matthew for these excellent suggestions! There is plenty more to explore on BFI player for HE. To celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month this February, for instance, there are these specially curated collections:

Queer Britain 

Too Desi, Too Queer 

Most Popular LGBTQIA+ 2024 

BFI Flare LGBTQIA+

Happy viewing!