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★★★★☆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.

Xan Cassavetes has had one hell of a showbiz story. Daughter of John and Gena, she made her screen debut in her father's films Husbands and Minnie and Moskowitz. Trawling the Lower East Side art-punk scene during early 80's, she found herself at both Krs-One and Madonna's very first shows. Later, she toured for almost ten years with the group Shrine before taking up the family business in 2004 with the documentary Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession. We spoke this past fall at the incredible Strasbourg International Fantastic Film Festival, where her erotic vampire feature KIss of the Damned took the top prize. How many times do you get to write that? Twitch: Let's start with a softball question. Why chose this as your fiction debut? Well, I didn't choose it...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Kiss of the Damned will be heading to Blu-ray and DVD on July 23rd, and we have the full list of bonus features, along with a look at the cover art.

“With her narrative feature debut, Xan Cassavetes (Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession) has crafted a stylish and sensory visual and aural experience that recalls the best of smart and racy European genre films from the 60s and 70s. Kiss Of The Damned is the story of Djuna (Joséphine de La Baume), a beautiful vampire who tries to resist the advances of the handsome, human screenwriter Paulo (Milo Ventimiglia) but eventually gives in to temptation. When her troublemaker sister Mimi (Roxane Mesquida) arrives unexpectedly, Djuna’s love story is threatened, and the whole vampire community becomes endangered.”

Kiss of the Damned was directed by Xan Cassavetes and stars Joséphine de La Baume (One Day), Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), Roxane Mesquida (Rubber...

Could John Cassavetes’ children, all of whom have grabbed his passed torch, be any more different? Son Nick has dabbled in gritty crime fare (Alpha Dog) and mainstream melodrama (The Notebook), daughter Zoe helmed Broken English and has ties to the fashion biz, and now eldest daughter Alexandra — or “Xan,” for short — has carried on the tradition, making her own distinct narrative directorial debut with the vampire romance Kiss of the Damned after previously making the cinephilic doc Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession. Adamantly stylized, worldly, and nostalgic, Kiss of the Damned, which Xan also wrote, joins Neil …...

Xan Cassavetes, the daughter of John Cassavetes and the director of the wonderful film world documentary "Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession," wrote and directed "Kiss of the Damned" with a wink and a nod so overt that, from the opening credit sequence, which closely mimics the similarly-titled Hammer horror movie "Lust for the Vampire," it runs dangerously close to becoming a ninety-minute game of Spot The Reference. Thankfully, the knowingness never becomes too cloying, and what Cassavetes lacks in technical proficiency, she more than makes up for in a kind of heartfelt conviction sorely lacking in the genre. Story-wise, everything in "Kiss of the Damned" you've seen before (in the production notes, Cassavetes states that she was "not a fanatical vampire person"). But its simplicity is never a hindrance, often acting a charming framework for her characters to play (and spill blood) in; for once familiarity works in its favor.

Nothing Human Loves Forever: Cassavetes’ Feature Debut Gloriously Vintage

Xan Cassavetes joins the family directorial legacy with her feature debut, Kiss of the Damned, a deliciously vintage throwback to the erotic horror output of the Hammer studio heyday. Previously, this Cassavetes was responsible for a 2004 documentary Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession, and her fiction debut seems considerably removed both from her own work and that of the familial output. A visual feast with a killer sound design, she manages to invoke Stephanie Rothman and Jean Rollin, where naughty immortal creatures from the dark side explore a bloodlust as inextinguishable as their sexual desires.

Djuna (Josephine de La Baume), a beautiful, lovelorn vampire residing in a remote mansion in the Connecticut countryside spends her nights hunting animals in the surrounding woods and watching vintage cinema. The residence belongs to Xenia (Anna Mougalalis), an actress and older, wiser vampire, but the estate...

Magnet Releasing already brought Kiss of the Damned to VOD and digital download services before its limited theatrical release in May. If you’re holding out for the Blu-ray/DVD version, a release date has just been revealed, and we also have a list of locations that will be screening the film.

According to Blu-ray.com, the movie will be available on Blu-ray and DVD on July 23rd. At this time a list of bonus features is not available, but we’ll have additional details closer to July. The theatrical release begins on May 3rd and we’ve included a list of dates/cities below.

