criterionforum.org

Geoffrey Smith's film will be released on August 7.

• The English Surgeon (2007) presented from a new HD transfer of the film, approved by filmmaker Geoffrey Smith.

• Exclusive, newly filmed interview with director Geoffrey Smith.

• Exclusive, newly filmed interview with surgeon Henry Marsh.

• Trailer.

• Booklet with a new essay by film writer Trevor Johnston.

• World premiere release on Blu-ray.

• Region free Blu-ray (A/B/C)

Coming to Second Run Blu-ray in August:

The English Surgeon
A film by Geoffrey Smith
UK, 2007

Geoffrey Smith’s multi-award-winning documentary centres on the work of Henry Marsh, a leading British brain surgeon, and a pioneer of neurosurgical technique whose expertise provides a glimmer of hope to patients in impoverished post-Soviet Ukraine.

Instrumental in creating a viable clinic in Kyiv that could offer hope to those who would otherwise go untreated, Marsh literally holds the power of life and death in his hands, provoking inevitable moral dilemmas. Grounded in compassion and humanity, this fascinating film unsentimentally explores the often complex relationship with his patients. Beautifully shot and edited, with a haunting score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, this powerful, emotive film shares the triumphs of Marsh’s successes and the profound sorrow of his failures.

This just sounds so topical and following in the footsteps of Import/Export. Plus Cave and Ellis have done great audio film work, for example for The Proposition. Yes, this is going to be a winner..

"Few films I’ve seen in recent years have moved me so much, and that a small-scale, 90-minute documentary packs such emotional power is miraculous... Watch Marsh and Igor go about their business and you might just believe that there’s hope for humanity."

A passionate 5-star review from The Arts Desk

"THE ENGLISH SURGEON is an observational documentary par excellence [...] it involves and educates, tells a genuinely gripping and moving story, and paints an inspiring picture of a man whose example and philosophy of life we could all learn something from... an unexpected release from Second Run, but an excellent one that I genuinely can't recommend enough, for Smith's remarkable film, for Second Run's faultless presentation, and for the first-rate special features."

A rave from Cine Outsider

An outstanding documentary. I remember seeing it on the Storyville series on the BBC several years ago. Henry Marsh is a hero for what he did. I believe he has been fighting cancer during the last couple of years, which is sad. Thoroughly deserves a Second Run release.