DVD Review: Roger Corman Collection

The man who never met a low budget that he didn’t like, director Roger Corman gets his due as MGM/Fox honors him in this collection of his films. However, two of them have never been on DVD before and others of them have been on it several times.

Roger Corman’s autobiography was titled “How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime.” Often called the “King of the Bs,” Corman is known for taking a low budget and producing profitable results. He’s also known to have gotten a great deal of famous directors (Martin Scorese, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, Jonathan Demme, and Ron Howard) their starts. This set concentrates on the director himself, but I doubt that the results, although entertaining, will be mentioned with the films of the roster of famous directors that he got started. Disc 1:
Gas-s-s-s! (1971): Anarchy goes airborne in this insane often-uproarious farce about vaporizing the generation gap. When a deadly gas kills everyone over 25, the world devolves into a chaotic – and zany – struggle for power. And as a band of peace-loving hippies goes cross-country to find utopia – only to find football fascists and demented dictators – they soon discover that even the American dream as a touch of gas.The Trip (1967): Hedonism isn’t for breakfast anymore. Or so learns TV commercial director Paul (Peter Fonda) on his first LSD trip… a mind-blowing passage through surrealist images and stroboscopic light shows. Written by Jack Nicholson and directed by Roger Corman. The Trip takes you to a whole new world of extreme beauty and sheer terror… on a passport the size of a stamp.Disc 2:
The Young Racers (1963): Racing champion William Campbell has it all – money, fame and all the women he wants, even though he’s married. But when Campbell seduces the fiancé of former champ Mark Damon. Damon decides to jump back in the driver’s seat and show his arrogant successor what being a champion really means. As the best of the best burn rubber before a captivated world, their rivalry speeds them toward a fiery climax that has to be seen to be believed.The Wild Angels (1966): Grab your chick, hop on your Harley and fly with this sociological shocker from the cut-rate master of the macabre, Roger Corman. Violent and savage, this souped up, sexy flick about a psycho biker on the trail of a stolen chopper made high-octane stars of Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern, and Diane Ladd.Disc 3:
Bloody Mama (1970): Shelly Winters, Robert DeNiro and Bruce Dern take on the Great Depression they only way they know how in this “engrossing” psychological gangster film. Also starring Pat Hingle, Don Stroud, Diane Varsi and Robert Walden, this saga based on the lives of the Ma Barker gang is shocking, explosive and fully loaded with raw intensity.A Bucket of Blood (1959): In the jumpin’ java joint, filled to the brim with kooky beatniks, poets and hipsters, an artist wannabe discovers he has a talent for modern art… and murder! Dripping with blood, social satire, and sick, sick comedy, this film, according to the critic Leonard Maltin, “nicely captures the spirit of the beatnick era” and zips along with vibes of counterculture creepiness.Disc 4:
The Premature Burial (1962): Talk about tortured artist! Oscar winner Ray Milland is Guy, a medical student and painter whose obsessive fear of being buried alive compels him to build a tomb with a view, equipped with everything he can think of to escape death. But it’s when his long-suffering wife convinces him to destroy the tomb that he finds himself in the gravest danger. X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes (1963): A fantastic tale of heart-pounding suspense, the harrowing and terrifying sci-fi shocker will fascinate horror film fans. Starring Ray Milland, it charts the startling transformation of a doctor so blinded by ambition that he dares to glimpses eternity. Most of the films have appeared on DVD before either in double features or on their own. The only two that have never been on DVD before are Bloody Mama and the Young Racers. All the titles port over any special features that were made when they first were released on DVD. Sadly, no new special features, such as an interview with Corman, have been produced for the ones that are new. They’re also not available separately either so if you want them you’ll have to buy the whole set. Each of the eight films are presented across four double-sided discs. The following are enhanced for widescreen televisions: Gas-s-s (1.85:1), The Trip (1.85:1), The Wild Angels (2.35:1), Bloody Mama (1.85:1), The Premature Burial (2.35:1), and X (1.85:1). The Young Racers is 1.66:1 but not enhanced and Bucket of Blood is fullscreen. As I said before all the special features are ported over from the previous releases. Wild Angels and Gas-s-s have their 3-minute theatrical trailers. The Trip has a commentary by Corman. The 17-minute “Tune In, Trip Out” interviews Corman, Allen Daviau (special psychedelic effects), and Bruce Dern. The 8-minute “Psychedelic Film Effects” featurette interviews Daviau about the effects more. The 5-minute “Psychedelic Light Box” is visual effects from the film. There’s also an excerpt from American Cinematographer magazine from March 1968 and the 2-minute trailer. The Premature Burial has an 9-minute interview with Corman where he “unearths” the production. X has a commentary with Corman, the 5-minute original theatrical prologue, and the 2-minute trailer. Seems that both MGM/Fox and Roger have something in common – they like to save a buck. If you don’t have the titles that have already been released and like Roger Corman, then this set is a great way to get a collection of them. However, if you have some or all of those previous titles then you may want to get this set. Roger Corman Collection is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.