The producer of Narcos takes us on a walk through some of the movies that made him.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Contagion (2011)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
Rififi (1955)
Night And The City (1950)
Thieves’ Highway (1949)
Never on Sunday (1960)
The Karate Kid (1984)
The Game (1997)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
The Great Escape (1963)
Children of Men (2006)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969)
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Godfather (1972)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Animal House (1978)
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
Trading Places (1983)
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)
Fellini Satyricon (1969)
The Beastmaster (1982)
Sheena (1984)
High Risk (1981)
Ghostbusters (1984)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
Piranha (1978)
Gallipoli (1981)
Witness (1985)
The Killing Fields (1984)
Mad Max (1980)
Max Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The Last Wave (1978)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
The Hobbit (1977)
The Return of the King (1980)
Class (1983)
The Great Santini (1979)
Fast Times At Ridgemont High...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Contagion (2011)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
Rififi (1955)
Night And The City (1950)
Thieves’ Highway (1949)
Never on Sunday (1960)
The Karate Kid (1984)
The Game (1997)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
The Great Escape (1963)
Children of Men (2006)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969)
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Godfather (1972)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Animal House (1978)
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
Trading Places (1983)
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)
Fellini Satyricon (1969)
The Beastmaster (1982)
Sheena (1984)
High Risk (1981)
Ghostbusters (1984)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
Piranha (1978)
Gallipoli (1981)
Witness (1985)
The Killing Fields (1984)
Mad Max (1980)
Max Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The Last Wave (1978)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
The Hobbit (1977)
The Return of the King (1980)
Class (1983)
The Great Santini (1979)
Fast Times At Ridgemont High...
- 6/16/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
★★★★☆Cinematic fanaticism has been tackled in factual form before, perhaps most notably in Xan Cassavetes' Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (a title which would equally befit this film). But while the subject of that feature, Jerry Harvey, proved to be a dark and ultimately tragic personality, the legendary lead figure in director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur's fascinating 2012 debut Celluloid Man (released last year in India to tie in with the country's centenary of home-grown cinema) proves to be both a heroic and endearing advocate of film conservation. Indian cinema is a hugely prolific industry, and that was also the case during the silent era, which saw several hundred titles churned out.
- 4/14/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Here at HeyUGuys, we aim to provide you with an all-encompassing look into the world of film. Whether you’re a fully-fledged cineaste, or just possess a casual interest, there’s something for anyone with our alternative A-z of cinema, which starts today and runs through the week.
If you’ve ever wondered just what it is an Executive Producer does, or maybe if you’ve heard the ambient sounds of Tangerine Dream in an 80’s film favourite without knowing who you were listening to, this is the list for you!
Here are the letters F-j…
Fat City (1972) is an American character-based drama film directed by John Huston, and star’s Stacy Keach, Susan Tyrrell and a young Jeff Bridges. The film is based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Leonard Gardner, who also wrote the screenplay. Tyrrell received an Oscar nomination for her role as Keach’s bitter,...
If you’ve ever wondered just what it is an Executive Producer does, or maybe if you’ve heard the ambient sounds of Tangerine Dream in an 80’s film favourite without knowing who you were listening to, this is the list for you!
Here are the letters F-j…
Fat City (1972) is an American character-based drama film directed by John Huston, and star’s Stacy Keach, Susan Tyrrell and a young Jeff Bridges. The film is based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Leonard Gardner, who also wrote the screenplay. Tyrrell received an Oscar nomination for her role as Keach’s bitter,...
- 2/22/2011
- by Adam Lowes
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
CANNES -- "Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession" is a magnificent documentary about a man who sought solace in the world of movies but in the end could not escape the torments of real life. The subject of Xan Cassavetes' film is Jerry Harvey, the tortured genius behind Los Angeles' fondly remembered Z Channel, a pay TV channel devoted entirely to movies. Unfortunately, his passion for film, the manic obsessiveness that went into his programming, was part of an often stressed-out personality plagued by demons that eventually drove him to murder his wife and kill himself.
Having only a few still photos of her subject taken by Harvey's first wife, Cassavetes nevertheless brings vividly to life a person and an era through interviews with colleagues, friends, lovers, critics and filmmakers. Produced by IFC for broadcast on that cable network dedicated to indie films -- certainly a fitting place to honor Harvey -- "Z Channel" deserves theatrical exposure as well since this is a movie about a man mad about movies.
