



Vinegar Syndrome Announces June Titles Posted May 23, 2019 05:08 PM by



Putney Swope (1969), Taking Tiger Mountain (1983), The Passing (1984), and Night Owl (1993). The four releases will be available for purchase on June 24.



Putney Swope



Assuming he is incapable of winning, all of the members of a prestigious Madison Avenue advertising firm accidentally vote to appoint the company's only black executive, Putney Swope, as chairman of the board. His unexpected win behind him, Swope changes the company's name to 'Truth and Soul, Inc,' fires nearly all of its elderly white employees, and focuses solely on creating subversive, outlandish, and shocking campaigns. As the company is catapulted to new heights of success, Swope finds that he has drawn the ire of the U.S. President, who seeks to declare him and his renegade staff a threat to national security.



Considered one of the masterpieces of late 60s counterculture cinema, Robert Downey Sr.'s (Greaser's Palace) PUTNEY SWOPE remains a vital cinematic satire on race, politics and pop culture. Featuring a supporting performance from character actor Allen Garfield (Nashville) alongside a cameo from Mel Brooks, Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present the world Blu-ray debut of PUTNEY SWOPE in a stunning new 4k restoration created by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and The Film Foundation."



Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM VARIOUS 35MM PRE-PRINT ELEMENTS

Audio commentary with director Robert Downey Sr.

Video interview with Robert Downey Sr. from 2001 on Putney Swope

Video interview with Robert Downey Sr. from 2008 on Putney Swope

Q and A from the film's screening at the 2005 Philadelphia Film Festival

Audio interview with cinematographer Gerald Cotts

Audio commentary with film critic and historian Sergio Mims

Original theatrical trailer

Massive archival article & promo gallery

Reversible cover artwork

English SDH subtitles

REGION-FREE Taking Tiger Mountain



In a dystopian future, Billy Hampton (Bill Paxton, in his first on-screen role) is a World War III draft dodger who finds himself part of an experimental brainwashing program created by a group of radical feminists. After being released from the program, Billy heads to Wales for what he believes will be a sex-filled vacation. But, unbeknownst to him, Billy is really there to assassinate the Welsh Minister of Prostitution.



A wild hybrid of art and experimental filmmaking techniques, TAKING TIGER MOUNTAIN began production in 1974, under the direction of Kent Smith using short ends left over from LENNY. After languishing in an unfinished form, the film was resurrected and completed by Tom Huckabee and eventually released in 1983; immediately making it an underground legend.



Adapted in part from William S. Burroughs' classic short story 'Bladerunner,' TAKING TIGER MOUNTAIN transcends genres and engulfs the viewer in a high contrast fever dream of science fiction based surrealism. Never officially released on home video and long viewable only from poor quality bootlegs, Vinegar Syndrome proudly presents the world home video premiere of TAKING TIGER MOUNTAIN, newly restored in 4k from its original 35mm black and white Techniscope negative."



Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM

Presenting both the original theatrical version and the 2019 'Revisited' version

Director introductions for both versions

"Taking Over Tiger Mountain"  an interview focused on the original version with director Tom Huckabee

"Revisiting Tiger Mountain"  an interview focused on the revisited version with director Tom Huckabee

"Interviews with Welshmen"  a short film by Kent Smith

Booklet with essay by Heather Drain

Reversible cover artwork

English SDH subtitles

REGION-FREE The Passing



Ernie and Rose are two widower WWII veterans with no one but each other, living in a crumbling old house outside of Baltimore. Wade is a youthful, blue collar laborer with a wife and young child. Their lives seem predetermined to never intersect, until Wade's wife is savagely assaulted and, in a fit of anger, Wade accidentally kills her attacker, subsequently finding himself convicted of murder and sentenced to death.



