| Cult filmmaker Alex Cox continues to be identified in the press as the director of Repo Man (1984) and Sid and Nancy (1986), with little attention paid to the unique and fascinating work he has done since the ’80s. Regular readers of this column already know that I’m a huge fan of Cox’s misunderstood comic western Straight to Hell (1987). While many viewers seem to consider Straight to Hell the precise moment that Cox "lost it," I love the film to this day and treasure its unique combination of spaghetti western clichés, intentionally pointless violence, and total non-sequiturs. Give it a try sometime.
In addition to directing films, Cox is building up an impressive resumé of well-executed DVD extras. He seems to have a distinct talent for introducing and/or commenting on unusual films, even ones made by different hands. Cox’s name in the bonus features column of a DVD is a real selling point for me now, and with that occurring on such diverse discs as Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and The Great Silence (1968), it’s becoming clear that DVD companies are also getting hip to his talents. The guy manages to be clever, prepared and funny every time he’s given a microphone and an interesting movie to talk about. Here’s a brief list of DVD bonus features that are particularly worth checking out.
· The Great Silence (1968) –The 2004 DVD release from Fantoma features a fascinating video introduction by Cox as he discusses this marvellously downbeat western from Django director Sergio Corbucci. It’s a real gem of a film, with one of the most disturbing and controversial endings of any spaghetti western. Cox, of course, had nothing to do with creating The Great Silence, but his admiration for the film is very apparent, and his comments are well-researched and enlightening. He also wrote the liner notes and provides an audio commentary track for the ludicrous alternate ending, which must be seen to be believed.
· Revengers Tragedy (2002) – One of Cox’s most recent films, Revengers Tragedy transplants the characters and text of the darkly comic play (written anonymously in 1606 or so) into a post-apocalyptic England of the near future. It’s extremely weird-ass stuff to be sure and hasn’t gained many admirers, but Cox’s audio commentary (shared with actor/comedian Eddie Izzard) is a definite treat. The two Englishmen lend esoteric knowledge and dry wit to the proceedings, as they comment on the outrageous Jacobean revenge story taking place before them. By the end of the picture, they’re making up complete nonsense about Izzard travelling to the planet Mars, and Cox tries to persuade him to read his new script during the spaceflight.
· Straight to Hell (1987) – Finally being able to see this wigged-out masterpiece in widescreen is reason enough to check out this DVD, but the audio commentary from Cox and writer/star Dick Rude really sweetens the deal. Even better is the featurette Back to Hell (2002), in which almost the entire cast (except for Courtney Love) returns to have a chuckle over the crazy movie they all made 15 years prior.
· Repo Man (1984) – Last year’s collector’s edition DVD preserved the entertaining audio commentary track from the previous Anchor Bay DVD release and added some genuinely fascinating bonus features. The jewel in the crown is "The Missing Scenes," which has got to be the most unusual presentation of deleted footage I’ve ever come across. Most DVDs throw their deleted scenes onto a menu and call it a day. Here, we’re treated to a short film in which Cox shows the never-before-seen footage to guest commentator Sam Cohen, the actual inventor of the Neutron Bomb!
Read that last sentence again – it’s the kind of information that needs time to sink in.
I’ve never seen anything like this before. The elderly warhead designer seems to be a big fan of the film, despite the fact that one of the characters is clearly a parody of himself. Cohen and Cox are friendly and respectful of one another, but still have a fascinating debate over Cohen’s infamous invention. Cohen seems to genuinely believe that the Neutron Bomb was a humane and beneficial invention and is a bit thrown by Alex Cox’s aversion to using violence of any kind to solve problems. Neither man gets angry during the discussion – rather, they each seem fascinated by the other’s opposing point of view. Then there’s another deleted scene, and Cox shows genuine embarrassment at his inability to shoot erotic footage, as the kindly arms designer shrugs and commiserates. A few scenes later, Cox finds himself in a car with actor Zander Schloss (playing deceased actor Fox Harris, playing Repo Man’s twitchy one-eyed J. Frank Parnell, "designer of the Neutron Bomb," based on Cohen). The two have a bizarre dialogue over a mysterious suitcase, culminating in the nuclear destruction of Los Angeles! |
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