Harvey worked at Z Channel as its director of programming from 1980 until his death in 1988. Almost single-handedly, Harvey rescued forgotten films, restored reputations, helped Oscar campaigns and created the now trendy practice of showing directors' cuts of movies. His love for films embraced the artiest of art films as well as B movies and soft-core erotica shown in the station's Night Owl series. He was legendary for hunting down "lost" films or persuading filmmakers to give him original versions of films mutilated by distributors. The channel "was like a film festival in your house every single night," filmmaker Henry Jaglom says.
Such directors as Jaglom, Robert Altman, Alan Rudolph and Penelope Spheeris and actors including James Woods and Theresa Russell acknowledge the debt they owe to this man whose mission was to rescue neglected films. Friends including critics F.X. Feeney and Kevin Thomas as well as co-workers, his first wife and a former girlfriend help us to understand the demons that tormented him.
Raised in Bakersfield, Calif., by an overbearing, alcoholic father, a judge who took pride in the men he sent to the electric chair, and a passive mother, Harvey had two sisters who committed suicide. It doesn't make much of an armchair psychologist to realize that movies became his great escape.
Coming to Z Channel allowed him to make a living off his obsession. Feeney notes that where other pay channels engaged marketing companies and consultants to program their movies, Harvey simply went with his gut instincts. Those instincts produced fiercely loyal subscribers. Z Channel suffered virtually no cancellations even when HBO and Showtime entered the market.
Harvey aired the then only existing print of Michael Cimino's four-hour cut of his much maligned "Heaven's Gate". He showed Sergio Leone's original cut of "Once Upon a Time in America" side by side with the butchered version created by Warner Bros. and the Ladd Co. He helped create Paul Verhoeven's U.S. career by playing his early Dutch films.
Cassavetes makes it clear that the only frame of reference in Harvey's life was movies. He had no life apart from them. When he left the office, he was an unhappy man, prone to fits of temper and binge drinking. Yet few other than his first wife were conscious of his capacity for real violence. What a sad ending to an extraordinary life.
Z CHANNEL: A MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION
The Independent Film Channel presents a Maja Films and Fresh Produce Films production
Credits:
Director: Xan Cassavetes
Producers: Rick Ross, Marshall Persinger
Executive producers: Alison Palmer Brouke, Ed Carroll Director of photography: John Pirozzi
Music: Steven Hufsteter
Editor: Iain Kennedy
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 121 minutes...
Having only a few still photos of her subject taken by Harvey's first wife, Cassavetes nevertheless brings vividly to life a person and an era through interviews with colleagues, friends, lovers, critics and filmmakers. Produced by IFC for broadcast on that cable network dedicated to indie films -- certainly a fitting place to honor Harvey -- "Z Channel" deserves theatrical exposure as well since this is a movie about a man mad about movies.
Harvey worked at Z Channel as its director of programming from 1980 until his death in 1988. Almost single-handedly, Harvey rescued forgotten films, restored reputations, helped Oscar campaigns and created the now trendy practice of showing directors' cuts of movies. His love for films embraced the artiest of art films as well as B movies and soft-core erotica shown in the station's Night Owl series. He was legendary for hunting down "lost" films or persuading filmmakers to give him original versions of films mutilated by distributors. The channel "was like a film festival in your house every single night," filmmaker Henry Jaglom says.
Such directors as Jaglom, Robert Altman, Alan Rudolph and Penelope Spheeris and actors including James Woods and Theresa Russell acknowledge the debt they owe to this man whose mission was to rescue neglected films. Friends including critics F.X. Feeney and Kevin Thomas as well as co-workers, his first wife and a former girlfriend help us to understand the demons that tormented him.
Raised in Bakersfield, Calif., by an overbearing, alcoholic father, a judge who took pride in the men he sent to the electric chair, and a passive mother, Harvey had two sisters who committed suicide. It doesn't make much of an armchair psychologist to realize that movies became his great escape.
Coming to Z Channel allowed him to make a living off his obsession. Feeney notes that where other pay channels engaged marketing companies and consultants to program their movies, Harvey simply went with his gut instincts. Those instincts produced fiercely loyal subscribers. Z Channel suffered virtually no cancellations even when HBO and Showtime entered the market.
Harvey aired the then only existing print of Michael Cimino's four-hour cut of his much maligned "Heaven's Gate". He showed Sergio Leone's original cut of "Once Upon a Time in America" side by side with the butchered version created by Warner Bros. and the Ladd Co. He helped create Paul Verhoeven's U.S. career by playing his early Dutch films.
