DISTRIBPIX, PRESS RELEASES
Radley Metzger’s, Barbara Broadcast -All the Details of the Blu Ray Combo Pack and DVD Set!!
Some of the Fine Details and some random comments, maybe not in that order.
A word about Barbara Broadcast……..
Well it is already the second week of July and the summer is cruising past. Without a doubt, this Barbara Broadcast rebirth has been tough and long, not unlike Misty. As things progressed with this entire project, my intent on making things as good as they could be became as strong as ever, and I think that is the nature of trying to always do the best you can. From the beginning of this restoration it was clear to me that I wanted to have fun with it, but also take the nature of the restoration very seriously, and the history, packaging, etc, of course. Misty was such a huge project and a huge success, and I was so burned out on it, but really did not take any rest, if anything things got crazier, literally for several months. I think I can relate to the way Radley Metzger aka ‘Henry Paris’ described feeling when he finished 12 grueling weeks of editing The Opening of Misty Beethoven, he was tired, he was burnt out and he needed a break from the monotony. Thankfully for all of us, that break turned out to be Barbara Broadcast.
Instead of globe-trotting over 3 countries and 2 continents and shooting and editing for months, Metzger took the opposite approach and went with the flow. And during the first week of August 1976, Metzger and his crew gathered in midtown Manhattan to film Barbara Broadcast, a shoot that would only last one week and not leave the confines of the Big Apple.
But what was it about that one week in August 1976? That one very hot week. There was heat from all the lights, heat from too many crew members packed in one small space, heat from the eroticism portrayed throughout the film. What happened during this week in August 1976, would forever transform the landscape of erotic films. It would raise the bar yet again,and re-establish the fact that a thin story, can still be a masterpiece. Barbara Broadcast was created.
The fact is that Henry Paris was so hot. He was reaping the ongoing success of The Opening of Misty Beethoven and he was so popular, and literally straddling the apex of the porn-chic era. It was almost too successful and the public, the fans, well they just wanted another Henry Paris film and that is exactly what Radley gave them. Not even %100 clear, why he titled the film Barbara Broadcast, Radley Metzger has said on a few occasions, something to the affect that ” It almost didn’t matter what I made, I just needed to make another film”. Maybe it was this attitude, and the lack of hard core pressure, as compared to Misty Beethoven to get this film produced. Maybe it was a perfect storm, but one thing that is clear, this is a wonderful film, and I am thankful to have been able to restore this classic, to look and feel as it did when it premiered.
Things are stating to wrap up over here on the Barbara Broadcast project, but we are not out of the woods just yet, really the work is just beginning. But the physical elements, artwork and packaging, Blu ray and DVD are all in one stage or another of physical production and things have been trickling in. It has been a big project for me as for personal time invested as usual, but more importantly the financial burdens in taking on a project like this, is really tough. So much needs to be made and created, and that cost money. Even if you are an engineer and are the best at what you do, unless you own printing presses, replication factories and such, sometimes one must lay out tens of thousands of dollars. With all of that said, Barbara is turning out to be my favorite package to date. But as much as I love it, I need to sell it, so pre-order, or just order when it comes out. It is a total collectible, and if it sells as well as I think it can, than I will be very seriously considering taking the rest of the Henry Paris titles to Blu Ray.
Thank you all for you support throughout these long projects.
I do want to take a moment to say thank you to all the people that were involved in creating this epic package, especially my team of experts around the world, from historians, to narrators, to film experts, to language translators- you guys made this happen- without you, it would not have turned out such a success. And I hope many of you will enjoy what we have done to Barbara Broadcast for decades to come and we hope we did right by future generations.
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THE FOLLOWING IS A DETAILED CONTENT LIST OF THE FEATURES and EXTRAS on the Barbara Broadcast Blu Ray and DVD packages:
Extras for this one were challenging, but fun, A but lighter than the misty package for sure, but just as ambitious.
MAIN FEATURES– HOT AND COOL VERSIONS- SCANNED in 2k, COLOR CORRECTION AND DIGITALLY RESTORED. 1.85:1 ASPECT RATIO- WIDESCREEN. UNCUT.
