Home Media Magazine - February 23-March 1, 2009 - (Page 20) PIPELINE Edited by Billy Gil www.homemediamagazine.com Johnny Got His Gun ‘Johnny Got His Gun’ to Finally Hit DVD Shout! Factory brings the classic to DVD for the first time By Billy Gil CULT For the first time in North America, the 1971 war classic Johnny Got His Gun will be available on DVD April 29 (prebook March 31). The $19.99 DVD comes loaded with a host of bonus features. Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo made his name penning Hollywood classics such as Spartacus and Roman Holiday, some of which were written under pseudonyms as the writer had been blacklisted in 1947 as part of the Hollywood Ten, under suspicion of Communist affiliation. Subsequently his directorial debut, based on his own novel Johnny Got His Gun, about a young soldier in World War I who loses his limbs, his ability to speak and most of his senses, never really got a wide theatrical release. “This movie is truly the essence of what it means to be an independent film,” said Jordan Fields, Shout! Factory’s director of DVD acquisition. “It was independently financed, distributed, and the producer, Bruce Campbell, I believe, pretty much drove around the country with prints of the film and four-walled it.” This year is the 70th anniversary of the novel, and its relevance is as strong as ever, Fields said. “We’re in the midst of two protracted wars,” Fields said. “With its take on the horrors of war and our capacities for compassion … its time has come again.” The DVD includes a recent documentary on Trumbo made for its German DVD release; a new interview with star Timothy Bottoms, who received a Golden Globe nomination for his lead performance; behind-thescenes footage; a 1940 radio adaptation starring James Cagney; the music video for Metallica’s “One,” which famously featured clips of the film; a replica of the original poster; and the original theatrical trailer, which features imagery of World War I and narration by star Jason Robards. Fields added Shout! Factory hopes to release more classic films. The distributor has specialized in music and TV content in the past (see below). “We loved working on this, on a feature film that has this cult status but has been unavailable,” Fields said. SHOUT! FACTORY READIES NEW ROUND OF OLD-SCHOOL TV DVD By John Latchem Shout! Factory is preparing to bring more vintage TV shows to DVD with a crop of products spanning the 1960s to the 1980s. Rhoda: Season One debuts April 21 (prebook March 24) as a fourDVD set at $39.99. The 35th anniversary collection includes all 25 episodes from the 1974-75 spin-off of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” March 17 (prebook Feb. 17) sees the arrival of Mr. Belvedere: Seasons One & TV DVD Two at $44.99. The five-DVD set includes all 29 episodes from the first two seasons, which aired from 1985 to 1986. Due March 24 (prebook Feb. 24) is Room 222: Season One at $34.99. The four-DVD set includes all 26 episodes from the 1969-70 season. Arriving April 7 (prebook March 10) is The Paper Chase: Season One, featuring all 22 episodes from the 197879 season. The six-DVD set is priced at $39.99. Warner Bows Fourth ‘Director’s Showcase’ By Billy Gil CLASSIC Warner Home Video’s Director’s Showcase: Take Four will include new cuts of films by directors Hal Ashby and Hugh Hudson. The five films arrive May 26 (prebook April 21) at $19.97 each. Lookin’ to Get Out will bow in a new cut from Ashby. The comedy about two gamblers in Las Vegas came to light with the help of its star, Jon Voight. “For various reasons, the film we released didn’t really represent Hal’s best work,” said Voight, who cowrote the script, in a statement. “When I saw [the new cut], I knew instantly it had Hal’s touch.” Revolution Revisited Director’s Cut comes from Oscar nominee Hudson and stars Al Pacino as an unwilling participant in the American Revolution. The newly remastered and re-edited cut features a new narration from Pacino in the film, as well as a new featurette with Pacino and Hudson. Additional titles streeting in the fourth Director’s Showcase are John Boorman’s Beyond Rangoon, Michelangelo Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point and David Cronenberg’s M. Butterfly. 20 Home Media Magazine February 23–March 1, 2009 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
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