In three decades, Robert McGinley has directed three films. They’re more than just movies, they’re expressions, they’re art. They tell unique stories that take audiences on a journey like they’ve never experienced before. It hasn’t been until recently that he’s begun to receive the credit he’s due.
AGFA and OCN Distribution have taken the time and care to bring his first film, Shredder Orpheus (1990), to Blu-ray in a packed special edition that delivers the cleanest transfer of the film anyone has ever seen. It also marks the first time the premium treatment has been given to his work, at least that I can remember. Both Jimmy Zip (1999) and Danger Diva (2020) are just as deserving, and hopefully, this release will just be the beginning.
In a post-apocalyptic America, a group of skateboarders spend their time living in a bunch of metal shipping cars. Orpheus (Robert McGinley) is a musician who is in love with the beautiful Eurydice (Megan Murphy). What should be a beautiful romance quickly turns into the battle of a lifetime when the evil forces in Hell discover Eurydice and want to have her for themselves. Orpheus isn’t about to let his love disappear into the depths of Hell alone, so he does what any love-struck skateboarding musician would do: heads in after her.
When the soundtrack to Shredder Orpheus was released on vinyl, it included a DVD copy of the film (I own this as well), which, aside from the A.I.P. VHS, was the only way you could own it until now. The restoration looks fantastic, though there’s still a bit of grittiness, which preserves, at least for me, the original experience. It’s cleaned up just enough to see it in a new light while still being able to appreciate the era from which it came. If you really want to experience it the way it was originally released, the VHS transfer is included on the disc.
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The movie itself is a social commentary on how television affects the next generation of youth. McGinley was way ahead of his time, especially with how today’s youth consumes and their phones are basically fused to their bodies. McGinley himself carries the film with ease while performers like Gian-Carlo Scandiuzzi and Vera McCaughan give wonderfully memorable and over-the-top performances, such as Hades and Persephone. I refuse to give much away about the film since it really is an experience that can’t be missed.
The release of this Blu-ray will certainly help get the film in front of an audience that may have overlooked it in the video store or never even heard of it. I’m excited to see McGinley’s art finally being given wide distribution by a label willing to present it in such a wonderful manner.
Along with the new transfer and the original VHS version, you’ll find an audio commentary with Robert McGinley and AGFA’s Bret Berg, a vintage Bombshelter Videos promo, a photo gallery, an original home video trailer, and a booklet with a McGinley interview by David j. moore and film/myth commentary from Amy Rose.
McGinley’s film is even more timely and poignant now than it was in 1990, proving he’s an artist ahead of his time.
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