Director Commentary with Radley Metzger– Full Length Audio commentary. Again, maybe the best, although I always say that, candid discussion between Adult film historian Benson Hurst and legendary director Radley Metzger, who clearly have a chemistry that is infectious, as they discuss these films. (82 min) DVD and BLU
Actor Interview/Commentary with Michael Datorre- This is where I traveled about 3 hours north into the Catskill Mts of NEW YORK, and Michael treated me to a day of storytelling and laughter, which is wonderful and he speaks of everything from his days growing up in NYC, to his early love of theater, to the adult biz and of course Radley and Barbara Broadcast. ( approx 40 min)- DVD ONLY
A TRIBUTE TO THE PLAYERS- This feature takes a brief look at the lives of 4 of the actors on Barbara Broadcast, Annette Haven, C.J. Laing, Bobby Astyr, and Suzanne McBain. Written by Benson Hurst and colorfully narrated by Michael Datorre. The short is illustrated with rare outtakes, slides, contacts and other rare footage. (approx 20 min) – DVD ONLY
The Making of Barbara Broadcast – is a summarized look at the making of the film, again rare outtake footage and never before seen contact sheets from the set are used to illustrate this totally unique look back at the Olympia Ballroom. The script was written by myself and Ian Culmell, who did the majority of the proofing. It is narrated by voice over powerhouse Jerry Lentz, who adds a nice touch to the overall feel. It is not very long, but very informative and should keep ones attention throughout. (approx 16 min)DVD ONLY
RADIO SPOTS-Something which I am really excited about and we heard a taste, was that Radley had found some never before transferred Radio Spots, which are some of my favorites and we have been archiving quite a bunch in general. But for Barbara, I decided to transfer them on the Nagra, and they are clean and simply awesome, there are about 4 or 5 original ones, and are added to the rest of the Henry Paris Radio Spots.(approx 7min)DVD and BLU
THE OUTTAKES-, an extension of what was done with Misty Beethoven, essential scoured the outages that were transferred, some in HD, some in SD, and began to assemble a nice collection of silent outtakes from the scenes of Barbara. Coming in at 35 min, it is hefty in value, but really only a short taste from each scene, set to theme music from the film. These have never been see before and are the outtakes to the scenes in this film, I think for the true collector, this is probably the most valuable, along with the commentary. (approx 35 min) DVD ONLY
THE ORIGINAL HENRY PARIS TRAILERS- ALL 5 of them- transferred in HD from the negatives- The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann, Naked Came The Stranger,The Opening of Misty Beethoven, Barbara Broadcast, Maraschino Cherry (approx 20 min) DVD ONLY. The Blu ray has the original theatrical trailer only.
Rare Slideshow/ Vintage Ephemera Gallery– this is a collection of rare slides and images from the Audubon archive, all original and for the most part scanned by me for the first time. I went through literally hundreds of scans and scoured the folders of Barbara paper ephemera, like old newspaper ads, and letters from reviewers, ad mats, etc. It is a nice walk down memory lane with images of Barbara Broadcast. DVD and BLU.
And I also want to mention that everything was made from scratch for the most part, both packages have custom designed disc menus, that carry the new theme and concept thoroughout, both the DVD and BLU.
And continuing in our tradition of multi- language Henry Paris releases, Barbara Broadcast too has 6 language tracks for both the hard and soft version, not too mention a wonderful FILM FACTS trivia track on the Hard version , which is so full of facts, it is mind blowing, I highly recommend it.
THE HARD GOODS: (what is in the box?) Liner notes, extras
As for the hard good is concerned- and continuing with my love and tradition of concept and the hard good, this one may top them all off. I have created for both the DVD and BLU package, totally unique packaging, embossed and detailed O card will make sure Barbara stands out among the collector’s thousands of DVD/and Blu Ray’s.
LINER NOTES:
And maybe my favorite extra and one that gives me the most joy in producing or assembling, is the liner note books we have become known for printing. These notes, give us a chance to tell the story of the film, give some history. And as for the book, it is a 28 page book, and it is my favorite one to have worked on to date. It has contributions by some of the very best out there, like the history by adult historian Benson Hurst, a page on the music by Ian Culmell, a letter that reminisces about a BB experience from an anonymous fan, calling himself Storm Rider, and an original mini-comic illustration by artist, comic book creator, and writer, the multi talented Robin Bougie.
I like to produce things and bring people together, I can write the history as well, but no nearly as good as some others. So I like to surround myself with people that are much better than me or can do it much better than me. I like to bring it all together and lay it out and make sure it entertains, I think that this book does just that.
PACKAGING and EXTRAS:
Both packages come with embossed O card packaging, double sided box art, photo card insert collectible, double sided custom bookmarks, – ALL LIMITED.
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