Sep 30, 2011

Upcoming Spy DVDs: Page Eight (2011)

Upcoming Spy DVDs: Page Eight (2011)

David Hare's BBC spy thriller Page Eight, which we first heard about last November, will hit DVD and Blu-ray on November 8, 2011, just days after its November 6 premiere on PBS' Masterpiece Contemporary. This serious spy drama boasts an all-star cast to equal that of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, including Bill Nighy, Rachel Weisz, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Ewan Bremner and Judy Davis. Word out of Britain, where it aired over the summer, was pretty fantastic, and I'm actually looking forward to this one nearly as much as I am to Tinker Tailor! Here's PBS' description:
Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) is a long-serving M15 officer. His boss and best friend Benedict Baron (Michael Gambon) dies suddenly, leaving behind him an inexplicable file, threatening the stability of the organization. Meanwhile, a seemingly chance encounter with Johnny's striking next-door neighbour and political activist Nancy Pierpan (Rachel Weisz) seems too good to be true. Johnny is forced to walk out of his job, and then out of his identity to find out the truth. Set in London and Cambridge, Page Eight is a contemporary spy film for the BBC, which addresses intelligence issues and moral dilemmas peculiar to the new century.
SRP will be $24.99 for the DVD and $29.99 for the Blu-ray, though both should be available at a substantial discount from the usual online retailers. There's no word yet on special features, though I'd imagine this Region 1 release is likely to include the same cast and crew interviews featured on the Region 2 DVD, which came out earlier this month. There is apparently no high-def version available in the UK.

2 comments:

  1. Again: highly recommended for fans of serious spy drama. It has got a bit of Sandbaggers, a bit of Harry Palmer and even a little bit of the Spy that came in from the cold.

    Officially just a tv-film but for me the best spy movie of the year (haven't seen Tinker,Tailor though...)

    Interview with Bill Nighy in which he says there's talk of a sequel here:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14662648

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Kees! I haven't even gotten to see this yet, but I'm hoping there's a sequel too! I can't wait for this one...

    ReplyDelete