42nd Street Forever, Vol. 1

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Cult movie fans are used to collections of trailers looking rather shabby so this disc of 42nd Street Forever Vol. 1 from Synapse Films might come as a shock to such viewers. Each trailer was taken from a celluloid source: some look better than others and a certain degree of scratches and print damage are to be expected but all the trailers benefit from having been remastered in High-Definition. Thus, even the most beat-up trailer offers levels of color and detail that fans wouldn't expect to see in such material. The audio retains the original mono soundtracks for these trailers: there's some hiss and crackling in spots but all the hard-sell narration, corny dialogue and schlocky soundtrack cues still manage to come through with unexpected clarity. There are no extras to speak of but the fact that this disc features 128 minutes worth of rare trailers goes a long way towards making up for the lack of extras. In short, this is a great collection for cult movie fans and one of the best-looking trailer compilations to ever hit the DVD format. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: All
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 (Alternate Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Color, Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • [None specified]

REVIEW:

• Few things provide instant gratification to a cult movie fan like a vintage exploitation trailer. 42nd Street Forever Vol. 1 is designed to provide that kind of gratification and it achieves this aim in style. It's a collector-minded compilation, one that eschews popular cult titles in favor of ferreting out the obscure and unusual. Thankfully, this approach works because the compilers have an eye for trailers that present the kind of eccentric hard-sell that is often more entertaining than the movie being sold: highlights in this area include The Italian Stallion, a retitling of the infamous Sylvester Stallone softcore erotic film A Party At Kitty's And Stud's that is introduced by editor Gail Palmer, and a trailer for a double bill of The Blood Splattered Bride and I Dismember Mama that intersperses shocking clips from each film with comedic staged interviews of theater patrons. 42nd Street Forever Vol. 1 is also interesting because it delves into all sorts of genres, covering everything from kiddie fare like Super Fuzz to stomach-churning mondo documentaries like Shocking Asia. As a result, it truly provides the full spectrum of the exploitation film experience. The end result might not be for all tastes but 42nd Street Forever Vol. 1is definitely the kind of thing that a hardcore cult movie addict will want to have in their collection. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

CUSTOMER REVIEWS: