David O. Selznick’s marvelous romantic fantasy ode to Jennifer Jones was almost wholly unappreciated back in 1948. It’s one of those peculiar pictures that either melts one’s heart or doesn’t. Backed by a music score adapted from Debussy, just one breathy “Oh Eben . . . “ will turn average romantics into mush.
Portrait of Jennie
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1948 / B&W w/ Color Insert / 1:37 flat Academy / 86 min. / Street Date October 24, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Cecil Kellaway, David Wayne, Albert Sharpe.
Cinematography: Joseph H. August
Production Designers: J. MacMillan Johnson, Joseph B. Platt
Original Music: Dimitri Tiomkin, also adapting themes from Claude Debussy; Bernard Herrmann
Written by Leonardo Bercovici, Peter Berneis, Paul Osborn, from the novella by Robert Nathan
Produced by David O. Selznick
Directed by William Dieterle
Once upon a time David O. Selznick’s Portrait of Jennie was an...
Portrait of Jennie
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1948 / B&W w/ Color Insert / 1:37 flat Academy / 86 min. / Street Date October 24, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Cecil Kellaway, David Wayne, Albert Sharpe.
Cinematography: Joseph H. August
Production Designers: J. MacMillan Johnson, Joseph B. Platt
Original Music: Dimitri Tiomkin, also adapting themes from Claude Debussy; Bernard Herrmann
Written by Leonardo Bercovici, Peter Berneis, Paul Osborn, from the novella by Robert Nathan
Produced by David O. Selznick
Directed by William Dieterle
Once upon a time David O. Selznick’s Portrait of Jennie was an...
- 10/10/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Sneak Peek new footage, plus images from the upcoming historical three-part drama series "Gunpowder", produced by Kudos and Thriker Films for BBC One, directed by J. Blakeson, starring Kit Harrington ("Game of Thrones"):
"...the 'Gun-Powder Plot' of 1605 was a failed assassination attempt against 'King James I' of England...
"... by a group of provincial English Catholics led by 'Robert Catesby'.
"The plan was to blow up the 'House of Lords' during the 'State Opening' of England's 'Parliament' on 5 November 1605, as the prelude to a popular revolt in the 'Midlands' during which James's nine-year-old daughter, 'Princess Elizabeth', was to be installed as the Catholic head of state.
"Catesby's fellow plotters included 'John Wright', 'Thomas Wintour', 'Thomas Percy', 'Guy Fawkes', 'Robert Keyes', 'Thomas Bates', 'Robert Wintour', 'Christopher Wright', 'John Grant', 'Ambrose Rookwood', 'Sir Everard Digby' and 'Francis Tresham'.
"...the 'Gun-Powder Plot' of 1605 was a failed assassination attempt against 'King James I' of England...
"... by a group of provincial English Catholics led by 'Robert Catesby'.
"The plan was to blow up the 'House of Lords' during the 'State Opening' of England's 'Parliament' on 5 November 1605, as the prelude to a popular revolt in the 'Midlands' during which James's nine-year-old daughter, 'Princess Elizabeth', was to be installed as the Catholic head of state.
"Catesby's fellow plotters included 'John Wright', 'Thomas Wintour', 'Thomas Percy', 'Guy Fawkes', 'Robert Keyes', 'Thomas Bates', 'Robert Wintour', 'Christopher Wright', 'John Grant', 'Ambrose Rookwood', 'Sir Everard Digby' and 'Francis Tresham'.
- 8/28/2017
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Exclusive: Vesna Cudic to head up new outfit; company’s debut sales slate revealed.
UK outfit Met Film has launched a new boutique international sales arm, Met Film Sales, which will offer a slate of high-end documentaries and TV series.
The company is being headed up by Vesna Cudic [pictured], previously head of acquisitions and sales at Dogwoof.
“I am really excited about this move to Met Film,” Vesna told Screen. “I was attracted by the prospect of being involved in the projects from the start, helping with the finance and then selling them worldwide.
“We already have a slate of Met Film documentaries and series in varying stages of development and finance, and I’m also currently developing relationships with producers who can create content for us to sell, including fiction titles.”
Vesna will be in Cannes this month launching the company’s initial slate.
In further news, the company has also launched Met Studio, a new content...
UK outfit Met Film has launched a new boutique international sales arm, Met Film Sales, which will offer a slate of high-end documentaries and TV series.
The company is being headed up by Vesna Cudic [pictured], previously head of acquisitions and sales at Dogwoof.
“I am really excited about this move to Met Film,” Vesna told Screen. “I was attracted by the prospect of being involved in the projects from the start, helping with the finance and then selling them worldwide.
“We already have a slate of Met Film documentaries and series in varying stages of development and finance, and I’m also currently developing relationships with producers who can create content for us to sell, including fiction titles.”
Vesna will be in Cannes this month launching the company’s initial slate.
In further news, the company has also launched Met Studio, a new content...
- 5/5/2017
- by chrisevans78@hotmail.co.uk (Chris Evans)
- ScreenDaily
Laura Poitras’ Julian Assange film, a Jo Cox documentary, and a Walter Murch talk all feature.
UK documentary Sheffield Doc/Fest has unveiled its full 2017 programme.
This year’s closing night event will be the world premiere of Jo Cox: Death Of An MP, a BBC2 documentary that focuses on the investigation of the politician’s murder, including contributions from eye witnesses, Cox’s family, and people who knew her attacker.
As previously announced, the festival will open with a screening of Daisy Asquith’s documentary Queerama, featuring a live Performance From John Grant.
This year’s Doc/Fest grand jury will include American Honey director Andrea Arnold, as well as Indian documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan and ex-Channel 4 news broadcaster Paul Mason.
UK premieres in the programme this year include Laura Poitras’ Julian Assange portrait Risk, Whitney Houston doc Whitney: Can I Be Me, Ramona Diaz’s Motherland, Joseph Beuys doc [link...
UK documentary Sheffield Doc/Fest has unveiled its full 2017 programme.
This year’s closing night event will be the world premiere of Jo Cox: Death Of An MP, a BBC2 documentary that focuses on the investigation of the politician’s murder, including contributions from eye witnesses, Cox’s family, and people who knew her attacker.
As previously announced, the festival will open with a screening of Daisy Asquith’s documentary Queerama, featuring a live Performance From John Grant.
This year’s Doc/Fest grand jury will include American Honey director Andrea Arnold, as well as Indian documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan and ex-Channel 4 news broadcaster Paul Mason.
UK premieres in the programme this year include Laura Poitras’ Julian Assange portrait Risk, Whitney Houston doc Whitney: Can I Be Me, Ramona Diaz’s Motherland, Joseph Beuys doc [link...
- 5/4/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
British star of stage and screen died on Friday.
“Tim was one of the great actors of his generation,” Pigott-Smith’s agent John Grant said in a statement. “Much-loved and admired by his peers, he will be remembered by many as a gentleman and a true friend.”
Pigott-Smith, who had been due to begin a stage tour of Death Of A Salesman on Monday in Northampton, famously played police superintendent Ronald Merrick in Granada Television series The Jewel In The Crown, which earned him a best actor Bafta award in 1985.
It was one of a vast array of television performances that included Downton Abbey, Doctor Who, Holby Blue, Miranda, and Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years.
Pigott-Smith was born in Warwickshire and trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He performed on stage many times before landing his big break in The Jewel In The Crown.
Film credits included Bloody Sunday, The Remains Of The Day, Clash...
“Tim was one of the great actors of his generation,” Pigott-Smith’s agent John Grant said in a statement. “Much-loved and admired by his peers, he will be remembered by many as a gentleman and a true friend.”
Pigott-Smith, who had been due to begin a stage tour of Death Of A Salesman on Monday in Northampton, famously played police superintendent Ronald Merrick in Granada Television series The Jewel In The Crown, which earned him a best actor Bafta award in 1985.
It was one of a vast array of television performances that included Downton Abbey, Doctor Who, Holby Blue, Miranda, and Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years.