“With her narrative feature debut, Xan Cassavetes (Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession) has crafted a stylish and sensory visual and aural experience that recalls the best of smart and racy European genre films from the 60s and 70s. Kiss Of The Damned is the story...

Magnet Releasing has already released Kiss of the Damned to VOD and digital download services before its limited theatrical release in May. If you’d like to get a better idea of what to expect from the movie, take a look at this new Nsfw clip.

“With her narrative feature debut, Xan Cassavetes (Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession) has crafted a stylish and sensory visual and aural experience that recalls the best of smart and racy European genre films from the 60s and 70s. Kiss Of The Damned is the story of Djuna (Joséphine de La Baume), a beautiful vampire who tries to resist the advances of the handsome, human screenwriter Paulo (Milo Ventimiglia) but eventually gives in to temptation. When her troublemaker sister Mimi (Roxane Mesquida) arrives unexpectedly, Djuna’s love story is threatened, and the whole vampire community becomes endangered.”

Kiss of the Damned was directed by Xan Cassavetes...

Magnet Releasing has made Kiss of the Damned available on VOD and digital download services before it limited theatrical release in May. If you’d like to learn more about the movie, we have a newly released featurette and the red band theatrical trailer.

“With her narrative feature debut, Xan Cassavetes (Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession) has crafted a stylish and sensory visual and aural experience that recalls the best of smart and racy European genre films from the 60s and 70s. Kiss Of The Damned is the story of Djuna (Joséphine de La Baume), a beautiful vampire who tries to resist the advances of the handsome, human screenwriter Paulo (Milo Ventimiglia) but eventually gives in to temptation. When her troublemaker sister Mimi (Roxane Mesquida) arrives unexpectedly, Djuna’s love story is threatened, and the whole vampire community becomes endangered.”

Kiss of the Damned was directed by Xan Cassavetes and...

(Kiss of the Damned world premiered at the 2012 Venice Film Festival. It becomes available on VOD on March 28, 2013, and opens theatrically on May 3rd. Visit the film’s page at Magnet Releasing to learn more. Note: This review was written in conjunction with the film’s North American premiere at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival.) One of the most accomplished and engaging North American premieres I saw at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival was a genre film, the first fiction feature by Xan Cassavetes. Xan is the daughter of cinema legends John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands. Her first film, Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession, was a documentary about …...

If you're the sort of horror fan who is old (or thorough) enough to be familiar with the late-era Hammer Films movies as well as the salacious European genre films from Roger Vadim, Jean Rollin, and Roman Polanski, there's a very good chance you'll enjoy what writer/director Xan Cassavetes has to offer here. Forged from some fine cinematic DNA (her parents are John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands!) and director of the rather fascinating 2004 documentary Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession, Ms. Cassavetes' first feature seems like it was cobbled together from A) fond memories of sexy horror movies, B) an obvious affection for old-school vampire tales, and C) a touch of disgust for how childishly neutered our cinematic vampires have become.

In other words, Kiss of the Damned is quiet but consistently interesting, more than clever enough to make horror fans happy, and overtly sexy in a way that only...

Xan Cassavetes, the daughter of John Cassavetes and the director of the wonderful film world documentary "Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession," wrote and directed "Kiss of the Damned" with a wink and a nod so overt that, from the opening credit sequence, which closely mimics the similarly-titled Hammer horror movie "Lust for the Vampire," it runs dangerously close to becoming a ninety-minute game of Spot The Reference. Thankfully, the knowingness never becomes too cloying, and what Cassavetes lacks in technical proficiency, she more than makes up for in a kind of heartfelt conviction sorely lacking in the genre. Story-wise, everything in "Kiss of the Damned" you've seen before (in the production notes, Cassavetes states that she was "not a fanatical vampire person"). But its simplicity is never a hindrance, often acting a charming framework for her characters to play (and spill blood) in; for once familiarity works in its favor.

The latest feature film from writer/director Xan Cassavetes (daughter of cinema legend John Cassavetes), whose documentary Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession won acclaim among cult TV fans, Kiss of the Damned is the erotically-charged tale of the relationship between screenwriter Paolo (Milo Ventimiglia of Heroes and Pathology) and rogue vampire Djuna (Joséphine de La Baume), which leads to Paolo's transformation into one of the undead and puts them both in jeopardy from Djuna's sinister sister Mimi (Roxane Mesquida, Sheitan), who can't control her own predatory impulses.     If the new red-band trailer from Magnet is any indication, it looks like the film stirs up gothic and modern vampire conventions in a stylish, highly sensual (and kinda kinky) melting pot, with lots of steamy sex and impressive bloodletting... and this gorgeous advance poster, which recalls the sexy bloodsuckers of Jean Rollin, has me completely hooked.     Kiss of the Damned is slated...

