NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: BFI Blu-ray (April 2025): BFI's Flipside label have transferred Simon Perry's 1977 Eclipse to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "new scan from the best available 35mm archival materials" and "Newly remastered in 2K". The image quality is reflective of video (although stated to be shot in 35mm) - noisy, blocky, textures - with a palette that is muted and cold, dominated by grays, blues, and earth tones. The 1080P is consistent - soft, probably authentic - bringing a grounded, atmospheric approach to the production. The cliffside house, perched above a turbulent sea, is captured in expansive wide shots that highlight its isolation. The rugged Scottish coast, with its gray skies and crashing waves, creates a foreboding atmosphere, mirroring the characters’ emotional turmoil. These shots recall the gothic isolation of Rebecca, though with a more modern, minimalist approach. Cinematographer Mike Berwick uses close-ups to capture the characters’ psychological states - Tom’s haunted eyes, Cleo’s furrowed brow, Giles’ curious stare. The HD presentation is never crisp, nor vibrant, but maximizes the potential of the elements, offering a definitive visual experience for a long-lost film.

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On their Blu-ray, BFI use a linear PCM dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. Ambient sounds include the turbulent sea paired with the howling wind, crashing waves, creak of the house, and cries of seagulls. The haunting score, composed by Adrian Wagner, is minimalist, using sparse piano to create an eerie, unsettling atmosphere - prioritizing ambient sounds to heighten tension. Some minor analog hiss may be present due to the age of the elements, though the restoration minimizes this, ensuring an unfettered listening experience via the uncompressed transfer. BFI offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'B'-locked Blu-ray.

The BFI Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Vic Pratt (The Bodies Beneath,) co-founder of the BFI Flipside. His insights into the film’s production history, thematic depth, and cultural significance - such as its attempt to challenge commercial norms - add depth, while his discussion of the ending helps viewers understand its ambiguity. Pratt’s enthusiasm for niche British cinema makes the commentary engaging and informative, providing valuable context for a film that has been unseen for decades. His enthusiasm and expertise in obscure British cinema makes him an ideal commentator. Sun & Moon is new and spends 10-minutes with Tom Conti (The Duellists, The Haunting of Julia) discussing Eclipse, his experience making the film, his dual role as the twins, the challenges of filming on the Scottish coast, and the psychological complexity of his character, whose ambiguity drives the narrative. This is a valuable addition, especially given the film’s obscurity and Conti’s prominence as an actor. Relative Strangers is a' 3/4 hour collection that includes two short films: The Chalk Mark (1988), a Channel 4 production, and Marooned (1994,) starring Robert Carlyle as a ScotRail employee. The Chalk Mark explores disjointed relationships in a domestic setting, possibly with a British cultural lens, given its Channel 4 origin. Marooned, featuring Carlyle as a railway worker, delve into isolation and personal struggle, resonating with Eclipse’s themes of grief and ambiguity. Also included is a collection of three public information films (PIFs) on water safety totals less than  5-minutes: Joe and Petunia: Coastguard (1968), Charley Says: Falling in the Water (1973), and Lonely Water (1973 - narrated by Donald Pleasence.) These PIFs are described as “haunting” and “eerily adjacent to the psychogeographic headspace of the main feature,” tying into Eclipse’s themes of water-related tragedy and psychological unease, although they have limited appeal for most. There is a new, short, trailer produced for the 2025 Blu-ray release. There is also an image gallery featuring production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and promotional materials from the 1977 release. For the first pressing - purchasers get an illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Pratt, an archival interview with director Simon Perry, an original review, an essay on the film’s locations by Douglas Weir, and writing on The Chalk Mark and Marooned by the BFI’s William Fowler (The Bodies Beneath.)

Simon Perry's Eclipse is adapted from Nicholas Wollaston’s 1966 novel Eclipse. The screenplay, adapted by Perry, centers on the psychological unraveling of the family as buried resentments and sibling rivalries resurface. The narrative oscillates between past and present through fragmented flashbacks, revealing the twins’ competitive dynamic and the ambiguous circumstances of the death. Cleo (Gay Hamilton) grapples with grief and suspicion, while Giles, a precocious child, senses the underlying tension, adding an eerie layer to the domestic drama. The climax leaves the truth unresolved - did the surviving twin harbor murderous intent, or was the death a tragic accident? - forcing the audience to confront the ambiguity of memory and motive. This psychological thriller follows a three-act structure: the first act establishes the isolated setting and fractured relationships, the second act escalates through flashbacks and psychological tension, and the third act delivers an ambiguous resolution that prioritizes emotional impact over closure. There is a blurring of identity between the brothers, a common trope in twin narratives (from Siodmak's Dark Mirror to Cronenberg's Dead Ringers), creates an unsettling dynamic, with Cleo unsure whether Tom’s affection is genuine or a twisted form of sibling rivalry. This BFI Flipside Blu-ray is a worthy rediscovery of Eclipse, offering a definitive presentation of a film that challenges norms with its cerebral approach to grief and ambiguity. While not a genre-defining classic, its restoration and extras make it a compelling addition for collectors and cinephiles. Heavy nostalgia value and recommended to those keen on atmosphere-driven films.

Gary Tooze