Pigott-Smith was born in Warwickshire and trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He performed on stage many times before landing his big break in The Jewel In The Crown.
Film credits included Bloody Sunday, The Remains Of The Day, Clash...
- 4/7/2017
- ScreenDaily
Tim Pigott-Smith, the BAFTA Award-winning British actor who appeared in such TV fare and films as The Jewel in the Crown, V for Vendetta and Downton Abbey, died today. He was 70. His death was announced by his agent John Grant. “It is with deep regret that I have to announce the sad news that Tim Pigott-Smith died this morning. Much-loved and admired by his peers, he will be remembered by many as a gentleman and a true friend. He will be much missed. We ask that you…...
- 4/7/2017
- Deadline
Tim Pigott-Smith, the BAFTA Award-winning British actor who appeared in such TV fare and films as The Jewel in the Crown, V for Vendetta and Downton Abbey, died today. He was 70. His death was announced by his agent John Grant. “It is with deep regret that I have to announce the sad news that Tim Pigott-Smith died this morning. Much-loved and admired by his peers, he will be remembered by many as a gentleman and a true friend. He will be much missed. We ask that you…...
- 4/7/2017
- Deadline TV
Tim Pigott-Smith, a versatile British actor who recently played Prince Charles on stage and screen, has died. U 70.
The actor's agent, John Grant, says Pigott-Smith died Friday. Grant called him "one of the great actors of his generation ... a gentleman and a true friend."
Pigott-Smith was already a veteran of stage and screen when he came to international attention as a sadistic police officer in British-controlled India in the 1980s miniseries The Jewel in the Crown.
The show became a global sensation, and Pigott-Smith said it "changed my life."
Born in Rugby, central England in 1946, Pigott-Smith trained...
The actor's agent, John Grant, says Pigott-Smith died Friday. Grant called him "one of the great actors of his generation ... a gentleman and a true friend."
Pigott-Smith was already a veteran of stage and screen when he came to international attention as a sadistic police officer in British-controlled India in the 1980s miniseries The Jewel in the Crown.
The show became a global sensation, and Pigott-Smith said it "changed my life."
Born in Rugby, central England in 1946, Pigott-Smith trained...
- 4/7/2017
- by the Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tim Pigott-Smith as Lord Ascot in Alice In Wonderland. Photo: © 2010 Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Film, stage and small screen actor Tim Pigott-Smith - who was made an OBE in this year's New Year Honours list - died this morning, aged 70.
His agent John Grant confirmed his death and described him as "one of the great actors of his generation" He added: "Much loved and admired by his peers, he will be remembered by many as a gentleman and a true friend."
Pigott-Smith - who had been due to appear in a stage production of Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman next week - became a household name thanks to his appearance in ITV Raj-set drama Jewel In The Crown in 1984. He won a BAFTA for his role as police sergeant Ronald Merrick.
In addition to his television work, Pigott-Smith, who was born in Rugby, Warwickshire and trained at the Bristol Old Vic,...
His agent John Grant confirmed his death and described him as "one of the great actors of his generation" He added: "Much loved and admired by his peers, he will be remembered by many as a gentleman and a true friend."
Pigott-Smith - who had been due to appear in a stage production of Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman next week - became a household name thanks to his appearance in ITV Raj-set drama Jewel In The Crown in 1984. He won a BAFTA for his role as police sergeant Ronald Merrick.
In addition to his television work, Pigott-Smith, who was born in Rugby, Warwickshire and trained at the Bristol Old Vic,...
- 4/7/2017
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Exclusive: Peter Greenaway to attend; Queerama premiere to open festival.
UK documentary festival Sheffield Doc/Fest (June 9-14) has unveiled the first batch of films and events set for its 2017 edition.
The festival will open with the world premiere of Queerama, a documentary chronicling the lives of gay men and women from 1919 to the present date.
The film features the music of American singer John Grant and dance band Hercules and Love Affair. Grant will attend the premiere and will perform live following the screening at Sheffield’s City Hall.
The project was supported by the BBC Storyville, Ffilm Cymru Wales and the BFI.
John Grant
Doc/Fest 2017’s main programme focus will be Resistance And Change, with the festival exploring the topic through its film programme and events.
British filmmaker Peter Greenaway will attend the festival for the first time to hold an in conversation event, in which he will discuss his career, including his current...
UK documentary festival Sheffield Doc/Fest (June 9-14) has unveiled the first batch of films and events set for its 2017 edition.
The festival will open with the world premiere of Queerama, a documentary chronicling the lives of gay men and women from 1919 to the present date.
The film features the music of American singer John Grant and dance band Hercules and Love Affair. Grant will attend the premiere and will perform live following the screening at Sheffield’s City Hall.
The project was supported by the BBC Storyville, Ffilm Cymru Wales and the BFI.
John Grant
Doc/Fest 2017’s main programme focus will be Resistance And Change, with the festival exploring the topic through its film programme and events.
British filmmaker Peter Greenaway will attend the festival for the first time to hold an in conversation event, in which he will discuss his career, including his current...
- 4/6/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
Sisters..
Network Ten has unveiled its 2017 line-up, with two new local dramas leading the slate; Sisters,.starring Barry Otto and Catherine McClements, and the previously announced.Wake in Fright.
Other new local content includes Common Sense, a news-focused show from the creators of Gogglebox; The Biggest Loser: Transformed; and a new series of.Russell Coight.s All Aussie Adventures,.after 15 years away from screens..
Offspring and The Wrong Girl will return, alongside lifestyle and reality programming such as MasterChef Australia, I.m A Celebrity. Get Me Out Of Here!, Gogglebox, Have You Been Paying Attention?, Family Feud, The Living Room, Shark Tank, Australian Survivor, The Bachelor Australia and The Bachelorette Australia..
Network Ten chief content officer Beverley McGarvey said the 2017 slate was .diverse and deeply engaging..
.Wake In Fright and Sisters are extraordinary Australian stories. The Biggest Loser: Transformed will take a beloved brand to a whole new level,...
Network Ten has unveiled its 2017 line-up, with two new local dramas leading the slate; Sisters,.starring Barry Otto and Catherine McClements, and the previously announced.Wake in Fright.
Other new local content includes Common Sense, a news-focused show from the creators of Gogglebox; The Biggest Loser: Transformed; and a new series of.Russell Coight.s All Aussie Adventures,.after 15 years away from screens..
Offspring and The Wrong Girl will return, alongside lifestyle and reality programming such as MasterChef Australia, I.m A Celebrity. Get Me Out Of Here!, Gogglebox, Have You Been Paying Attention?, Family Feud, The Living Room, Shark Tank, Australian Survivor, The Bachelor Australia and The Bachelorette Australia..
Network Ten chief content officer Beverley McGarvey said the 2017 slate was .diverse and deeply engaging..
.Wake In Fright and Sisters are extraordinary Australian stories. The Biggest Loser: Transformed will take a beloved brand to a whole new level,...
- 11/4/2016
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Ted Kotcheff's Wake in Fright (1971)
Network Ten has commissioned a new adaptation of Wake In Fright, Kenneth Cook.s classic Australian novel.
Wake In Fright is the story of John Grant, a young school teacher who descends into his own personal nightmare after being stranded in the small outback mining town of Bundanyabba.
Cook.s novel also birthed Ted Kotcheff's iconic 1971 film, which starred Donald Pleasance, Chips Rafferty, Jack Thompson, John Meillon and Gary Bond.
Ten.s two-part series will be produced by Lingo Pictures in association with Endemol Shine Australia, with the assistance of Screen Australia and Screen Nsw.
The news follows on from Foxtel.s announcement earlier this week that it plans to adapt the iconic Picnic at Hanging Rock into a six-part series.
Network Ten head of drama Rick Maier said there are few Australian stories as original or compelling as Wake in Fright.
.Kenneth Cook.s novel,...