Last week, Magnet Releasing announced VOD plans and a limited theatrical run for Kiss of the Damned. They have now released a red band trailer for the upcoming vampire movie, and we have it for you to watch.

“With her narrative feature debut, Xan Cassavetes (Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession) has crafted a stylish and sensory visual and aural experience that recalls the best of smart and racy European genre films from the 60s and 70s. Kiss Of The Damned is the story of Djuna (Joséphine de La Baume), a beautiful vampire who tries to resist the advances of the handsome, human screenwriter Paulo (Milo Ventimiglia) but eventually gives in to temptation. When her troublemaker sister Mimi (Roxane Mesquida) arrives unexpectedly, Djuna’s love story is threatened, and the whole vampire community becomes endangered.”

Kiss of the Damned was directed by Xan Cassavetes and stars Joséphine de La Baume (One...

Magnet Releasing acquired Kiss of the Damned last September and plans to release it in multiple stages over the next few months. If you’re interested in learning more, we have updated release details and a new poster.

“With her narrative feature debut, Xan Cassavetes (Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession) has crafted a stylish and sensory visual and aural experience that recalls the best of smart and racy European genre films from the 60s and 70s. Kiss Of The Damned is the story of Djuna (Joséphine de La Baume), a beautiful vampire who tries to resist the advances of the handsome, human screenwriter Paulo (Milo Ventimiglia) but eventually gives in to temptation. When her troublemaker sister Mimi (Roxane Mesquida) arrives unexpectedly, Djuna’s love story is threatened, and the whole vampire community becomes endangered.”

Kiss of the Damned was directed by Xan Cassavetes and stars Joséphine de La Baume (One...

Last week SXSW unveiled this year's midnight movie lineup and it looks to be a twisted mix of titles from a wide range of genre niches. And as you might guess from the title, Kiss of the Damned has the vampire corner covered, and judging from the poster Magnet Releasing has given us to premiere, this doesn't look like your average vampire movie. If it brings to mind Europe's more erotic-tinged horror movies of the '60s and '70s, that's certainly intentional, but when we spoke to writer-director Xan Cassavetes (Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession) about her latest film, she cautioned that it's not strictly the homage-filled movie the poster implies. It's eye-catching, to say the least, but apparently it's not just a simple throwback film...

Read More...

Magnet Releasing is the genre division of Magnolia Pictures and previously acquired such films as The Innkeepers and V/H/S. They have recently announced that their latest acquisition is the vampire film Kiss of the Damned:

The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnet Releasing, genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today they have acquired world rights to writer/director Xan Cassavetes’ Kiss Of The Damned, an erotic vampire film that will make its world premiere as the closing night film of International Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival this Friday, September 7th.

Starring Joséphine de La Baume (One Day), Milo Ventimiglia (Rocky Balboa, “Heroes”), Roxane Mesquida (Rubber) and Riley Keough (Jack and Diane, The Runaways), Kiss Of The Damned is a DeerJen/Verisimilitude production in association with Bersin Pictures. Produced by Jen Gatien and Alex Orlovsky, executive producers were Adam S. Bersin, Jacob Pechenik, Riaz Tyab and Jon Vinnik.

The Wagner/Cuban Company's Magnet Releasing, genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today they have acquired world rights to writer/director Xan Cassavetes' Kiss of the Damned, an erotic vampire film that will make its world premiere as the closing night film of International Critics' Week at the Venice Film Festival this Friday September 7th.

Starring Josephine de la Baume (One DayOne Day), Milo Ventimiglia (Rocky Balboa, Heroes), Roxane Mesquida (Rubber) and Riley Keough (Jack and Diane, The Runaways), Kiss of the Damned is a DeerJen/Verisimilitude production in association with Bersin Pictures. Produced by Jen Gatien and Alex Orlovsky, executive producers were Adam S. Bersin, Jacob Pechenik, Riaz Tyab and Jonathan Vinnik.

