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Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession - R0 (Australia)
R0 - Australia - DV1 Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak and Cameron Murray (1st November 2006). |
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The Film
 "Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession" is truly one of the best documentaries that I have seen. It simultaneously tells the story of the rise and fall of the Z Channel in California and the slow demise of Jerry Harvey, the Head of Programming at the channel. With touching testimonials from some of Hollywood's big names such as Quentin Tarantino and James Woods about the movie channel, which from this documentary struck me as a last refuge for some of the films that the mainstream public and Hollywood production companies didn't feel were worth showing in their entirety. There were also testimonials for Harvey from his close surviving friends, although these seemed slightly touched by anger at the man, who had murdered his wife and then himself. While the ending of the story of this documentary is inevitable with historical facts unable to be changed no matter how 'Disney' you want the ending to be, sometimes the journey is far more important than the conclusion, this documentary is far more about the path that led to both the demise of both Harvey and the Z channel than the ending itself. It tells of Harvey's mental failings throughout his life, of how his sisters had both committed suicide, of how he had held a gun to a girlfriends head, how he had regular visits to psychiatrists to try and curb his bouts of depression. But it doesn't make excuses for his actions, at one point a friend says 'I don't think that Jerry Harvey should be portrayed as a hero, I'd have a real problem with that'. You can see why they have waited as long as they have to make the documentary, as even now, on occasion there seems to be quite a bit of resentment towards the actions that Harvey took, especially as it appears that Harvey's wife was very well liked by all his friends. But the documentary is not all about the personal life of Harvey it tells of how movies such as "Heaven's Gate" (1980), which were burnt at the stake by critics, for their release cuts and then when played on the Z Channel in their full extended glory were adored and revered by the same critics as being masterpieces. The same can be said for "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984) which was butchered when it was re-edited by the editor of "Police Academy 2" (1985) (allegedly) but when restored to its full length was claimed to be one of the best films of the decade, "Salvador" (1986) was screened on the Z Channel and later that month earned James Wood an Oscar Nom. This channel had Clout and also wasn't afraid to show foreign films to an American Market who otherwise wouldn't give them a second look if they were on at the cinemas. All this success was in part due to the man Jerry Harvey and this documentary tells the story of how it was possible for one man to do so much good for the film industry and yet in the final act of his life something so horrific. The style of this documentary is fantastic; it lets the people who knew Harvey and the Z Channel tell the story without having a voice-over, presenter or slides telling you what point was going to covered next. There is even audio recordings of Harvey from a radio interview that interject which give the film quite a haunting reality to it. The interviews are inter-cut well with each other and they don't jump from point to point in a jarring way, there is a very coherent and smooth narrative that the Director (Xan Cassavetes) should be highly commended for. Being that this documentary is about film and how it ruled Harvey's life there are a lot of film clips throughout, but they are very well picked and fit in place superbly. If you like movies I can not recommend this doco highly enough, if you hadn't heard of the Z Channel it doesn't matter; I hadn't either and I still loved it. This documentary is a great opportunity to learn a little more of how the film industry works, and how studios can get it wrong, that what you see at the cinema or on DVD release isn't necessarily exactly what the director wants you to see. If you want to see some of the inspirations behind Quentin Tarantino and Alexander Payne get this DVD. I can not recommend it enough. Awesome.
Video
Presented in the film's original 1.85:1 theatrical ratio this anamorphic transfer is rather good. Note however that this film does present clips from other movies in their own ratios and are picture boxed within the 1.85:1 frame. The interview segments are clean and sharp, they present color quite well and I found little to know flaws with this print. The film clips themselves are in various degrees of quality but are mostly well kept. Overall DV1 seems to have given this release a decent transfer that should please most viewers.
Audio
A single audio track is included in English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. Considering this is a documentary that focuses heavily on interviews you would expect that dialogue to be clear and distortion free, which is the case with this film. The various other film clips, archival footage and radio recordings aren't as clean as the new interviews but are far from being of a suitable standard. This film does not feature any optional subtitles.
Extras
DV1 has included a generous amount of extra material for this Collector's Edition release. These extras included over the 2-discs include an audio commentary, a series of deleted scenes, a panel discussion, a feature segment, an uncut radio interview, a montage, some text notes, a series of bonus trailers plus a 24-page booklet. Below is a closer look at these supplements.
Overall
Overall this Collector's Edition DVD lives up to its moniker and is packed with great extras that supplement this terrific film. This release should be a no-brainer for fans of cinema.
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