Network Ten has commissioned a new adaptation of Wake In Fright, Kenneth Cook.s classic Australian novel.
Wake In Fright is the story of John Grant, a young school teacher who descends into his own personal nightmare after being stranded in the small outback mining town of Bundanyabba.
Cook.s novel also birthed Ted Kotcheff's iconic 1971 film, which starred Donald Pleasance, Chips Rafferty, Jack Thompson, John Meillon and Gary Bond.
Ten.s two-part series will be produced by Lingo Pictures in association with Endemol Shine Australia, with the assistance of Screen Australia and Screen Nsw.
The news follows on from Foxtel.s announcement earlier this week that it plans to adapt the iconic Picnic at Hanging Rock into a six-part series.
Network Ten head of drama Rick Maier said there are few Australian stories as original or compelling as Wake in Fright.
.Kenneth Cook.s novel,...
- 9/8/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
A few years ago the editors of Shadowlocked asked me to compile a list of what was initially to be, the ten greatest movie matte paintings of all time. A mere ten selections was too slim by a long shot, so my list stretched considerably to twenty, then thirty and finally a nice round fifty entries. Even with that number I found it wasn’t easy to narrow down a suitably wide ranging showcase of motion picture matte art that best represented the artform. So with that in mind, and due to the surprising popularity of that 2012 Shadowlocked list (which is well worth a visit, here Ed), I’ve assembled a further fifty wonderful examples of this vast, vital and more extensively utilised than you’d imagine – though now sadly ‘dead and buried’ – movie magic.
It would of course be so easy to simply concentrate on the well known, iconic,...
It would of course be so easy to simply concentrate on the well known, iconic,...
- 12/28/2015
- Shadowlocked
Touch of Class: Ullmann’s Update of Classic Text Ultimately Lifeless
There are a scant few equals to the texts of playwright August Strindberg’s, his 1888 play Miss Julie still ranking as one of theater’s most celebrated and intelligent titles. A forerunner of a movement toward naturalism, director Liv Ullmann pares down the visual flourish which hearkens back to Strindberg’s initial contrivance. Her first film since the critically celebrated Faithless (2000), which was written by Ullmann’s longtime collaborator Ingmar Bergman, the passion that burned through that relationship drama is replaced by reserved bouts of class driven animosity. While true to the initial spirit of Strindberg’s text, the focus here is devoted nearly entirely to class issues, leaving some of the play’s more subtle motifs rather neglected. Considering the extravagant and mesmerizing 1951 version from Swedish filmmaker Alf Sjoberg, Ullmann’s adaptation is a chewy piece of meat,...
There are a scant few equals to the texts of playwright August Strindberg’s, his 1888 play Miss Julie still ranking as one of theater’s most celebrated and intelligent titles. A forerunner of a movement toward naturalism, director Liv Ullmann pares down the visual flourish which hearkens back to Strindberg’s initial contrivance. Her first film since the critically celebrated Faithless (2000), which was written by Ullmann’s longtime collaborator Ingmar Bergman, the passion that burned through that relationship drama is replaced by reserved bouts of class driven animosity. While true to the initial spirit of Strindberg’s text, the focus here is devoted nearly entirely to class issues, leaving some of the play’s more subtle motifs rather neglected. Considering the extravagant and mesmerizing 1951 version from Swedish filmmaker Alf Sjoberg, Ullmann’s adaptation is a chewy piece of meat,...
- 12/1/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
In the middle of all the drama and intense suicidal issues that make up The Skeleton Twins, Bill Hader’s Milo breaks into song, but it is not Hader’s voice ringing out, it is Starship’s Mickey Thomas explaining that “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” It’s an excellent moment, delivering a greater impact than it would have had the song simply played over the scene. From musicals to pop montages, we frequently see the lyrics of a song say things a character cannot (or will not) say, which allows each film to get a character’s internal emotion across without direct action. But when a character embraces a song by lip-synching to it, it lets the characters play along. What’s more, a character’s awareness of a song typically heightens a song’s impact because it seems (at least) to come from the character instead of the production team. It...
- 9/5/2014
- by Allison Loring
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Star-Crossed: Sky1, 8pm
In the season finale of the high school sci-fi drama, Emery (Aimee Teegarden) turns to an unexpected ally for help when Roman (Matt Lanter) is injured.
Meanwhile, Grayson (Grey Damon), Drake (Greg Finley) and Sophia (Brina Palencia) attempt to stop Vega (Merle Dandridge) from detonating a bomb during the town's busy Mardi Gras parade. Can the group stop her before it's too late?
Big Brother: Channel 5, 9pm
Marcus Bentley narrates the highlights of the latest 24 hours in the Big Brother house.
Housemates react to the latest evictee, as they share their thoughts in the diary room.
Rik Mayall Tribute Weekend: Gold, 9pm
In honour of the late Rik Mayall, Gold is showing some of his classic comedy shows as part of their tribute weekend.
To kick-off, the first episode of the second series of Blackadder will be shown, which features Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) hiring a manservant,...
In the season finale of the high school sci-fi drama, Emery (Aimee Teegarden) turns to an unexpected ally for help when Roman (Matt Lanter) is injured.
Meanwhile, Grayson (Grey Damon), Drake (Greg Finley) and Sophia (Brina Palencia) attempt to stop Vega (Merle Dandridge) from detonating a bomb during the town's busy Mardi Gras parade. Can the group stop her before it's too late?
Big Brother: Channel 5, 9pm
Marcus Bentley narrates the highlights of the latest 24 hours in the Big Brother house.
Housemates react to the latest evictee, as they share their thoughts in the diary room.
Rik Mayall Tribute Weekend: Gold, 9pm
In honour of the late Rik Mayall, Gold is showing some of his classic comedy shows as part of their tribute weekend.
To kick-off, the first episode of the second series of Blackadder will be shown, which features Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) hiring a manservant,...
- 6/28/2014
- Digital Spy
(Ted Kotcheff, 1971; Eureka!, 18)
A key film in Australian cinema, Wake in Fright is based on Kenneth Cook's 1961 novel about John Grant, a weak, frustrated teacher in the outback going to Sydney for Christmas, losing all his money gambling in a bleak town known as "the Yabba", and spending several nightmarish days and nights carousing with hard-drinking locals leading up to a bloody kangaroo hunt. Dirk Bogarde bought the novel to star in, with Joseph Losey directing. The screenplay was written by Evan Jones, author of several Losey-Bogarde movies. But like another Losey project set in Australia (Patrick White's Voss scripted by David Mercer), it fell through. Jones's script eventually reached the screen in this remarkable picture, perceptively directed by the London-based Canadian Ted Kotcheff. Skilfully edited by the Australian Anthony Buckley to create an air of constant unease, it's shot by the British cinematographer Brian West to resemble...
A key film in Australian cinema, Wake in Fright is based on Kenneth Cook's 1961 novel about John Grant, a weak, frustrated teacher in the outback going to Sydney for Christmas, losing all his money gambling in a bleak town known as "the Yabba", and spending several nightmarish days and nights carousing with hard-drinking locals leading up to a bloody kangaroo hunt. Dirk Bogarde bought the novel to star in, with Joseph Losey directing. The screenplay was written by Evan Jones, author of several Losey-Bogarde movies. But like another Losey project set in Australia (Patrick White's Voss scripted by David Mercer), it fell through. Jones's script eventually reached the screen in this remarkable picture, perceptively directed by the London-based Canadian Ted Kotcheff. Skilfully edited by the Australian Anthony Buckley to create an air of constant unease, it's shot by the British cinematographer Brian West to resemble...
- 4/19/2014
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Stars: Donald Pleasence, Gary Bond, Chips Rafferty, Sylvia Kay, Jack Thompson, Peter Whittle, Al Thomas, John Meillon, John Armstrong | Written by Evan Jones | Directed by Ted Kotcheff
John Grant (Gary Bond) is a bonded school teacher who finds himself teaching in the outback. When travelling back to Sydney he stays overnight in the mining town of Bundanyabba where the lure of gambling and alcohol soon traps him in a nightmare. Seemingly trapped in his own hell Grant clings to the hopes of Sydney while his life spirals to a point so low that the only escape may be the one bullet he has left in his rifle.