Fears of morbidity are also affecting Ernie who, on the advice of his doctor, agrees to enroll in a mysterious program in which the minds and souls of the elderly can be implanted into the bodies of the young. Eager to experience youth once again, Ernie agrees, with Wade forcibly assigned to be Ernie's new physical self. But neither of the two men, one willing, one victim, are prepared for the true results of the horrifying procedure



A seven-year passion project for director, writer, producer, and co-star John Huckert, THE PASSING is a dazzling micro-budget examination of love, loneliness, and the fear of death, set against an increasingly surreal science-fiction and horror background, as it builds to its unforgettable and unsettling body transfusion filled climax. Barely available after its one week theatrical run, THE PASSING comes to Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome in a loaded special edition and newly restored from the best surviving film elements.



Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW 2K RESTORATION FROM 16MM ARCHIVAL ELEMENTS

Audio commentary with director John Huckert, moderated by Tom Fitzgerald of EXP TV

"Water Under the Bridge"  an interview with producer/co-writer Mary Maruca

"Passing Time"  an interview with cinematographer Richard Chisolm

Promotional & article gallery

Short films directed by John Huckert:

"The Water that is Passed" (1976)



"Quack" (1976)



"Einmal" (1979)



"Ernie & Rose" (1982)

Reversible cover artwork

English SDH subtitles

REGION-FREE Night Owl



Jake (James Raftery) is an apathetic, post-punk vampire who spends his nights cruising seedy music dives for drugged out women to seduce and kill to satisfy his bloodlust. After murdering Zohra, a young Puerto Rican woman, Jake becomes the focus of her brother, Angel, who's desperate to find his missing sister and fears that Jake might be involved in her disappearance



An ode to East Village sleaze, Jeffrey Arsenault's NIGHT OWL is an unflinchingly gritty modern day vampire story set in a world of dingy, house music playing dive bars, pizza parlors, and other drug and misery filled lower Manhattan locales. Co-starring a young John Leguizamo (The Fan, Summer of Sam) in one his earliest roles, along side Warhol superstar Holly Woodlawn, and photographed in deliberately grimy black and white 16mm, Vinegar Syndrome brings NIGHT OWL to Blu-ray for the first time, newly restored from its original 16mm negative.



Special Features and Technical Specs: NEW 2K RESTORATION FROM THE 16MM CAMERA NEGATIVE

Audio commentary with director Jeffrey Arsenault

"Night Life"  an interview with Jeffrey Arsenault

"Living For the Night"  an interview with actor James Raftery

"A Chance to Die"  an interview with actress Karen Wexler

Archival interview with Jeffrey Arsenault

Original cast auditions

Raw interview footage with Caroline Munro (specifically shot in 1991 for use in Night Owl)

Original video trailer

Reversible cover artwork

English SDH subtitles

REGION-FREE





Source: Blu-ray.com | Permalink | [Country settings]



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HelloBooze May 23, 2019 Wow! Always wanted to see Putney Swope, and the rest sound like the kind of fascinating, ambitious indie projects I love seeing resurrected. Can't wait.

1234567? May 23, 2019 Yes, so down for these. Day one. VS is the best. Really looking forward to Night Owl, Taking Tiger Mountain.

ogjongray May 23, 2019 All the way in for Putney Swope! Day ONE for the RDS commentary track.

BarryEgan May 23, 2019 Putney Swope! I am beyond excited for this.

Gacivory May 23, 2019 Putney Swope for sure! willgarrett May 23, 2019 All four for me!!

KIDplus May 23, 2019 Putney Swope is a definite buy for me, but all these sound amazing.

MikeK84 May 23, 2019 Most definitely "Putney Swope"... never heard of "Night Owl" but it looks amazing

The Blu Raja May 24, 2019 Haven't seen any of these, but they all sound amazing!!! -- May impulse-buy one or all of them. Vinegar Syndrome have been doing amazing work

The Blu Raja May 24, 2019 Really excited to see that Bill Paxton debut! (Vinegar Syndrome, how about picking up Michael Biehn's debut, "Steeletown"?) dougkuhn May 24, 2019 First taped "Putney" on VHS back in 1983. So nice to see it getting some love on Blu! moosetvtv May 26, 2019 Really glad about Putney Swope. I do wish someone (Shout maybe?) would put out Robert Downey Sr.'s Up The Adademy, though.

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