Roger Corman’s Deathsport and Battle Truck Explode onto DVD
Steve Barton
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With Piranha and Humanoids from the Deep getting all the love lately in the news, we’d be remiss if we did not mention two other Corman cult classics that are poised to make their special edition double-feature DVD debut from Shout! Factory.
From the Press Release:
Brace yourself for twice the fun, twice the adrenaline rush, and twice the traction as Shout! Factory, in association with New Horizons Picture Corporation, is set to release a dynamic duo of Roger Corman classics on one double-feature collector’s edition DVD. August 3, 2010, will see the release of Deathsport/Battle Truck Collector’s Edition, which marks the first time Deathsport is being presented in a widescreen format as well as the first-ever DVD release of Battle Truck (released theatrically as Warlords of the 21st Century). This double-barreled dose of high-octane excitement decisively marks the latest summer installment from fan favorite Roger Corman’s Cult Classics home entertainment series.
Deathsport/Battle Truck Collector’s Edition boasts a stellar selection of new bonus content, including all-new cast and crew interviews, commentaries, vintage trailers, and more. A must-have for Roger Corman fans and collectors, own two of Roger Corman’s popular cult hits at an attractive price of $19.93 SRP.
The worldwide success of Death Race 2000 fueled Corman’s desire to make Deathsport, which also stars Emmy Award® and four-time Golden Globe® nominee David Carradine (Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and 2, TV’s Kung Fu). It was not a direct sequel but certainly a thematic follow-up.
Set 1,000 years in the future, following the Great Neutron Wars, the world is divided into desert wastes and isolated city-states. Lord Zirpola (David McLean, Kingdom of the Spiders) captures the notorious “Desert Ranger” Kaz Oshay (Carradine) and forces him to fight to the death in his game, Deathsport. Now Kaz must face his past and fight to save himself, his city, and the future from the war that Lord Zirpola is about to wage.
Executive produced by Roger Corman, Deathsport is directed by Henry Suso and Allan Arkush. Co-starring in the film are beautiful B-movie starlet and 1970 Playboy Playmate of the Year Claudia Jennings, Jesse Vint (Forbidden World), and perennially popular big-screen bad guy Richard Lynch (Invasion USA, Bad Dreams, The Sword and the Sorcerer).
Inspired by the success of The Road Warrior, Corman acquired the award-winning New Zealand-made action blowout Battle Truck for distribution, rechristened it Warlords of the 21st Century, and released it to screens in 1982. The film earned an enthusiastic cult audience and has not been available on home video for more than 20 years until now.
After the Oil Wars have ravaged the Earth’s landscape, gasoline has become a precious commodity. On his marauding search to commandeer all of the oil in existence to fuel his massive, heavily-armored battle truck, Col. Straker (James Wainwright, The Survivors) ravages a peaceful commune. Riding to their rescue is a mysterious man on a motorcycle (Michael Beck, The Warriors, Megaforce), who becomes their only hope when he decides to bring the fight to Straker, aided and abetted by Straker’s runaway daughter, Corlie (Annie McEnroe, Beetlejuice, Wall Street). It’s a mechanized, motorized version of the story of David and Goliath, and only one can survive.
The action-packed Battle Truck also stars Bruno Lawrence (Smash Palace, The Quiet Earth) and two-time Emmy® nominee John Ratzenberger (Up, Toy Story 1, 2 and 3, TV’s Cheers). Cinematographer Chris Menges would go on to win Academy Awards® for The Killing Fields and The Mission and become an acclaimed director in his own right.
For her performance as Corlie, McEnroe won the Clavell de Plata Award as Best Actress from the Sitges – Catalonian International Film Festival.
DEATHSPORT/BATTLE TRUCK DOUBLE-FEATURE COLLECTOR’S EDITION BONUS CONTENT:
DEATHSPORT SPECIAL FEATURES
BATTLE TRUCK SPECIAL FEATURES
Shout! Factory will continue to present Roger Corman’s Cult Classics home entertainment releases on a monthly basis. Upcoming highlights include Starcrash, Slumber Party Massacre: The Collection, The Evil, Twice Dead, Not of This Earth, Time Walker, Dead Space, among others.
Independent filmmaker-producer Roger Corman’s storied career ranks as one of Hollywood’s most amazing success stories. Having produced more than 350 films and directed 50 others, his influence on American film goes far beyond his own energetic, creative low-budget movies. He is arguably one of Hollywood’s most gifted and masterful filmmakers. In 2009 he was the recipient of an honorary Academy Award for his contribution to the medium of film.
Noted for his keen ability to spot young talent, Corman’s most lasting legacy will undoubtedly be the legion of producers, directors, writers and actors he has fostered, among them: Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Ron Howard, Peter Fonda, Jonathan Demme, Gale Anne Hurd, Diane Ladd, Tommy Lee Jones, Sandra Bullock, Bruce Dern, Talia Shire, Charles Bronson, Joe Dante, Carl Franklin, Bill Paxton, Dennis Hopper, Peter Bogdanovich, and Sally Kirkland.
Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer, and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company’s audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY®-nominated boxed sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. With its fingers on the pulse of pop culture, Shout! Factory continues to impact the entertainment media landscape through acquisition of top quality programming for home entertainment releases. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit Shout! Factory Online and RogerCormanCultClassics.com.”
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