At the start of Wake in Fright John Grant is an educated man who looks at his current situation as a form of slavery to the system, being a bonded teacher means that he has to work wherever he is put, and the...
John Grant (Gary Bond) is a bonded school teacher who finds himself teaching in the outback. When travelling back to Sydney he stays overnight in the mining town of Bundanyabba where the lure of gambling and alcohol soon traps him in a nightmare. Seemingly trapped in his own hell Grant clings to the hopes of Sydney while his life spirals to a point so low that the only escape may be the one bullet he has left in his rifle.
At the start of Wake in Fright John Grant is an educated man who looks at his current situation as a form of slavery to the system, being a bonded teacher means that he has to work wherever he is put, and the...
- 3/26/2014
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
Few films accurately capture those hedonistic, booze-fuelled remnants of a lost weekend as gloriously as First Blood director Ted Kotcheff’s 1971 outback-set drama Wake in Fright. Languishing for a number of decades as ‘lost classic’ status, this strange and beguiling film (served with a tangy chaser of black humour) has been given a thoroughly welcoming digital spruce-up and big screen rerelease.
John Grant (the late British actor Gary Boyd) is an urbane British teacher who, for financial reasons, has been forced to work in an arid, dusty backwater village in the outback. Eager to get back to the city for the Christmas break, he arrives in the nearby mining town of Bundanyabba (“The Yabba”) with plans to catch the first Sydney-bound flight out. To say things don’t go according to plan would be a gross understatement as Grant, under the influence of a rapidly escalating beer-guzzling habit, finds himself...
John Grant (the late British actor Gary Boyd) is an urbane British teacher who, for financial reasons, has been forced to work in an arid, dusty backwater village in the outback. Eager to get back to the city for the Christmas break, he arrives in the nearby mining town of Bundanyabba (“The Yabba”) with plans to catch the first Sydney-bound flight out. To say things don’t go according to plan would be a gross understatement as Grant, under the influence of a rapidly escalating beer-guzzling habit, finds himself...
- 3/6/2014
- by Adam Lowes
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
A schoolteacher's stopover in an outback town turns into an alcoholic bender in this infamous movie
Once in a while, a long-lost movie will resurface and completely realign one's understanding of an entire national cinema. Such a film is Canadian Ted Kotcheff's 1971 Australian outback-set Wake In Fright, a box-office flop, mauled by a critical establishment in thrall to the cultural cringe, then almost entirely forgotten and thought lost for 40 years. And no wonder: Wake In Fright is among the most excoriating demolitions of the cult of masculinity ever put on film – its Australian variant in particular – and it must have been troubling indeed to gaze into that mirror.
John Grant (Gary Bond), a cultured schoolteacher travelling from his isolated bush schoolhouse to Sydney, gets trapped on a stopover that turns into a never-ending alcoholic bender in a wild outback mining town populated entirely by drunken ockers who gamble, guzzle tinnies,...
Once in a while, a long-lost movie will resurface and completely realign one's understanding of an entire national cinema. Such a film is Canadian Ted Kotcheff's 1971 Australian outback-set Wake In Fright, a box-office flop, mauled by a critical establishment in thrall to the cultural cringe, then almost entirely forgotten and thought lost for 40 years. And no wonder: Wake In Fright is among the most excoriating demolitions of the cult of masculinity ever put on film – its Australian variant in particular – and it must have been troubling indeed to gaze into that mirror.
John Grant (Gary Bond), a cultured schoolteacher travelling from his isolated bush schoolhouse to Sydney, gets trapped on a stopover that turns into a never-ending alcoholic bender in a wild outback mining town populated entirely by drunken ockers who gamble, guzzle tinnies,...
- 3/3/2014
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
It was another incredibly entertaining evening at tonight's (February 19) 2014 Brit Awards as a number of artists took home trophies and stepped onto the O2 Arena stage for awesome performances.
The night's first prize went home to Ellie Goulding for British Female Solo Artist. The 27-year-old singer also performed her hits "I Need Your Love" and "Burn."
The Arctic Monkeys made their historical mark on the evening as the first band to take home prizes for both British Group and Album of the Year.
In addition, Beyonce Knowles took to the stage to give a spectacular performance of her hit "Xo," donning a gorgeous sparkling dress and singing notes that are sure to put chills up your spine.
Check out the full list of 2014 Brit Award winners below:
British Male Solo Artist
Winner David Bowie RCA, Sony
Jake Bugg Emi, Universal
James Blake Atlas, Universal
John Newman Island, Universal
Tom Odell Columbia,...
The night's first prize went home to Ellie Goulding for British Female Solo Artist. The 27-year-old singer also performed her hits "I Need Your Love" and "Burn."
The Arctic Monkeys made their historical mark on the evening as the first band to take home prizes for both British Group and Album of the Year.
In addition, Beyonce Knowles took to the stage to give a spectacular performance of her hit "Xo," donning a gorgeous sparkling dress and singing notes that are sure to put chills up your spine.
Check out the full list of 2014 Brit Award winners below:
British Male Solo Artist
Winner David Bowie RCA, Sony
Jake Bugg Emi, Universal
James Blake Atlas, Universal
John Newman Island, Universal
Tom Odell Columbia,...
- 2/20/2014
- GossipCenter
He recently made a smash at the Super Bowl in New York City, and now Bruno Mars brought his musical stylings to the 2014 Brit Awards.
Earlier this evening (February 19), the 28-year-old singer performed his hit "Treasure" on the O2 Arena stage.
In addition, Mars took home glowing Brit for Best International Solo Male Artist beating out Drake, Eminem, John Grant and Justin Timberlake.
Watch Bruno's performance below and stay linked to GossipCenter for all the action from the 2014 Brit Awards!
Earlier this evening (February 19), the 28-year-old singer performed his hit "Treasure" on the O2 Arena stage.
In addition, Mars took home glowing Brit for Best International Solo Male Artist beating out Drake, Eminem, John Grant and Justin Timberlake.
Watch Bruno's performance below and stay linked to GossipCenter for all the action from the 2014 Brit Awards!
- 2/20/2014
- GossipCenter
The UK has always been a hotbed of musical greatness, and this year’s nominees for the 2014 Brit Awards are reflective of Mother England’s prolific influence on the rest of the world.
As far as the British Female Solo Artist hopefuls, artists like Ellie Goulding and Jessie J have had an incredible impact on both sides of the pond, though with fellow nominees like Birdy, Laura Marling and Laura Mvula, it’s anybody’s guess who will take home the trophy.
Along the same lines, David Bowie, James Blake, Tom Odell, John Newman and Jake Bugg all have their work cut out for them if they hope to win the British Male Solo Artist honors.
The 2014 Brit Awards Nominees are:
British Male Solo Artist
David Bowie
Jake Bugg
James Blake
John Newman
Tom Odell
British Female Solo Artist
Birdy
Ellie Goulding
Jessie J
Laura Marling
Laura Mvula
British Group...
As far as the British Female Solo Artist hopefuls, artists like Ellie Goulding and Jessie J have had an incredible impact on both sides of the pond, though with fellow nominees like Birdy, Laura Marling and Laura Mvula, it’s anybody’s guess who will take home the trophy.
Along the same lines, David Bowie, James Blake, Tom Odell, John Newman and Jake Bugg all have their work cut out for them if they hope to win the British Male Solo Artist honors.
The 2014 Brit Awards Nominees are:
British Male Solo Artist
David Bowie
Jake Bugg
James Blake
John Newman
Tom Odell
British Female Solo Artist
Birdy
Ellie Goulding
Jessie J
Laura Marling
Laura Mvula
British Group...