With her narrative feature debut, Xan Cassavetes (Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession) has crafted a stylish and sensory visual and aural experience that recalls the best of smart and racy European genre films from the 60s and 70s.

I feel like it's been a long while since we spoke about a new vampire flick coming our way, but alas, the good folks over at Magnet have secured the rights to one, and it sounds like a winner. Read on for details and a still!

From the Press Release

The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnet Releasing, genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today they have acquired world rights to writer/director Xan Cassavetes’ Kiss Of The Damned, an erotic vampire film that will make its world premiere as the closing night film of International Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival this Friday, September 7th.

Starring Joséphine de La Baume (One Day), Milo Ventimiglia (Rocky Balboa, “Heroes”), Roxane Mesquida (Rubber) and Riley Keough (Jack and Diane, The Runaways), Kiss Of The Damned is a DeerJen/Verisimilitude production in association with Bersin Pictures. Produced by Jen Gatien and Alex Orlovsky,...

The Wagner/Cuban Company's Magnet Releasing, genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today they have acquired world rights to writer/director Xan Cassavetes' Kiss of the Damned , an erotic vampire film that will make its world premiere as the closing night film of International Critics' Week at the Venice Film Festival this Friday September 7th. The film stars Joséphine de La Baume ( One Day ), Milo Ventimiglia ( Rocky Balboa , .Heroes.), Roxane Mesquida ( Rubber ) and Riley Keough ( Jack and Diane , The Runaways ). With her narrative feature debut, Xan Cassavetes ( Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession ) has crafted a stylish and sensory visual and aural experience that recalls the best of smart and racy European genre films from the '60s and '70s. Kiss of the Damned is the...

Xan Cassavetes (Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession) will be premiering her feature film debut on the Lido this year in Venice’s answer to Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight section. Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week has unveiled it’s 9-film line-up (seven competish) and Kiss of the Damned (starring Josephine de la Baume and Roxane Mesquida) will close out the section, while Water – seven short segments helmed by Israeli and Palestinian directors (Nir Sa’ar, Maya Sarfaty, Mohammad Fuad, Yona Rozenkier, Mohammad Bakri, Ahmad Bargouthi, Pini Tavger and Tal Haring will open the the section. We expect some of these titles to trickle on towards Tiff – so we’ll be keeping a close eye on this pack. Here are the seven titles in competition.

The fest runs Aug. 29-Sept. 8

ÄTA Sova DÖ / Eat Sleep Die by Gabriela Pichler (Sweden) La CITTÀ Ideale / The Ideal City by Luigi Lo Cascio (Italy) KÜF...

#69. Kiss of the Damned Director/Writer: Xan CassavetesProducers: Jen Gatien (For Ellen) and Alex Orlovsky (The Place Beyond the Pines)Distributor: Rights Available The Gist: This centers around two beautiful French vampire sisters who have separately come to stay at a summer estate -- a 'safe house' in Connecticut. Ventimiglia plays a screenwriter who begins a love affair with the "good" sister and insists on joining her among the undead. However, after they begin their life together, the other "bad" sister (Mesquida) shows up and begins wreaking havoc almost as soon as she arrives. Slowly, her dark presence threatens to destroy them all...(more) Cast: Milo Ventimiglia (see fangs above), Michael Rapaport, Riley Keough, Roxane Mesquida, Anna Mouglalis and Joséphine de La Baume List Worthy Reasons...: The last of the Cassavetes offspring to make her feature fiction debut, we anticipate that this vampire pic will definitely come across more...

It'll be back to back production years for the Xan Cassavetes. The eldest daughter of the indie maverick is putting the final touches on her vampire love triangle Kiss of the Damned, a film that should preem at a major film festival in 2012 and now she has lined up her next project entitled 1000 Days of Rage and Hope which will begin lensing in NYC next April. Cassavetes re-teams with Deerjen Film's Jen Gatien and executive producer Jonathan Vinnik who both return in the same capacity as they did for Kofd. Written by Cassavetes, the project sounds very much apropos with the current economical climate and outspoken dissidents on Wall Street and is described by the filmmaker as "a woman with a radical mentality navigates the complexities of relationships, poverty and dreams in New York City, as she analyzes her own complex and deep seated relationship with capitalism." Cassavetes who got...