Cassavetes makes it clear that the only frame of reference in Harvey's life was movies. He had no life apart from them. When he left the office, he was an unhappy man, prone to fits of temper and binge drinking. Yet few other than his first wife were conscious of his capacity for real violence. What a sad ending to an extraordinary life.
Z CHANNEL: A MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION
The Independent Film Channel presents a Maja Films and Fresh Produce Films production
Credits:
Director: Xan Cassavetes
Producers: Rick Ross, Marshall Persinger
Executive producers: Alison Palmer Brouke, Ed Carroll Director of photography: John Pirozzi
Music: Steven Hufsteter
Editor: Iain Kennedy
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 121 minutes...
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession is a magnificent documentary about a man who sought solace in the world of movies, but in the end could not escape the torments of real life. The subject of Xan Cassavetes' film is Jerry Harvey, the tortured genius behind Los Angeles' fondly remembered Z Channel, a pay-TV channel devoted entirely to movies.
Unfortunately, his passion for film, the manic obsessiveness that went into his programming, was part of a often stressed-out personality plagued by demons that eventually drove him to murder his wife and kill himself.
Having only a few still photos of her subject taken by Harvey's first wife, Cassavetes nevertheless brings vividly to life a person and an era through interviews with colleagues, friends, lovers, critics and filmmakers. Produced by IFC for broadcast on that cable network dedicated to indie films -- certainly a fitting place to honor to Harvey -- Z Channel deserves theatrical exposure as well, since this is a movie about a man mad about movies.
Harvey worked at Z Channel as its director of programming from 1980 until his death in 1988. Almost single-handedly, Harvey rescued forgotten films, restored reputations, helped Oscar campaigns and created the now trendy practice of showing directors' cuts of movies. His love for films embraced the artiest of art films as well as B movies and soft-core erotica shown in the station's Night Owl series. He was legendary for hunting down "lost" films or persuading filmmakers to give him original versions of films mutilated by distributors. The channel "was like a film festival in your house every single night," remarks filmmaker Henry Jaglom.
Directors such as Jaglom, Robert Altman, Alan Rudolph and Penelope Spheeris and actors such as James Woods and Theresa Russell acknowledge the debt they own to this man whose mission was to rescue neglected films. Friends including critics F.X. Feeney and Kevin Thomas and co-workers as well as his first wife and a former girlfriend help us to understand the demons that tormented him.
Raised in Bakersfield, Calif., by a overbearing alcoholic father, a judge who took pride in the men he sent to the electric chair, and a passive mother, Harvey had two sisters who committed suicide. It doesn't make much of an armchair psychologist to realize that movies became his great escape.
Coming to Z Channel allowed him to make a living off his obsession. Feeney notes that where other pay channels engaged marketing companies and consultants to program their movies, Harvey simply went with his gut instincts. Those instincts produced fiercely loyal subscribers. Z Channel suffered virtually no cancellations even when HBO and Showtime entered the market.
Harvey aired the then only existing print of Michael Cimino's four-hour cut of his much-maligned Heaven's Gate. He showed Sergio Leone's original cut of Once upon a Time in America side-by-side with the butchered version created by Warner Bros. and the Ladd Co. He helped create Paul Verhoeven's U.S. career by playing his early Dutch films.
Cassavetes makes it clear that the only frame of reference in Harvey's life were movies. He had no life apart from them. When he left the office, he was an unhappy man, prone to fits of temper and binge drinking. Yet few other than his first wife were conscious of his capacity for real violence. What a sad ending to an extraordinary life.
Z CHANNEL: A MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION
The Independent Film Channel presents a Maja Films and Fresh Produce Films production
Credits: Director: Xan Cassavetes; Producers: Rick Ross, Marshall Persinger; Executive producers: Alison Palmer Brouke, Ed Carroll Director of photography: John Pirozzi; Music: Steven Hufsteter; Editor: Iain Kennedy.
No MPAA rating,
running time 121 minutes.
Unfortunately, his passion for film, the manic obsessiveness that went into his programming, was part of a often stressed-out personality plagued by demons that eventually drove him to murder his wife and kill himself.
Having only a few still photos of her subject taken by Harvey's first wife, Cassavetes nevertheless brings vividly to life a person and an era through interviews with colleagues, friends, lovers, critics and filmmakers. Produced by IFC for broadcast on that cable network dedicated to indie films -- certainly a fitting place to honor to Harvey -- Z Channel deserves theatrical exposure as well, since this is a movie about a man mad about movies.
