Film Chest & Virgil Films & Entertainment Proudly Present (on the CULTRA Label) … Carnival Magic
Magicians, Monkeys, Mad Scientists & More!
Cult Classic Long Thought Lost is Newly Restored - Never Released on Video, First Time Ever on DVD and in HD
Special DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack Appears Jan. 25th
NEW YORK CITY - Jan. 1, 2011 - For Immediate Release - A supernaturally skilled conjurer and his simian sidekick, the stars of a small-time circus, must defeat a jealous rival and evil doctor to stay together in the cult classic Carnival Magic, being released in a special DVD/Blu-ray combo pack Jan. 25 from Film Chest on the CULTRA label (distributed by Virgil Films & Entertainment).
In Carnival Magic - never before available in any home entertainment format - swarthy, mystical magician Markov the Magnificent (Don Stewart, TV's Guiding Light, Knots Landing, Dragnet) can read minds and levitate people and objects at will. Working a small-time carnival, he teams up with Alexander the Great ("Alex"), an über-intelligent chimp who has the ability to speak. Soon the duo is the belle of the fair, their act drawing huge crowds.
The carnival's dastardly and envious wild animal trainer, enraged that his own act has been unseated as the circus' top attraction, plots to rid himself of competition. "Chimp-napping" Alex, he hands him over to a shady scientist who is planning some very nasty medical experiments. A desperate Markov must quickly come up with a plan to save Alex, as well as his own livelihood.
Co-starring Regina Carrol (Doctor Dracula, Black Heat, Jessi's Girls), Jennifer Houlton
(TV's The Doctors) and Howard Segal (The Last Game), Carnival Magic was directed by Al Adamson and was once called "The finest family film since E.T." by Joe Franklin, WWOR-TV.
The late Adamson's G-rated talking monkey movie has been the source of rumors and wild speculation for nearly 30 years. Some insist only a single print was ever made, while others claim the film never saw the light of day until a copy was "found" in Adamson's Florida home shortly after he was murdered (on the cusp of a reported comeback effort) in 1995, his corpse discovered beneath the concrete and tile-covered whirlpool bath in his newly remodeled bathroom. Adamson was married to the film's star, Regina Carrol, from 1972 to 1992, when she passed away from cancer.
Carnival Magic was originally released theatrically in 1982 in 30 markets, doing well at the box office. Not until 2009 were the negative, screenplay, 16 complete 35mm prints, outtakes, press books, one-sheets and other treasures discovered in an east coast warehouse. To celebrate, TCM Underground premiered the newly restored master this past October.
Carnival Magic is presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 16 x 9 and 5.1 Dolby Digital Stereo. Special features include an interview with producer Elvin Feltner; outtakes; audio commentary with cult film historian Joe Rubin and Feltner; "Making Of" featurette; original theatrical trailer; and Spanish subtitles.
About Film Chest:
Film Chest, headquartered in New York City, boasts one of the world's largest digitized libraries (10,000+ hours) of classic feature films, television, foreign imports, documentaries, special interest and audio, which it continues to grow aggressively. Founded in 2001, the company offers high-quality content (much in HD) for a wide variety of production and distribution needs and produces collector's sets for consumers. In 2010, Film Chest unveiled three new labels. HD Cinema Classics are films that have been painstakingly restored in HD and 5.1 stereo - utilizing state-of-the art digital technology - from original film assets. American Pop Classics restores classic American film and TV shows from the '30-70s. CULTRA showcases the best (and worst) of cult cinema, a cinematic cesspool of films that are surreal, eccentric, controversial, comical and scary but ultimately engaging and entertaining. With directors who were both visionaries and crackpots, these films were originally misunderstood and rarely a box office success, achieving status by word-of-mouth and underground distribution. Film Chest releases theatrically, on DVD (distributed by Virgil Films & Entertainment) and digitally on iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, Verizon FIOS and more. Visit us online at www.FilmChest.com.
About Virgil Films & Entertainment:
Virgil Films & Entertainment, formerly Arts Alliance America, was founded in 2003 as Hart Sharp Video by Joe Amodei to develop, acquire, market and distribute DVD product in the theatrical film, documentary, special interest and sports categories. The company has built partnerships with such high-profile entertainment brands as Sundance Channel Home Entertainment, National Geographic Cinema Ventures, ESPN, MLB Productions, Bombo Sports and Entertainment and Morgan Spurlock's Warrior Poets, among others. For more information, please visit: www.VirgilFilmsEnt.com.
Carnival Magic (2 Discs)
Film Chest / Virgil Films & Entertainment
Genre: Family/Cult/Classic
Original Release: 1982 (Color)
Rated: G
Format: DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack
Running Time: Approx. 100 Minutes (Plus Special Features)
Suggested Retail Price: $19.99
Pre-Order Date: December 21, 2010
Street Date: January 25, 2011
Catalog #: APC-004
UPC Code: #851169003049
Buy it at Amazon.com
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