- 2/19/2014
- GossipCenter
There are layers of devastating appeal to gay singer-songwriter John Grant‘s new video “Glacier.” First, his voice will stun you. It sounds like Beck performing Sea Change from under 30 oceans. Second, the song itself is eerie but direct, with plenty of lyrics about hypocrisy and anger that seethe with crude (as in, Nsfw) resentment. And then there’s the video itself, which is filled with images of gay and gay-related imagery from the past 100 years. There’s footage of gay soldiers, homophobic news bulletins, as well as “sissy” characters featured in Celluloid Closet movies. It’s just moving. You’ll remember it.
Grant also sings about being HIV-positive on the track “Ernest Borgnine” from his very acclaimed album Pale Green Ghosts. Call me Ethel Merman, because I want to marry this man impulsively.
The post Watch: Gay Singer-Songwriter John Grant’s Moving Video “Glacier” Features Gay Historical Timeline appeared first on thebacklot.
Grant also sings about being HIV-positive on the track “Ernest Borgnine” from his very acclaimed album Pale Green Ghosts. Call me Ethel Merman, because I want to marry this man impulsively.
The post Watch: Gay Singer-Songwriter John Grant’s Moving Video “Glacier” Features Gay Historical Timeline appeared first on thebacklot.
- 1/15/2014
- by Louis Virtel
- The Backlot
The UK has always been a hotbed of musical greatness, and this year’s nominees for the 2014 Brit Awards are reflective of Mother England’s prolific influence on the rest of the world.
As far as the British Female Solo Artist hopefuls, artists like Ellie Goulding and Jessie J have had an incredible impact on both sides of the pond, though with fellow nominees like Birdy, Laura Marling and Laura Mvula, it’s anybody’s guess who will take home the trophy.
Along the same lines, David Bowie, James Blake, Tom Odell, John Newman and Jake Bugg all have their work cut out for them if they hope to win the British Male Solo Artist honors.
The 2014 Brit Awards Nominees are:
British Male Solo Artist
David Bowie
Jake Bugg
James Blake
John Newman
Tom Odell
British Female Solo Artist
Birdy
Ellie Goulding
Jessie J
Laura Marling
Laura Mvula
British Group...
As far as the British Female Solo Artist hopefuls, artists like Ellie Goulding and Jessie J have had an incredible impact on both sides of the pond, though with fellow nominees like Birdy, Laura Marling and Laura Mvula, it’s anybody’s guess who will take home the trophy.
Along the same lines, David Bowie, James Blake, Tom Odell, John Newman and Jake Bugg all have their work cut out for them if they hope to win the British Male Solo Artist honors.
The 2014 Brit Awards Nominees are:
British Male Solo Artist
David Bowie
Jake Bugg
James Blake
John Newman
Tom Odell
British Female Solo Artist
Birdy
Ellie Goulding
Jessie J
Laura Marling
Laura Mvula
British Group...
- 1/9/2014
- GossipCenter
Michiel Huisman‘s star on HBO‘s Game Of Thrones is rising fast. Huisman, who joined the hit fantasy drama series as a recurring for the upcoming fourth season, is being made a regular for Season 5, which has not been picked up yet but that is simply a formality. Huisman’s casting in Got was originally surrounded by secrecy as he replaced Ed Skrein in taking on the role of Daario Naharis, Daenerys’ (Emilia Clarke) new love interest who was first introduced in Season 3. This marks the second series regular role on an HBO drama for Huisman, who also co-starred on Treme. He has been recurring on ABC’s Nashville and was in World War Z. Huisman is repped by ICM Partners, Authentic, Frank Stewart and John Grant.
- 1/8/2014
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Did that just happen? What a year for music! We had the return of some real musical behemoths (David Bowie, Daft Punk), we were gifted with some astronomical debut albums (Disclosure, Haim, London Grammar) – and as well as all this we were swimming in dazzling albums from bands that have stomped footprints over our hearts over the last decade: The Strokes, Vampire Weekend, The National.
Whilst cross-genre “Best Of” lists such as these can be derided by the cynic as being about as useful as comparing the day Tuesday with the colur blue, let’s not forget what lists like these are really for – a lot of fun. They allow us to celebrate the albums we played to death over the past 12 months, hopefully highlight some albums that our readers might have missed, and give you the chance to validate your taste in music (I’m joking!).
We recognise this...
Whilst cross-genre “Best Of” lists such as these can be derided by the cynic as being about as useful as comparing the day Tuesday with the colur blue, let’s not forget what lists like these are really for – a lot of fun. They allow us to celebrate the albums we played to death over the past 12 months, hopefully highlight some albums that our readers might have missed, and give you the chance to validate your taste in music (I’m joking!).
We recognise this...
- 12/31/2013
- by WhatCulture
- Obsessed with Film
Kanye West will perform on the upcoming new series of Later... With Jools Holland next week.
The rapper will appear live on the returning BBC Two series on Tuesday, September 17.
He will also feature on the longer pre-recorded edition on Friday night (September 20).
Kings of Leon, Sting, Bill Medley, Lorde and Drenge will also appear on the first episode of the new series.
Other artists confirmed to feature at some point in the new series include Queens of the Stone Age, Disclosure, John Grant, Primal Scream, Haim, The Strypes, Johnny Marr, Melt Yourself Down, Miguel, Omd and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Kanye West has announced plans for a Us tour with Kendrick Lamar to support his latest album Yeezus.
Watch West perform 'Black Skinhead' on Saturday Night Live below:...
The rapper will appear live on the returning BBC Two series on Tuesday, September 17.
He will also feature on the longer pre-recorded edition on Friday night (September 20).
Kings of Leon, Sting, Bill Medley, Lorde and Drenge will also appear on the first episode of the new series.
Other artists confirmed to feature at some point in the new series include Queens of the Stone Age, Disclosure, John Grant, Primal Scream, Haim, The Strypes, Johnny Marr, Melt Yourself Down, Miguel, Omd and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Kanye West has announced plans for a Us tour with Kendrick Lamar to support his latest album Yeezus.
Watch West perform 'Black Skinhead' on Saturday Night Live below:...
- 9/9/2013
- Digital Spy
Icelandic actor Olafur Darri Olafsson, who starred in the Baltasar Kormakur-directed The Deep, has been cast as a series regular role in AMC‘s pilot Line Of Sight. Omar Metwally (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn 2) also cast in the pilot, from creator Blake Masters, director Jonathan Demme, Fox TV Studios and AMC Studios. It tells the story of Lewis Bernt (David Morrissey), a National Transportation Safety Board investigator who survives a mysterious plane crash, bringing him on an emotionally disorienting quest to discover the accident’s cause. Olaffson, repped by Apa and UK agent John Grant of Conway Van Gelder, will play Edgar, a powerful and immovable man who knows more than anyone about the crash, yet not quite everything. He recently wrapped A Walk Among The Tombstones and The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty. Metwally, repped by Innovative and attorney Bruce Gellman, will play Dave, who was fundamentally altered...
- 8/30/2013
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Eureka Entertainment has announced its acquisition of Ted Kotcheff's 1971 Australian survival thriller Wake in Fright, for its Masters of Cinema label. Lost for many years following its debut at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival, Wake in Fright is the story of displaced teacher John Grant, stranded at a remote outpost in the Australian outback, who falls in with a particularly rowdy gang of locals who take him on a desperate odyssey of beer, gambling, beer, kangaroo-hunting, beer and even more beer. Eureka's new release of First Blood director Kotcheff's film, which stars Gary Bond and Donald Pleasance, will premiere at Film4 FrightFest in London at the end of this month, before embarking on a limited theatrical run across the UK. Wake in Fright...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 8/5/2013
- Screen Anarchy
John Grant has been through quite a lot along the journey to critical acclaim. After dealing with the physical and emotional strain of substance abuse, Grant has emerged to a flurry of awards, notable collaborations and a seemingly endless stream of love and support from fans old and new. Grant’s latest project, Pale Green Ghosts, is an album that doesn’t shy away from the hardships that Grant overcame to get where he is today. Faced with an HIV-positive diagnosis along with the struggle of addiction recovery, Grant has used music as a support system and an outlet. “I thought I...