Harvey worked at Z Channel as its director of programming from 1980 until his death in 1988. Almost single-handedly, Harvey rescued forgotten films, restored reputations, helped Oscar campaigns and created the now trendy practice of showing directors' cuts of movies. His love for films embraced the artiest of art films as well as B movies and soft-core erotica shown in the station's Night Owl series. He was legendary for hunting down "lost" films or persuading filmmakers to give him original versions of films mutilated by distributors. The channel "was like a film festival in your house every single night," remarks filmmaker Henry Jaglom.
Directors such as Jaglom, Robert Altman, Alan Rudolph and Penelope Spheeris and actors such as James Woods and Theresa Russell acknowledge the debt they own to this man whose mission was to rescue neglected films. Friends including critics F.X. Feeney and Kevin Thomas and co-workers as well as his first wife and a former girlfriend help us to understand the demons that tormented him.
Raised in Bakersfield, Calif., by a overbearing alcoholic father, a judge who took pride in the men he sent to the electric chair, and a passive mother, Harvey had two sisters who committed suicide. It doesn't make much of an armchair psychologist to realize that movies became his great escape.
Coming to Z Channel allowed him to make a living off his obsession. Feeney notes that where other pay channels engaged marketing companies and consultants to program their movies, Harvey simply went with his gut instincts. Those instincts produced fiercely loyal subscribers. Z Channel suffered virtually no cancellations even when HBO and Showtime entered the market.
Harvey aired the then only existing print of Michael Cimino's four-hour cut of his much-maligned Heaven's Gate. He showed Sergio Leone's original cut of Once upon a Time in America side-by-side with the butchered version created by Warner Bros. and the Ladd Co. He helped create Paul Verhoeven's U.S. career by playing his early Dutch films.
Cassavetes makes it clear that the only frame of reference in Harvey's life were movies. He had no life apart from them. When he left the office, he was an unhappy man, prone to fits of temper and binge drinking. Yet few other than his first wife were conscious of his capacity for real violence. What a sad ending to an extraordinary life.
Z CHANNEL: A MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION
The Independent Film Channel presents a Maja Films and Fresh Produce Films production
Credits: Director: Xan Cassavetes; Producers: Rick Ross, Marshall Persinger; Executive producers: Alison Palmer Brouke, Ed Carroll Director of photography: John Pirozzi; Music: Steven Hufsteter; Editor: Iain Kennedy.
No MPAA rating,
running time 121 minutes.
- 5/16/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
CANNES -- "Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession" is a magnificent documentary about a man who sought solace in the world of movies but in the end could not escape the torments of real life. The subject of Xan Cassavetes' film is Jerry Harvey, the tortured genius behind Los Angeles' fondly remembered Z Channel, a pay TV channel devoted entirely to movies. Unfortunately, his passion for film, the manic obsessiveness that went into his programming, was part of an often stressed-out personality plagued by demons that eventually drove him to murder his wife and kill himself.
Having only a few still photos of her subject taken by Harvey's first wife, Cassavetes nevertheless brings vividly to life a person and an era through interviews with colleagues, friends, lovers, critics and filmmakers. Produced by IFC for broadcast on that cable network dedicated to indie films -- certainly a fitting place to honor Harvey -- "Z Channel" deserves theatrical exposure as well since this is a movie about a man mad about movies.
Harvey worked at Z Channel as its director of programming from 1980 until his death in 1988. Almost single-handedly, Harvey rescued forgotten films, restored reputations, helped Oscar campaigns and created the now trendy practice of showing directors' cuts of movies. His love for films embraced the artiest of art films as well as B movies and soft-core erotica shown in the station's Night Owl series. He was legendary for hunting down "lost" films or persuading filmmakers to give him original versions of films mutilated by distributors. The channel "was like a film festival in your house every single night," filmmaker Henry Jaglom says.
Such directors as Jaglom, Robert Altman, Alan Rudolph and Penelope Spheeris and actors including James Woods and Theresa Russell acknowledge the debt they owe to this man whose mission was to rescue neglected films. Friends including critics F.X. Feeney and Kevin Thomas as well as co-workers, his first wife and a former girlfriend help us to understand the demons that tormented him.
Raised in Bakersfield, Calif., by an overbearing, alcoholic father, a judge who took pride in the men he sent to the electric chair, and a passive mother, Harvey had two sisters who committed suicide. It doesn't make much of an armchair psychologist to realize that movies became his great escape.
