Riddles of the Sphinx - Laura Mulvey & 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

DETAILS
Format : Region 0 PAL DVD, Region free Blu-ray, Disc 1: BD50 | 1080p | 24fps | PCM mono audio (48k/24-bit), Disc 2: DVD9 | PAL | Dolby Digital mono audio (192kbps)
Director ‏ : ‎ Laura Mulvey, Peter Wollen
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Dolby, CD+DVD, PAL
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 30 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ September 23, 2013
Actors ‏ : ‎ Clive Merrison, Dinah Stabb, Merdelle Jordine, Riannon Tise, Marie Green
Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
Producers ‏ : ‎ Riddles of the Sphinx (1977) (Blu-Ray & DVD Combo), Riddles of the Sphinx (1977)
Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Studio ‏ : ‎ BFI
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2