Fatalistic, raw, neo-noir
in style, future Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow’s 1982 directing debut, The
Loveless — co-directed and co-written
with future film producer Monty Montgomery — is getting a new 2K film
restoration from the original camera negative. Montgomery (film producer for Wild at
Heart, Portrait of a Lady) and Doyle Smith, the
director of photography, will be supervising the restoration.
Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution
guidance provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has tabbed July 9 as the street
date for the Blu-ray release.
We are first introduced to Vance (Willem Dafoe in
his first starring role), an “outlaw” biker heading south to the Daytona
“races,” who stops to aid a woman in distress … fixes her flat tire (good guy),
but is not happy with her cash offering, so he robs her (bad guy). Biker, impulsive … with these broad cinematic
brush strokes Bigelow establishes Dafoe’s character (Dafoe runs with the rest).
Our anti-hero soon ends up at a roadside diner in
Georgia where he strikes up a conversation with Augusta (Elizabeth Gans) and we
learn that he’s part of a larger group of bikers — a “gang,” if you will — and
he’s a bit miffed that they haven’t arrived (gonna miss those “races” in
Daytona).
Eventually other members of Vance’s contingent roll
into town, one of them has problems with his bike, so that will have to be
repaired. This additional delay gives
Vance time to hook up with the free-wheeling Telena (Marin Kanter — Endangered
Species, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains),
who has a violent backstory. She’s
attracted to the outlaw Vance, but has a brutal father by the name of Tarver (J.
Don Ferguson — Norma Rae, Our Winning Season, The Long Riders,
etc.), who beat her badly at one time, leaving her with a scar on her face …
the sports car she tools around town in was given to her by her father out of
guilt for what he at done (this testy relationship will come back into play as
the storyline proceeds … with tragic results).
Bikers, small town, sexually-charged and the locals
resentful of their presence. It’s a
volatile combination that will eventually reach a head one evening at the local
roadhouse (strip club).
Bonus features for The
Loveless include commentary from
filmmaker Monty Montgomery, who is joined by documentary filmmaker Elijah
Drenner, a trio of newly-prepared featurettes — “No Man’s Friend Today: Making
The Loveless,” “U.S. 17: Shooting The Loveless” and “Chrome and Hot Leather:
The Look of The Loveless” — plus an audio session with musician Eddy Dixon (who
wrote and performed “Relentless” from the film).
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