Pressure & Baldwin's Nigger (DVD)

Horace Ové's landmark films Pressure (1975) and Baldwin's Nigger (1969), are presented here on one DVD.

Hailed as Britain's first black feature film, Pressure is a hard-hitting, honest document of the plight of disenchanted British-born black youths. Set in 1970s London, it tells the story of Tony, a bright school-leaver, son of West Indian immigrants, who finds himself torn between his parents' church-going conformity and his brother's Black Power militancy. As his initially high hopes are repeatedly dashed – he cannot find work anywhere, potential employers treat him with suspicion because of his colour – his sense of alienation grows. In a bid to find a sense of belonging, he joins his black friends who, estranged from their submissive parents, seek a sense of purpose in the streets and in chases with the police.

An angry but sincere and balanced film, Pressure deals with the identity struggles faced by the children of immigrants in the UK and Horace Ové makes the very most of his combination of professional actors and local non-actors from the streets of London.

Baldwin's Nigger is a striking portrait of the writer James Baldwin at his sharp-witted best addressing a group of radical West Indian students in 1960s London. Accompanied by comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory, Baldwin discusses black experience and identity in both Britain and America. Impassioned and entertaining, this is a fascinating snapshot of one of America's most powerful novelists and spokesman for a generation.

• Filmed interview with Horace Ové
• Stills gallery including examples of Horace Ové's photographic work
• Illustrated booklet including film notes by Derek Malcolm, director biography and filmography, film review and feature, biography of James Baldwin and interview with Horace Ové on Baldwin's Nigger