Severin Releasing Roman Polanski's What?

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

From Blu-ray.com:



Independent U.S. distributors Severin Films will add to their Blu-ray catalog director Roman Polanski's film What? (1972), starring Marcello Mastroianni, Hugh Griffith, Sydne Rome, Gianfranco Piacentini, Romolo Valli, and Guido Alberti. The release will be available for purchase on April 26.

Synopsis: Roman Polanski described it as the ribald adventures of an innocent girl. More than four decades after its controversial release, it remains the most butchered, debated and least-seen film of the Oscar-winning director's entire career.

The succulent Sydne Rome stars as an oft-naked American girl lost inside a Mediterranean villa inhabited by priests, pianists, perverts and a pimp (a deliciously bizarre performance by Marcello Mastroianni) while indulging in madcap acts that even include ping-pong. Hugh Griffith (Tom Jones), Romolo Valli (Boccaccio 70) and Polanski himself co-star in this surreal and sexy comedy, now finally restored to its original running time from a vault print reportedly stolen from the wine cellar of producer Carlo Ponti.

Special Features:

Featurette: Sydne In Wonderland - Interview With Star Sydne Rome
Featurette: Memories Of A Young Pianist - Interview With Composer Claudio Gizzi
Featurette: A Surreal Pop Movie - Interview With Cinematographer Marcello Gatti
Theatrical Trailer

[John Bernhard Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close John Bernhard]

Nice, and a few interesting features included.

I don't get why Severin keep adding junky lines to their copy like...finally restored to its original running time from a vault print reportedly stolen from the wine cellar of producer Carlo Ponti. Do they think this is amusing to someone ( besides themselves )? It makes them seem dopey to me. You want to explain where the source comes from, do so, but spare us the bad jokes.

[Damin J. Toell Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Damin J. Toell]

At least the copy doesn't insult the buyers, like at least one label tends to do.

[Andrew Monroe Pallid Hands Find all posts View Profile Close Andrew Monroe]

Yeah, I don't find it all that amusing but it's an excerpt from A Confederacy of Dunces compared to this: "TOO MANY GOOD DROPPING FALLIN' OUT OF OTHER LABEL! Time for CODE RED to Scoop up the trash to bring some grindhouse favorite ! BUCKETLIST FEVER!"

[Tom Clark Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tom Clark]

Yeah, I don't find it all that amusing but it's an excerpt from A Confederacy of Dunces compared to this: "TOO MANY GOOD DROPPING FALLIN' OUT OF OTHER LABEL! Time for CODE RED to Scoop up the trash to bring some grindhouse favorite ! BUCKETLIST FEVER!"

PUT SOME GRAVY ON THAT MEAT LOAF!1

Seriously though, press release aside, this is a must-buy. Very odd film and coming right after Macbeth it plays ever weirder.

[Dark Horse 77 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dark Horse 77]

I pre-ordered this yesterday. I've seen it and love it's truly odd nature, not to mention Polanski's great performance in the film itself. It's a shame he didn't go off and occasionally make these true oddball films between his more serious work later in his career. See Cul-De-Sac for what I'm referring to.