Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)? (1 Viewer)

[Kevin M]

When is the Mount going to release this quite good (and fairly disturbing) character/societal study of the 70's pick-up bar lifestyle? It is based on a very good novel of the same name from 1975 that was inspired by the events surrounding the brutal real-life 1973 murder of
twenty-seven year old New York City schoolteacher Roseanne Quinn (imdb), and features some very good performances from Diane Keaton, Richard Gear, William Atherton, Richard Kiley...hell, basically the entire cast and was expertly directed by Richard Brooks.

A DVD would be great.

 

[Bradley-E]

Maybe next year for 30th Aniversary? I'm thinking there are music rights to be cleared that has held up the release.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Kevin, I'm not trying to thread-fart (or whatever the term is) but have you seen the movie recently? I had a high opinion of it when I saw it in the late seventies, but when I rewatched it on the TV a year or so ago I thought it was very dated. I stress that this is purely a personal reaction, but I think time has been cruel to quite a few of the critically praised movies of the seventies. Of course, this is a purely personal reaction, and your mileage may vary.

 

[Louis Letizia]

I would hope that LOOKING FOR MR GOODBAR will be released in April 2007 not only to coincide with its 30th Ann (which would technically be October) but with the Diane Keaton tribute scheduled for Lincoln Center at that time.
I consider GOODBAR to be one of the most important films of the 70s-Diane Keaton deserved the Oscar more for this than ANNIE HALL-its a piercing performance in a stunning ahead of its time movie .

 

[Kevin M]

Andrew, to me the opinion that you gave is just that...an honest opinion. A true "thread fart" as far as I am concerned would be something along the lines of "Man that movie sucks....I hope it never gets released."....now that is a thread fart!

But I do disagree as I just saw it on LD (discovision no less, found it for $2.00 at a yard sale) and I think it is just as powerful as it was in it's original release, but then again I don't find "dated" films to be a detriment to whether a film is good or not, it is of it's time and that has value to me.....a time capsule if you will.

 

[John Hodson]

Apparently it is scheduled for an R2 release next year, so there is hope. See here - quite a list there.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Kevin, fair comment and I hope you get your wish. Now if someone would just release a compendium of the best bits of nunsploitation movies we'd both be happy ...

 

[Kevin M]

Oh yeah, I was quite happy that they recently released the Baby Cart series on DVD, in particular Shogun Assassin......now that's entertainment with deep social/political meaning!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that just because a film is "of it's time" that automatically means it is good in my eyes, but at the same time being dated also doesn't necessarily mean that is a weakness to a film's success as a film, that's all I'm saying.
It's just that when I see the statement "the film is a bit dated" I always think "ok....but what does that have to do with whether it is a good film or not?", you know?

 

[David_B_K]

I think a lot of films from the 70's date badly, as it was, let's face it, not the most fashonable decade of the century.

However, as Goodbar is a more or less "true story" from that period, the 70's style, dress, mannerisms, music, attitudes toward sex, etc are really part of the story.

If it were made today, they'd spend a lot of money trying for that authentic "70's look".

 

[Kevin M]

I understand what you mean but sometimes...sometimes...that Kitchy feel is what makes me like a film, I mean look at some of the films from the mid to late 60's....now there's some fashion and slang for ya! ...groovy.

Look at Taxi Driver for example, now there is a film that is decidedly "dated" but I never hear of the outrageously 70's outfits and slang used in that film being a detriment to it's success.

 

[Jeff_HR]

I agree wholeheartedly! This deserves a release.

 

[JeffMc]

Give me the kitschy non-fashionable 70's any day over the banality of the nineties or the 'noughts. The 70's rocked, and LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR and all the other films of the era that deliver that unique and authentic (some call 'dated') 70's vibe are #1 in my book.

 

[Kevin M]

Or "kitschy"....yeah, that's what I meant to spell.

 

[Kevin M]

Bump: Any news yet? I don't think Mount has mentioned anything as yet but I am not as "up" on future releases as others are.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

The plehora of disco hit singles on the soundtrack must cost a fortune these days and for once, I can understand why Paramount have been slow to release this particular film, which I'd love to finally see - for Keaton's performance, but also for William Fraker's cinematography.

Pinch of salt: www.imdb.com/title/tt0076327/board/flat/23396839

Hopefully, it's coming, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Jeff_HR]

This REALLY deserves a release, but oh those music rights! I'm not holding my breath either & I'll keep my LD, just as I have for other titles still in the vaults.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

The music rights must've been cleared for VHS and LD release. Do they really need to be renegotiated for DVD? I guess it all depends on the fine print in contracts - some cover all home video releases, some format specific. That's my guess.