{"id":3811,"date":"2011-11-13T23:54:26","date_gmt":"2011-11-14T04:54:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mondomark.com\/wordpress\/?p=2567"},"modified":"2011-11-13T23:54:26","modified_gmt":"2011-11-14T04:54:26","slug":"maniac-cop-and-the-devils","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=3811","title":{"rendered":"Maniac Cop, and The Devils!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mondomark.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/ManiacCop_poster_m.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2568\" title=\"ManiacCop_poster_m\" src=\"http:\/\/mondomark.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/ManiacCop_poster_m.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"349\" \/><\/a>Before I get to William Lustig\u2019s sublime exploitation hit  from 1988, some may have heard reports that Ken Russell\u2019s <strong>The Devils<\/strong> (1971) is slated for a DVD release in the U.K.,  courtesy of the BFI.<\/p>\n<p>Word has it the film isn\u2019t the recently restored version  that included newly found nasty footage, but the original British X certificate  version which still runs longer and is more faithful to Russell\u2019s edit than the  American cut.<\/p>\n<p>I won\u2019t get into the insanity of the film still being a hot  potato 40 years after its release. The consensus among <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hometheaterforum.com\/t\/93867\/the-devils\/90\" >ardent fans<\/a> is  Warner Bros. or someone deep in the upper echelons still feels the film is an  offence to humanity, hence the BFI being allowed to release the film in Region  2 land on DVD only, with no excerpt of the infamous \u2018Rape of Christ\u2019 scene.<\/p>\n<p>Included in the DVD will be Paul Joyce\u2019s 2002 BBC  documentary regarding the recent discovery of extra footage, but the  aforementioned scene that appeared in the original broadcast version will not  appear on the DVD edit. It\u2019s that testy, and it\u2019s frankly bizarre when the  studio has released Dark   Castle productions that  feature plenty of evisceration, torture, blood-letting, decapitations, and human  crushing between panes of glass. (There\u2019s also the quality of most Dark Castle  films, but let\u2019s not go there, as that issue is the responsibility of Castle\u2019s  creative executives who green light undercooked scripts.)<\/p>\n<p>In any event, according to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B0065N0SN0\/ref=nosim?tag=mondoerotico05\" >Amazon.co.uk  listing<\/a>, the BFI\u2019s loaded DVD is to street March 19, 2012, with the  following extras:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>DVD premiere  presentation of the original UK X certificate version<\/li>\n<li>Newly filmed  introduction with director Ken Russell<\/li>\n<li>Audio commentary with  Ken Russell, Mark Kermode, Mike Bradsell and Paul Joyce<\/li>\n<li>Hell on Earth (Paul  Joyce, 2002, 48 mins): documentary exploring the film&#8217;s production and the  controversy surrounding its original release<\/li>\n<li>Director of the Devils  (1971, 21 min): documentary featuring candid Ken Russell interviews and unique  footage of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies recording his celebrated film score<\/li>\n<li>Original on-set  footage with commentary by editor Mike Bradsell<\/li>\n<li>Amelia and the Angels  (Ken Russell, 1958, 30 mins): Ken Russell&#8217;s short film, a delightful mix of  religious allegory and magical fantasy<\/li>\n<li>Original UK trailer<\/li>\n<li>Original US trailer<\/li>\n<li>Fully illustrated  booklet featuring new essays and notes from Mark Kermode, Craig Lapper (BBFC),  Sam Ashby, and others<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is considerably more than the grey market (er, bootleg)  DVD from a few years ago, and the pretty anamorphic 108 min. edition reportedly  available on <a href=\"http:\/\/robertcashill.blogspot.com\/2010\/06\/downloading-devils.html\" >iTunes<\/a> before it was <a href=\"http:\/\/hollywood-elsewhere.com\/2010\/06\/devils_again.php\" >suddenly  pulled<\/a>, although this may be a U.S.-only issue, as the film was also  announced for a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.zonadvd.com\/modules.php?name=News&amp;file=article&amp;sid=27096\" >Spanish  DVD release<\/a> (via Warner Home Video Spain).<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll have some related reviews in the coming months leading  up to the DVD\u2019s release, as among the Russell films I\u2019ve never seen it\u2019s the  one I\u2019d prefer to experience in its director approved edit. Still feel sad I missed  the screening at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9d_6k_Tm9ws\" >Bloor<\/a> last year, which Rue Morgue coordinated.<\/p>\n<p>Now then, let\u2019s move on to badness fully available on  Blu-ray in HD glory.<\/p>\n<p>William Lustig has had an amazing career, studying film,  moving into the adult realm, and breaking into mainstream with two major  benchmarks in exploitation infamy: <strong>Maniac<\/strong> (1984), and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kqek.com\/dvd_reviews\/m\/3941_ManiacCop1988.htm\">Maniac Cop<\/a><\/strong> [<a href=\"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=3802\">M<\/a>] (1988), the latter now  available on BR courtesy of Synapse Films.<\/p>\n<p>The review covers the film, extras, and the multiple  editions available on DVD and BR in North America,  and the recent UK BR which features a different array of extras. Coming soon  will be reviews of the two <strong>Maniac Cop<\/strong> sequels, but what I find fascinating is how the film has reportedly been a  favourite of some folks in uniform. According to co-star Tom Atkins, some cops  have quietly admitted they love the character because he metes out the  frustration they feel on occasion with challenging individuals less observant  of the law and civility.<\/p>\n<p>Officer Cordell is a maniac, but he\u2019s so over the top (and  technically fueled by rage and brain damage) that one could argue he\u2019s not  responsible for his acts. Robert Z\u2019Dar has an amazing physical presence which  Lustig pretty much keeps in the dark, and however you may regard the film, it\u2019s  really well-made, and directed by someone who knows a bit more about  moviemaking than a contemporary hack. It\u2019s also written by Larry Cohen, who can  be good <em>once in a while<\/em>; <strong>Maniac Cop<\/strong> isn\u2019t art, but it\u2019s a slick  and rewarding B-movie with some marvelous stunts.<\/p>\n<p>Coming next: Twilight Time\u2019s DVD release of <strong>The Left Hand of God<\/strong> (1955), one of  Humphrey Bogart\u2019s last films, and Gene Tierney\u2019s last major role in a studio  production.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Mark R. Hasan<\/strong>,  Editor<br \/>\n<strong>KQEK.com <\/strong>(  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kqek.com\/Main_Index_Page.htm\">Main Site<\/a> \/ <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php\">Mobile Site<\/a> )<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Review of William Lustig&#8217;s Maniac Cop on Blu-ray (Synapse Films), plus details of the BFI&#8217;s upcoming Region 2 DVD release of Ken Russell&#8217;s The Devils, with some handy-dandy links for further edification.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[881,873,882,875],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-Zt","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3811"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3811\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}