- 5/6/2013
- Pastemagazine.com
There's something about 2012 I just can't shake. I find myself going back to the films I enjoyed last year, the ones I went to after a philosophical debate with my downstairs neighbor, or when I wanted to sing and piss her off. There's variety in the movies I chose, ready to set whatever mood you're in.
Wake in Fright (pictured at top) -- Long-considered to be lost (and almost destroyed), this Australian thriller was remastered and acquired by Drafthouse Films last year. It's gritty and sometimes shocking protrayal of masculinity and the pliable nature of the human psyche, not to mention the disturbing performance by Donald Pleasence, is like nothing I've seen before. I'm not sure if I would have ever heard of Wake in Fright (an Australian friend of mine hadn't heard of it), let alone been able to find and watch the movie, if I hadn't attended Fantastic Fest.
Wake in Fright (pictured at top) -- Long-considered to be lost (and almost destroyed), this Australian thriller was remastered and acquired by Drafthouse Films last year. It's gritty and sometimes shocking protrayal of masculinity and the pliable nature of the human psyche, not to mention the disturbing performance by Donald Pleasence, is like nothing I've seen before. I'm not sure if I would have ever heard of Wake in Fright (an Australian friend of mine hadn't heard of it), let alone been able to find and watch the movie, if I hadn't attended Fantastic Fest.
- 1/24/2013
- by Jordan Gass-Poore'
- Slackerwood
By Lee Pfeiffer
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, which present contemporary and classic films at their unique restaurant/theaters, have delved into the DVD business- and retro movie lovers can thank their lucky stars. One of the most prominent of the Drafthouse releases is Wake in Fright, a 1971 Australian film classic by Ted Kotcheff, a Canadian born director who had never previously set foot Down Under prior to making this movie. Based on the novel by Kenneth Cook, Wake in Fright is unknown to many film scholars who pride themselves on being acquainted with worthwhile, little-seen films. (I must shamefully admit that I fall into this category myself, having never even heard of the film prior to reviewing the Blu-ray release). Based on the title, I assumed this was a suspense thriller or a horror film. It is neither. In fact, it is virtually impossible to pigeon-hole this movie into a specific genre.
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, which present contemporary and classic films at their unique restaurant/theaters, have delved into the DVD business- and retro movie lovers can thank their lucky stars. One of the most prominent of the Drafthouse releases is Wake in Fright, a 1971 Australian film classic by Ted Kotcheff, a Canadian born director who had never previously set foot Down Under prior to making this movie. Based on the novel by Kenneth Cook, Wake in Fright is unknown to many film scholars who pride themselves on being acquainted with worthwhile, little-seen films. (I must shamefully admit that I fall into this category myself, having never even heard of the film prior to reviewing the Blu-ray release). Based on the title, I assumed this was a suspense thriller or a horror film. It is neither. In fact, it is virtually impossible to pigeon-hole this movie into a specific genre.
- 1/24/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The Australian Outback is known to be tough, rugged and inhospitable. This is a harsh reality made very clear in Director Ted Kotcheff's gritty 1971 drama Wake in Fright, a strange film recently restored in a new 35mm print. The film takes an average Joe and puts him through a crazy ordeal of alcoholism, violence and mild homoeroticism. The story follows young and dashing schoolteacher John Grant (Gary Bond) who has taken a post in the Australian Outback. He plans to go to Sydney to visit his girlfriend but in order to do that, he must catch a flight from the middle-of-nowhere mining town Bundanyabba or known by the locals simply as “The Yabba”. Once there, John encounters a slew of colorful characters, most of whom find a passion for drinking copious amounts of beer, gambling and brawling.
Read more...
Read more...
- 1/22/2013
- by Randall Unger
- JustPressPlay.net
Home Invasion is a weekly post every Tuesday which shows you what is being released on Blu-Ray & DVD today! We scoured through Amazon to bring you everything you might be interested in. Our Picks of the Week are releases that we are looking forward to checking out, have reviewed and/or were are Picks of the Week on the Dtb Podcast. All descriptions are courtesy of Amazon.com.
Price: $22.99
Click Here to buy the Blu-RayClick Here to buy the DVD
I Am Bruce Lee is the amazing story of one of the greatest icons ever to enter the public consciousness, the first film to truly tell Bruce Lee’s story in his own words and actions, as well as through the eyes of the international stars from the worlds of film, television, music and sports.
Featuring original interviews with Ufc President Dana White, NBA Superstar Kobe Bryant, boxing champion Manny Pacquiao,...
Price: $22.99
Click Here to buy the Blu-RayClick Here to buy the DVD
I Am Bruce Lee is the amazing story of one of the greatest icons ever to enter the public consciousness, the first film to truly tell Bruce Lee’s story in his own words and actions, as well as through the eyes of the international stars from the worlds of film, television, music and sports.
Featuring original interviews with Ufc President Dana White, NBA Superstar Kobe Bryant, boxing champion Manny Pacquiao,...
- 1/15/2013
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
Welcome back to This Week In Discs! As always, if you see something you like, click on the image to buy it. Wake in Fright John Grant (Gary Bond) is a civilized man doing a stint as a schoolteacher in the Australian outback, but trouble arises when he tries to head home to Sydney and never quite makes it. His layover in a small, forgotten town leads to new friends and a night or two (or three) of drunken debauchery, gambling and animal cruelty. This lost then found again classic of Australian cinema is a dread-filled descent into a sun-baked and alcohol-fueled hell. Bond does a fine and frightening job moving from responsible man to lost soul, but it’s Donald Pleasance who stands out as a disreputable doctor with one foot in the crazy house. Director Ted Kotcheff captures deranged desolation to perfection and marks ’70s Australia one of the most terrifying places on earth. That...
- 1/14/2013
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Jan. 15, 2013
Price: DVD $27.97, Blu-ray $29.97
Studio: Drafthouse/Rlj
A schoolteacher gets waylaid in the Australian outback and takes a journey into the heart of darkness in the 1971 thriller Wake in Fright, a “lost” cult film that was “recovered” and restored before making a return to the theatrical repertory circuit in the fall of 2012.
Wake in Fright tells the story of a British schoolteacher’s descent into personal demoralization at the hands of the deranged, hard-drinking residents of a remote Australian town. John Grant (Gary Bond, Anne of the Thousand Days) teaches at a tiny school in the outback. On his way to Sydney to catch a vacation flight, he stops in a rural mining town, where he is reluctantly drawn into the macho antics of the local men. After losing his money in the gambling game two-up, he is taken on a drunken and brutal kangaroo hunt...
Price: DVD $27.97, Blu-ray $29.97
Studio: Drafthouse/Rlj
A schoolteacher gets waylaid in the Australian outback and takes a journey into the heart of darkness in the 1971 thriller Wake in Fright, a “lost” cult film that was “recovered” and restored before making a return to the theatrical repertory circuit in the fall of 2012.
Wake in Fright tells the story of a British schoolteacher’s descent into personal demoralization at the hands of the deranged, hard-drinking residents of a remote Australian town. John Grant (Gary Bond, Anne of the Thousand Days) teaches at a tiny school in the outback. On his way to Sydney to catch a vacation flight, he stops in a rural mining town, where he is reluctantly drawn into the macho antics of the local men. After losing his money in the gambling game two-up, he is taken on a drunken and brutal kangaroo hunt...
- 12/20/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Drafthouse Films announced that they will be bringing 1971′s Wake in Fright to Blu-ray and DVD in January. Continue reading for the official release details and cover art:
A schoolteacher gets waylaid in the Australian outback and takes a journey into the heart of darkness in Wake In Fright, a revered and groundbreaking thriller that for 40 years lived only in the memory of its initial viewers. But following its miraculous recovery and restoration, the “lost” film made a triumphant return to screens nationwide this fall. Now it will make its home entertainment debut when Drafthouse Films releases it on high-definition Blu-ray and DVD on January 15, 2013.