Coming to Z Channel allowed him to make a living off his obsession. Feeney notes that where other pay channels engaged marketing companies and consultants to program their movies, Harvey simply went with his gut instincts. Those instincts produced fiercely loyal subscribers. Z Channel suffered virtually no cancellations even when HBO and Showtime entered the market.
Harvey aired the then only existing print of Michael Cimino's four-hour cut of his much maligned "Heaven's Gate". He showed Sergio Leone's original cut of "Once Upon a Time in America" side by side with the butchered version created by Warner Bros. and the Ladd Co. He helped create Paul Verhoeven's U.S. career by playing his early Dutch films.
Cassavetes makes it clear that the only frame of reference in Harvey's life was movies. He had no life apart from them. When he left the office, he was an unhappy man, prone to fits of temper and binge drinking. Yet few other than his first wife were conscious of his capacity for real violence. What a sad ending to an extraordinary life.
Z CHANNEL: A MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION
The Independent Film Channel presents a Maja Films and Fresh Produce Films production
Credits:
Director: Xan Cassavetes
Producers: Rick Ross, Marshall Persinger
Executive producers: Alison Palmer Brouke, Ed Carroll Director of photography: John Pirozzi
Music: Steven Hufsteter
Editor: Iain Kennedy
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 121 minutes...
Having only a few still photos of her subject taken by Harvey's first wife, Cassavetes nevertheless brings vividly to life a person and an era through interviews with colleagues, friends, lovers, critics and filmmakers. Produced by IFC for broadcast on that cable network dedicated to indie films -- certainly a fitting place to honor Harvey -- "Z Channel" deserves theatrical exposure as well since this is a movie about a man mad about movies.
Harvey worked at Z Channel as its director of programming from 1980 until his death in 1988. Almost single-handedly, Harvey rescued forgotten films, restored reputations, helped Oscar campaigns and created the now trendy practice of showing directors' cuts of movies. His love for films embraced the artiest of art films as well as B movies and soft-core erotica shown in the station's Night Owl series. He was legendary for hunting down "lost" films or persuading filmmakers to give him original versions of films mutilated by distributors. The channel "was like a film festival in your house every single night," filmmaker Henry Jaglom says.
Such directors as Jaglom, Robert Altman, Alan Rudolph and Penelope Spheeris and actors including James Woods and Theresa Russell acknowledge the debt they owe to this man whose mission was to rescue neglected films. Friends including critics F.X. Feeney and Kevin Thomas as well as co-workers, his first wife and a former girlfriend help us to understand the demons that tormented him.
Raised in Bakersfield, Calif., by an overbearing, alcoholic father, a judge who took pride in the men he sent to the electric chair, and a passive mother, Harvey had two sisters who committed suicide. It doesn't make much of an armchair psychologist to realize that movies became his great escape.
Coming to Z Channel allowed him to make a living off his obsession. Feeney notes that where other pay channels engaged marketing companies and consultants to program their movies, Harvey simply went with his gut instincts. Those instincts produced fiercely loyal subscribers. Z Channel suffered virtually no cancellations even when HBO and Showtime entered the market.
Harvey aired the then only existing print of Michael Cimino's four-hour cut of his much maligned "Heaven's Gate". He showed Sergio Leone's original cut of "Once Upon a Time in America" side by side with the butchered version created by Warner Bros. and the Ladd Co. He helped create Paul Verhoeven's U.S. career by playing his early Dutch films.
Cassavetes makes it clear that the only frame of reference in Harvey's life was movies. He had no life apart from them. When he left the office, he was an unhappy man, prone to fits of temper and binge drinking. Yet few other than his first wife were conscious of his capacity for real violence. What a sad ending to an extraordinary life.
Z CHANNEL: A MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION
The Independent Film Channel presents a Maja Films and Fresh Produce Films production
Credits:
Director: Xan Cassavetes
Producers: Rick Ross, Marshall Persinger
Executive producers: Alison Palmer Brouke, Ed Carroll Director of photography: John Pirozzi
Music: Steven Hufsteter
Editor: Iain Kennedy
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 121 minutes...
- 4/26/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Independent Film Channel has greenlighted a documentary from director Xan Cassavetes about the seminal cable outlet Z Channel. Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession chronicles the rise and fall of one of the first pay cable stations in the United States that featured an eclectic mix of movies. The film also focuses on Jerry Harvey, the troubled programming chief of Z. "Z was one of the first networks to show the film industry that cable television could be a creative force," said Alison Bourke, director of original programming at IFC. "It was a small network that packed a big punch."...
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