Good news! Warners is opening its archives to release obscure cult DVDs.
I came across an interesting article by Chris Nashawaty entitled Warner Bros.’ new DVD service: What rare find are you excited to watch? Apparently, Warners is releasing some obscure titles which may be considered cult DVDs for puchase. The price is $19.95 each, which seems a bit steep to me. The author addressed this issue by acknowledging that it is a good move on Warners’ part to find a new DVD revenue stream but also asked if any of the released titles are worth shelling out $20 for.
The article mentions a 1962 title called All Fall Down, Warren Beatty’s second film after Splendor in the Grass, from director John Frankenheimer (Birdman of Alcatraz, The Manchurian Candidate) and also starring Eva Marie Saint. The page also includes a great black and white still from that film of Eva Marie Saint dancing with a young Warren Beatty.
The great variety of the fare is evidenced by the article’s description of overlooked notables, such as Francis Ford Coppola’s small 1969 film, The Rain People; the 1971 L.A. drug film Dusty and Sweets McGee; Budd Boetticher’s 1959 western Westbound; Noel Coward’s 1931 witty film Private Lives with Robert Montgomery and Norma Shearer; and four films starring Greta Garbo. So it includes everything from a ‘70s drug saga to Garbo films.
The most interesting picks he mentioned were the titles that may be considered cult DVDs:
the 1968 Robert Altman NASA bomb Countdown starring a youthful Robert Duvall and James Caan; El Condor, a Mexican western from 1970 starring Lee Van Cleef and Jim Brown; an overlooked 1973 western with Burt Reynolds called The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing directed by cult favorite Richard C. Sarafian (The Bear); a cult B-grade adventure from 1975 entitled Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze; 1977’s coming-of-age movie about college basketball entitled One on One, starring Robby Benson, a pretty young Annette O’Toole, and G.D. Spradlin as the coach, who you may remember from The Godfather Part II; and Oxford Blues, a rowing film about an American who hustles his way into Oxford played by Rob Lowe with Ally Sheedy as his love interest.
It is encouraging that Warners is making these cult DVDs available. There is no sense in keeping them on the shelf.
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April 30, 2009 - 12:51 am
Are all movie producers cigar-chomping egomaniacs? Apparently not, if the recent book Blade Runners, Deer Hunters, and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off is any indication, because its author is a proper English gentleman. Michael Deeley’s book details his life as a producer of cult movies and has the dual purpose of describing what a producer does and settling some personal scores.
The author and producer, Michael Deeley, had a career that spanned over 30 years with more than 30 movies. He produced greats such as The Italian Job (1969), The Deer Hunter (1978), and Blade Runner (1982) as well as cult films such as The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) and Convoy (1978). He was also the managing director and owner of British Lion Films in the ‘70s, which produced the cult classics Don’t Look Now and The Wicker Man (both 1973).
One apparent goal of the book is to describe what a producer does. Deeley fulfills that objective by detailing underhanded behavior within the British film industry and describing other aspects of his career.
Another, more entertaining goal is to settle scores with some of the famous personalities with whom he has collaborated on his movies. Some of these include revealing that Warren Beatty wanted him to cut the sex scene between his then-girlfriend Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland in Don’t Look Now, which he would not; railing against Christopher Lee for complaining that his edits ruined The Wicker Man; and asserting that his biggest problem with the director of The Deer Hunter, Michael Cimino, is that he takes credit for originating that film when he claims that it was he who filled that role.
Blade Runners, Deer Hunters, and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off tells the history of Michael Deeley’s career as a cult film producer, describes the role of a film producer, and gives juicy behind-the-scenes stories from famous movies. Some of us can’t get enough of that stuff.
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“Though [The State] has been off the air since 1995, DVDs of the cult hit still weren’t available to its enthusiastic fans — until now!” This is from the online article Finally: The State Is Coming to DVD July 14! By “BuzzSugar.” She sounds like a fan. Notable for its cast and cult following, the ‘90s MTV sketch comedy series “The State” will be available on DVD on July 14 of this year.
The comedy troupe was formed at New York University in the late ‘80s and was comprised mostly of students from the drama and film departments. Members came and went until it reached the incarnation that made the TV show.
The cast, who also created, wrote, directed, and edited the show, have gone on to other successes in TV and film. Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney-Silver created and starred in Comedy Central’s Reno! 911. David Wain has become a writer-director of movies such as The Ten, Role Models, and Wet Hot American Summer.
Ken Marino and Michael Ian Black have become ubiquitous TV and movie actors. Thomas Lennon and Joe Lo Truglio can be seen in the current film I Love You, Man.
Like many sketch comedy shows such as Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Kids In The Hall, The State seems to have gained a cult following. It was MTV’s first attempt at a comedy sketch show. The genre seems to lend itself to gaining crazed, cult-like followings of fans. I had never heard of the series myself, but the fact that it is being released on DVD shows that there is a market for it.
The DVD release is set for July 14, 2009. It is a five disk set containing all four seasons and 90 minutes of unaired material. The show consists of 24 episodes; 5 in season and disk 1, 6 in season/disk 2, 6 in season/disk 3, and 5 in season/disk 4. Disk 5 is comprised of the unaired sketches. Commentary from the cast, interviews, and outtakes will also be featured.
Though it has been delayed, The State will soon be added to the list of available cult DVDs. This should give its fans something to celebrate.
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“At WarnerArchive.com, movie fans can choose from more than 150 classic titles that have never been available on DVD or for digital download.” This is from Mike Sachoff’s article Warner Launches On Demand Service For Classic Films. A perusal of this article and Warners’ archive website gave me some interesting insight into their plan. Warners’ new program for releasing their archived films on DVD or download shows a focus on preservation, two options for acquiring the films, and a plan to use audience feedback.
I have to hand it to Warners – they are doing good preservation work. As George Feltenstein, senior vice president, Theatrical Catalog Marketing, Warner Home Video, said, “This unprecedented initiative represents a tremendous effort from Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and is representative of the company’s continued dedication to film preservation.” Of course, it also represents their dedication to finding new revenue streams.
The company has an interesting website and two ways of acquiring the films. The user can purchase a digital download of the film for $14.95 per title or order a DVD for $19.95 per title, plus shipping. You may wonder why anyone would want to purchase the DVD at the extra cost, but there is some incentive. As Sachoff writes, “When a visitor to WarnerArchive.com makes a purchase, a made- to-order DVD will be created with the same quality as a standard pressed DVD. Titles will ship with custom artwork and arrive in about five days.” The site allows you to view all of the available titles when you click “Warner Archive (150)” under “Shop By: Format” on the left side of the screen.
Warners plans to add 20 more titles to the available list each month and get user feedback on which films to release. 300 titles will be available by the end of the year. By clicking “Vote Now” in the “Introducing: The Warner Archive” banner at the top of the WarnerArchive.com site, you can vote from a selection of four films for which is to be released next.
Sachoff’s article and WarnerArchive.com reveal Warner’s preservation efforts, the ability to buy the films on DVD or download them, and the chance to vote on which films become available. The diversity of the collection of cult DVDs should pique any movie lover’s interest.
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