Alongside Mad Max and Walkabout, Wake In Fright is widely acknowledged as one of the seminal films of modern Australian cinema. Author Neil Rattigan, in his book about the New Australian Cinema, Images of Australia, called it “a cinematic trip into hell. … No other Australian...
A schoolteacher gets waylaid in the Australian outback and takes a journey into the heart of darkness in Wake In Fright, a revered and groundbreaking thriller that for 40 years lived only in the memory of its initial viewers. But following its miraculous recovery and restoration, the “lost” film made a triumphant return to screens nationwide this fall. Now it will make its home entertainment debut when Drafthouse Films releases it on high-definition Blu-ray and DVD on January 15, 2013.
Alongside Mad Max and Walkabout, Wake In Fright is widely acknowledged as one of the seminal films of modern Australian cinema. Author Neil Rattigan, in his book about the New Australian Cinema, Images of Australia, called it “a cinematic trip into hell. … No other Australian...
- 12/20/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Ted Kotcheff's once lost award-winning film Wake in Fright is getting set to make its long awaited arrival onto DVD and Blu-ray, and believe me, horror fans; this is one trip to the Outback you're really gonna want to take!
From the Press Release
A schoolteacher gets waylaid in the Australian Outback and takes a journey into the heart of darkness in Wake In Fright, a revered and groundbreaking thriller that for 40 years lived only in the memory of its initial viewers. But following its miraculous recovery and restoration, the "lost" film made a triumphant return to screens nationwide this fall. Now it will make its home entertainment debut when Drafthouse Films releases it on high-definition Blu-ray and DVD on January 15, 2013.
Alongside Mad Max and Walkabout, Wake In Fright is widely acknowledged as one of the seminal films of modern Australian cinema. Author Neil Rattigan, in his book about the New Australian Cinema,...
From the Press Release
A schoolteacher gets waylaid in the Australian Outback and takes a journey into the heart of darkness in Wake In Fright, a revered and groundbreaking thriller that for 40 years lived only in the memory of its initial viewers. But following its miraculous recovery and restoration, the "lost" film made a triumphant return to screens nationwide this fall. Now it will make its home entertainment debut when Drafthouse Films releases it on high-definition Blu-ray and DVD on January 15, 2013.
Alongside Mad Max and Walkabout, Wake In Fright is widely acknowledged as one of the seminal films of modern Australian cinema. Author Neil Rattigan, in his book about the New Australian Cinema,...
- 12/19/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Drafthouse Films will release Wake In Fright (a.k.a. Outback) on DVD and Blu-ray January 15. Directed by Ted Kotcheff, the movie stars John Grant as a British schoolteacher on vacation in Australia who stops in a remote mining town, and undergoes a frightening psychological breakdown at the hands of its residents. Donald Pleasence, Jack Thompson and Chips Rafferty co-star; the movie was barely released Stateside after its premiere at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival, and was thought lost until negative elements were discovered a few years ago and the restoration was undertaken. The anamorphic widescreen transfers on the discs, with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound on the DVD and DTS-hd Master Audio on the Blu-ray, include:
• Audio commentary by Kotcheff and editor Anthony Buckley
• The making-of featurette "To the Yabba and Back"
• Q&A with Kotcheff from the 2009 Toronto Film Festival
• Restoration featurette
• “Who Needs Art?” vintage featurette
• Theatrical trailers
• 28-page booklet...
• Audio commentary by Kotcheff and editor Anthony Buckley
• The making-of featurette "To the Yabba and Back"
• Q&A with Kotcheff from the 2009 Toronto Film Festival
• Restoration featurette
• “Who Needs Art?” vintage featurette
• Theatrical trailers
• 28-page booklet...
- 12/19/2012
- by gingold@starloggroup.com (Michael Gingold)
- Fangoria
Drafthouse Films will release Wake In Fright (a.k.a. Outback) on DVD and Blu-ray January 15. Directed by Ted Kotcheff, the movie stars John Grant as a British schoolteacher on vacation in Australia who stops in a remote mining town, and undergoes a frightening psychological breakdown at the hands of its residents. Donald Pleasence, Jack Thompson and Chips Rafferty co-star; the movie was barely released Stateside after its premiere at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival, and was thought lost until negative elements were discovered a few years ago and the restoration was undertaken. The anamorphic widescreen transfers on the discs, with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound on the DVD and DTS-hd Master Audio on the Blu-ray, include:
• Audio commentary by Kotcheff and editor Anthony Buckley
• The making-of featurette "To the Yabba and Back"
• Q&A with Kotcheff from the 2009 Toronto Film Festival
• Restoration featurette
• “Who Needs Art?” vintage featurette
• Theatrical trailers
• 28-page booklet...
• Audio commentary by Kotcheff and editor Anthony Buckley
• The making-of featurette "To the Yabba and Back"
• Q&A with Kotcheff from the 2009 Toronto Film Festival
• Restoration featurette
• “Who Needs Art?” vintage featurette
• Theatrical trailers
• 28-page booklet...
- 12/19/2012
- by gingold@starloggroup.com (Michael Gingold)
- Fangoria
Drafthouse Films will release Wake In Fright (a.k.a. Outback) on DVD and Blu-ray January 15. Directed by Ted Kotcheff, the movie stars John Grant as a British schoolteacher on vacation in Australia who stops in a remote mining town, and undergoes a frightening psychological breakdown at the hands of its residents. Donald Pleasence, Jack Thompson and Chips Rafferty co-star; the movie was barely released Stateside after its premiere at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival, and was thought lost until negative elements were discovered a few years ago and the restoration was undertaken. The anamorphic widescreen transfers on the discs, with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound on the DVD and DTS-hd Master Audio on the Blu-ray, include:
• Audio commentary by Kotcheff and editor Anthony Buckley
• The making-of featurette "To the Yabba and Back"
• Q&A with Kotcheff from the 2009 Toronto Film Festival
• Restoration featurette
• “Who Needs Art?” vintage featurette
• Theatrical trailers
• 28-page booklet...
• Audio commentary by Kotcheff and editor Anthony Buckley
• The making-of featurette "To the Yabba and Back"
• Q&A with Kotcheff from the 2009 Toronto Film Festival
• Restoration featurette
• “Who Needs Art?” vintage featurette
• Theatrical trailers
• 28-page booklet...
- 12/19/2012
- by gingold@starloggroup.com (Michael Gingold)
- Fangoria
Drafthouse Films will release Wake In Fright (a.k.a. Outback) on DVD and Blu-ray January 15. Directed by Ted Kotcheff, the movie stars John Grant as a British schoolteacher on vacation in Australia who stops in a remote mining town, and undergoes a frightening psychological breakdown at the hands of its residents. Donald Pleasence, Jack Thompson and Chips Rafferty co-star; the movie was barely released Stateside after its premiere at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival, and was thought lost until negative elements were discovered a few years ago and the restoration was undertaken. The anamorphic widescreen transfers on the discs, with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound on the DVD and DTS-hd Master Audio on the Blu-ray, include:
• Audio commentary by Kotcheff and editor Anthony Buckley
• The making-of featurette "To the Yabba and Back"
• Q&A with Kotcheff from the 2009 Toronto Film Festival
• Restoration featurette
• “Who Needs Art?” vintage featurette
• Theatrical trailers
• 28-page booklet...
• Audio commentary by Kotcheff and editor Anthony Buckley
• The making-of featurette "To the Yabba and Back"
• Q&A with Kotcheff from the 2009 Toronto Film Festival
• Restoration featurette
• “Who Needs Art?” vintage featurette
• Theatrical trailers
• 28-page booklet...
- 12/19/2012
- by gingold@starloggroup.com (Michael Gingold)
- Fangoria
Drafthouse Films introduces the Australian film, Wake in Fright, to the Blu-ray format on January 15th.
