Penguin Videos: what your eyes want to see   In association with Amazon.com
Departments
All DVDs
Action
Animals
Animation
Anime
Art House
Blaxploitation
Camp
Classics
Comedy
Cult Movies
Disney
Documentary
Drama
Education
FamilyDrama
Fitness
Gay and Lesbian
Horror
Horror Humorous
Horror Slasher
Horror Teen
Kids
Music Video
Musicals
Mystery
Satire
Science Fiction
Sports Action
Sports Drama
Teen Comedy
TV Drama
TV Shows
UrbanComedy
VHS
Westerns
Yoga
Downloads
Apple iTunes

Maniac/Narcotic

Maniac/Narcotic
Directors: Dwain Esper, Vival Sodar't
Actors: William Woods, Horace B. Carpenter, Ted Edwards, Phyllis Diller, Thea Ramsey
Studio: Kino Video
Category: DVD

List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $26.99
You Save: $2.96 (10%)



New (8) Used (7) from $9.49

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars 1 reviews
Sales Rank: 121703

Format: Black & White, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 0
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 109 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.5

UPC: 738329014223
EAN: 0738329014223
ASIN: B0000214GB

Theatrical Release Date: March 1934
Release Date: November 23, 1999
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Promotion: Save $10.00 when you spend $50.00 or more on Qualifying Items offered by Amazon.com. Enter code BMLSAVES at checkout. Terms and Conditions
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Bizarre Exploitation from the 30's   May 15, 2000
frankenberry (Los Angeles, CA USA)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful

This double-feature DVD features 2 early 1930's exploitation films from Dwain Esper. Although maybe tame by today's standards, just try to imagine seeing people shoot up heroin in a movie back in the 30's! It's all very high camp now, of course, and if you like antique sleaze, this may be your thing. Esper was definitely no Kubrick, but he has his own strange and absurd style...inserting shots that have no point, suddenly cutting away to show animals fighting each other, superimposing stock footage, etc. Could he be the precursor to Ed Wood? Anyway, some highlights of the 2 films include a real shot of a cesarian birth of a baby, a snake eating another snake, a cat's eyeball poked out (and then eaten by the maniac), a couple of real sideshow freaks, some brief nudity as a psycho carries off a woman to ravish her, and of course lots of over-the-top acting. Both movies tried to get around the censoring codes of the time by pretending to have a message (narcotics are bad), but the movies are strictly exploitative. The prints used for this DVD are scratchy and have some jumps here and there, but considering the age and that no major studio was behind these films, this may be the best materials available. Also on the DVD is the trailer for "Maniac", some letters from the censor at the time, an excerpt from a silent italian film "Maciste in Hell" that footage was superimposed in "Maniac", and audio commentary by an author-expert on Esper and such films. A worthy purchase if you like stuff like "Reefer Madness", etc., but don't expect any scalpings in "Maniac" ---it's actually a loose re-telling of "The Black Cat".

Apple iTunes

Shelves
Grade Level (feature_five_browse-bin)
Preschool
Kindergarten
Elementary School
Middle & High School
College
Post-Graduate
Audio Type (feature_six_browse-bin)
Digital Sound
Dolby
Surround Sound
Other Penguins

Penguin Audio

Penguin 64

Penguin CPU

Penguin Cameras

Penguin Kitchens