If you don't count TV doc Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession, we can finally say that Xan Cassavetes has joined her sis, her bro and her pops as a feature filmmaker. In fact, Variety reports that her debut film, Kiss of the Damned has already wrapped and had French thesps Josephine de la Baume (bit role in Gavras' Our Day Will Come and soon to be seen in Confession of a Child of the Century) and Roxane Mesquida (Catherine Breillat regular) and Milo Ventimiglia toplining with supporting roles going to Michael Rapaport, Anna Mouglalis and Riley Keough, who probably received a thumbs up recommendation from Nick Cassavetes (she starred in Yellow). Gist: The Variety piece mentions that some of the films to have influenced the filmmaker/cinephile include: Tony Scott's "The Hunger," Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Conformist" and Harry Kümel's "Daughters of Darkness." This centers around two beautiful...

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,...

This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, they also analyze, discuss & highlight Criterion #266 Cecil B. DeMille’s 1927 film, The King of Kings.

What do you think of their show? Please send them your feed back: CriterionCast@gmail.com or call their voicemail line @ 347.878.3430 or follow them on twitter @CriterionCast or Comment on their blog, http://CriterionCast.com.

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They broadcast every episode Live on UStream every Friday @ 8pm Est/5pm Pst. Join in on the conversation @ CriterionCast.com/Live

Our next episode they will highlight and discuss Criterion #009 John Woo’s 1992 film, Hard Boiled.

Add It To Your Netflix Queue.

Show Notes:

(00:00 – 00:26; Fantastic Fest Promo)

(00:27 – 00:44; “A United Theory” by God...

Pin back those ears and indulge in the luxuriant cinematic conversation of the latest episode of Mouth Off – the official podcast of HeyUGuys.

Arriving just in time to complement your weekend I chat to Brendon Connelly and Craig Skinner about the Rian Johnson film The Brothers Bloom (out in UK cinemas today), as well as looking over the career of the late Dennis Hopper and kicking the recently orphaned Hobbit film around.

In the mix this week we also consider the collusion of Neils – Jordan and Gaiman as The Graveyard Book edges closer to the screen, and there’s the weekly delight of our Ripped from the Crypt section – trailers and assorted material included below.

Also included as a bonus on this podcast is Brendon’s interview with Craig McCall – the director of the recent documentary Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff.

As always do leave your comments and suggestions below,...

So last year I joined Twitter and desperately struggled to figure out a good use for it. Assuming most people following my account might come from the Film Junk podcast, I thought it might be an idea platform to keep track of what films I've been watching and what ratings I give them. My first post was March 9th, 2009 with David Cronenberg's The Brood (3.5/4) and since then I've managed to check out a good number of great films over the last year. (Jacques Tati's Play Time and Wim Wender's Paris, Texas are definitely two stand outs on this list.) Many of these are first time viewings, but a there are also a lot of movies I just felt the urge to revisit. So what do you think? Any favourites? Have a look for yourself after the jump! The Brood, (Cronenberg, 1979) 3.5/4 Operation Crossbow (Anderson, 1965) 3.5/4 Watchmen, (Snyder, 2009) 3/4 Pontypool, (McDonald, 2008) 4/4 Pinocchio,...

• Perhaps the families were formally introduced during the production of the New York, I Love You project and now, the Cassavetes name and Hughes bros. are once again participating on a short film collective. While promoting the upcoming French release of her directorial debut of Broken English, Zoe Cassavetes detailed that she is in the preliminary stages for a project consisting of four sketches to be directed in four parts by Zoe herself, her sister Xan Cassavetes (Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession), the Albert and Allen Hughes (From Hell) and Tarnation's Jonathan Caouette. With Nyily still in post production, I imagine that this untitled 4 Sketches project is still in writing stages and funding, finding financing partners phase. No word yet on the form or themes within the quartet, but most likely it will be based in NYC as well. Xan Cassavetes penned one of the short scripts on New York,

...

The International Documentary Assn. has chosen 17 films for the eighth annual InFACT Theatrical Documentary Showcase. These include Z Channel -- A Magnificent Obsession, Born Into Brothels, The Conscientious Objector, The Future of Food, In the Realms of the Unreal, Let the Church Say Amen, Repatriation, This Ain't No Heartland and a selection of short films. Since the showcase's inception seven years ago, 13 films featured there have been nominated for Academy Awards. This year's InFACT screenings run Aug. 20-26 at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood.

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.