Directed by Ted Kotcheff , the movie tells the story of a British schoolteacher's descent into personal demoralization at the hands of the deranged, hard-drinking residents of a remote Australian town. John Grant (Gary Bond) teaches at a tiny school in the outback. On his way to Sydney to catch a vacation flight, he stops in a rural mining town, where he is reluctantly drawn into the macho antics of the local men. After losing his money in the gambling game two-up, he is taken on a drunken and brutal kangaroo hunt with three of the beer-guzzling louts - a horrifying ordeal that culminates in a shattering sexual assault.
Read more...
Directed by Ted Kotcheff , the movie tells the story of a British schoolteacher's descent into personal demoralization at the hands of the deranged, hard-drinking residents of a remote Australian town. John Grant (Gary Bond) teaches at a tiny school in the outback. On his way to Sydney to catch a vacation flight, he stops in a rural mining town, where he is reluctantly drawn into the macho antics of the local men. After losing his money in the gambling game two-up, he is taken on a drunken and brutal kangaroo hunt with three of the beer-guzzling louts - a horrifying ordeal that culminates in a shattering sexual assault.
Read more...
- 12/19/2012
- shocktillyoudrop.com
They said it couldn’t be done. A fifth year of 31 Days of Horror? 31 more terror, gore and shower scene-filled movies worth highlighting? But Rejects always say die and never back away from a challenge, so we’ve rounded up the horror fans among us and put together another month’s worth of genre fun. Enjoy! Synopsis: During his trek home to Sydney from the nowhere town of Tiboonda, bonded school teacher John Grant gets side-tracked in the rough and tumble town of Bundanyabba, or as the locals call it, The Yabba. What starts with some hesitant gambling to win enough money to quit his teaching job quickly spirals into a hellish span of five days stuck with hard drinking, hard fighting, quick shooting Australian rednecks who escort Grant to the gates of his own hell. Killer Scene: In a moment that is truly disturbing, so disturbing in fact that the film comes with a warning explaining...
- 10/31/2012
- by Robert Fure
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
by Steve Dollar
Redeemed from a Pittsburgh warehouse days before it was to be incinerated, the negatives of Ted Kotcheff's 1971 beer-soaked Outback misadventure Wake in Fright were painstakingly restored in 2009, marking the return of a long-lost classic. A bare-knuckled saga of madness and mayhem in a land without women but lots of kangaroos, the film details the humiliating transformation of uptight, city-slicker schoolteacher John Grant (Gary Bond) when his holiday trip home from the boondocks gets sidetracked during a stopover in "The Yabba"–a frontier town where, after losing all his money in a frenzied gambling game called "Two Up," he falls in with a crew of local rowdies, including an amazing Donald Pleasance as an alcoholic doctor given to existential pronouncements and bouts of sodomy. Admirers of the movie, whose number include the rocker Nick Cave and director Martin Scorsese, consider it the great lost Australian film, even...
Redeemed from a Pittsburgh warehouse days before it was to be incinerated, the negatives of Ted Kotcheff's 1971 beer-soaked Outback misadventure Wake in Fright were painstakingly restored in 2009, marking the return of a long-lost classic. A bare-knuckled saga of madness and mayhem in a land without women but lots of kangaroos, the film details the humiliating transformation of uptight, city-slicker schoolteacher John Grant (Gary Bond) when his holiday trip home from the boondocks gets sidetracked during a stopover in "The Yabba"–a frontier town where, after losing all his money in a frenzied gambling game called "Two Up," he falls in with a crew of local rowdies, including an amazing Donald Pleasance as an alcoholic doctor given to existential pronouncements and bouts of sodomy. Admirers of the movie, whose number include the rocker Nick Cave and director Martin Scorsese, consider it the great lost Australian film, even...
- 10/12/2012
- GreenCine Daily
The Australian Outback is known to be tough, rugged and inhospitable. This is a harsh reality made very clear in Director Ted Kotcheff's gritty 1971 drama Wake in Fright, a strange film recently restored in a new 35mm print. The film takes an average Joe and puts him through a crazy ordeal of alcoholism, violence and mild homoeroticism. The story follows young and dashing schoolteacher John Grant (Gary Bond) who has taken a post in the Australian Outback. He plans to go to Sydney to visit his girlfriend but in order to do that, he must catch a flight from the middle-of-nowhere mining town Bundanyabba or known by the locals simply as “The Yabba”. Once there, John encounters a slew of colorful characters, most of whom find a passion for drinking copious amounts of beer, gambling and brawling.
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- 10/7/2012
- by Randall Unger
- JustPressPlay.net
Down & Outback: Lost Australian Classic a Moody Nightmare
Long considered a lost classic, spurring a decade long search for the film’s negative (which ended finally in 2004 when it was found in a box marked for destruction in Pittsburgh), Ted Kotcheff’s Wake In Fright is getting a much deserved re-release after enjoying a recent spat of revitalized festival circuit glory. While the film’s been listed among a selection of titles referred to as Ozploitation, thanks to the 2008 documentary Not Quite Hollywood, Kotcheff’s film is more Ozploration than it is an exploitative mechanism. That’s not to say it isn’t without some sensational, notorious sequences, but clearly this is cinema that is more on par with contemporary auteurs that explored the Outback to more celebratory effect like Weir, Schepisi, and fellow Brit, Nicolas Roeg.
A bonded school teacher, John Grant (Gary Bond), stationed in Tiboondi, the...
Long considered a lost classic, spurring a decade long search for the film’s negative (which ended finally in 2004 when it was found in a box marked for destruction in Pittsburgh), Ted Kotcheff’s Wake In Fright is getting a much deserved re-release after enjoying a recent spat of revitalized festival circuit glory. While the film’s been listed among a selection of titles referred to as Ozploitation, thanks to the 2008 documentary Not Quite Hollywood, Kotcheff’s film is more Ozploration than it is an exploitative mechanism. That’s not to say it isn’t without some sensational, notorious sequences, but clearly this is cinema that is more on par with contemporary auteurs that explored the Outback to more celebratory effect like Weir, Schepisi, and fellow Brit, Nicolas Roeg.
A bonded school teacher, John Grant (Gary Bond), stationed in Tiboondi, the...
- 10/2/2012
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Ted Kotcheff’s Wake in Fright was a hit at the Cannes Film Festival in 1971, but as the film made its way across the Atlantic, its stateside distributor decided to do a bit of rebranding. Against Kotcheff’s will, his intense fish-out-of-water tale was released in New York the following winter as Outback, a perfectly bland title for a movie that’s anything but. If the new name threw some film-goers off the trail, United Artists’ failure, as Kotcheff recalls it, to “spend 25 cents on publicity” made certain that the rest of its potential audience never heard about it in the first place. Despite praise from influential critics, almost nobody in America saw it, and it soon closed.
But now Wake in Fright is back, and the story of its revival is almost as interesting as the film itself. Decades after its release, a member of the original filmmaking team...
But now Wake in Fright is back, and the story of its revival is almost as interesting as the film itself. Decades after its release, a member of the original filmmaking team...
- 10/1/2012
- by Kevin Canfield
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Considered lost for years, Wake in Fright is finally getting the release it is due. Anthony Buckley, the film’s editor took it upon himself to sleuth out a negative, eventually finding paydirt in Pittsburgh nearly a decade after the search began. It was discovered in a bin labelled to be destroyed. Wake‘s tenacity to stay alive is a testament to the film’s unflinching, voyeuristic look at humanity under pressure, and the weight that can crush if it is allowed. Wake in Fright is the kind of film you watch and can’t forget, like it or not. It drags you into its uninhibited grime to drown you in a sweaty beer lather. You can see the surface, know that a fresh breath is within reach, but its grip just strengthens and pulls you in deeper. Witnessing the uncontrolled descent of a man becoming what he loathes most is a jarring spectacle. To...
- 9/28/2012
- by Michael Treveloni
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
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