D.O.A.: A Right Of Passage, the ground-breaking classic rockumentary about the origin of punk rock, is getting its first-ever HD transfer. The film will be coming to select theaters in mid-November and released as a collector’s edition Blu-ray/DVD package on December 8th via MVD.
“High Times is pleased to finally uncover and restore this extraordinary, vintage film – D.O.A.,” states High Times owner and CEO Adam Levin.
The vision for the film can be attributed to two people: Tom Forcade (the founder of High Times magazine) and filmmaker Lech Kowalski (East of Paradise). The production centered around the Sex Pistols 1978 tour of the US, which ended with the group breaking up. Forcade and Kowalski followed the band with handheld cameras through the clubs and bars during their seven-city U.S. tour.
Mixing this with footage of other contemporary bands, trends in the fashion capitals and punks of all shapes and colors, the film makers captured a grainy, stained snapshot of the punk movement at its peak (which includes the now famous footage of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen in bed) along with rare interview and concert footage of the late seventies punk rock music scene.
As John Holmstrom, Founding Editor of PUNK Magazine, writes in his liner notes: “D.O.A., the original 1950 film noir and A Rite of Passage‘s namesake, was about a dead man walking who wanted to get revenge on his killers. This aptly describes D.O.A.: A Rite of Passage, which was made by a man who killed himself a few months later, who wanted to get revenge on his tormentors: corporate and government control of rock music and youth culture.”
With live performances by the Sex Pistols, The Dead Boys, Generation X with Billy Idol, The Rich Kids, the X-Ray Spex, and Sham 69, along with additional music from The Clash, Iggy Pop, this iconic documentary is now available for the first time ever on disc. Bonus material includes original 2.0 Mono Audio on DVD and Uncompressed PCM on Blu-ray; 12 page booklet with liner notes written by John Holmstrom, founding editor of PUNK Magazine; Dead On Arrival: The Punk Documentary That Almost Never Was, a feature length documentary about the making of D.O.A. A Rite of Passage produced by award-winning filmmaker (and former MTV Senior Producer) Richard Schenkman (HD); reversible artwork; double sided poster; original theatrical trailer; limited edition retro “Video Store Style” slipcover/O-Card available with first pressing only; and rare Sex Pistols photo gallery.
Blu-ray/DVD
Screenings:
11/15-11/16 – Phoenix, AZ – FilmBar
11/16 – Pittsburgh, PA – Hollywood Theater
11/17 – Dallas, TX – Texas Theater
11/21 – Baltimore, MD – Parkway Theater
11/29 – Iowa City, IA – FilmScene
12/1 + 12/3 – Boston, MA – Brattle (Cambridge, MA)
12/4 – Durham, NC – Carolina Theater
12/11 – Nashville, TN – Belcourt
12/18 – Maitland, FL – Enzian
1/3 – Yonkers, NY – Alamo Drafthouse
1/12 – Tulsa, OK – Circle Cinema
1/12-1/14 – Seattle, WA – Northwest Film Forum
1/15 – San Francisco, CA – Alamo Drafthouse
1/15 – Denver, CO – Alamo Sloans Lake
1/18 – Louisville, KY – Speed Museum
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYvCYMdnpH4
