SEVERIN FILMS To Restore And Release Forgotten "Roughie" Film, "THE PICK-UP"
Cinema and censorship have long had a tumultuous relationship. While all art forms have undergone some form of censorship, the kind that has happened to filmmakers seems somewhat more intense than other art forms. Even to this day, governing bodies like the MPA prohibit audiences from making choices about what they consume under the guise of the “greater good” and “decency.” The question often becomes, for whose good and what decency are we protecting, while also recognizing that censorship is unfortunately needed in an age where you can post almost anything online for possibly millions to see. Those well-versed in their film history will know that we’ve come a long way as it relates to censorship in cinema, but that history is worth exploring.
Thanks to the folks at Severin Films, we are getting a chance to go back and see some films that have been considered lost as casualties of a more scrutinized era of media consumption. Their latest restoration is, “The Pick-Up,” an infamous “roughie” that is now coming to Blu-Ray for the first time ever completely uncut! Check out the details below, and you can pre-order the film over at Severin’s site today!
From The Press Release
Severin Films – in collaboration with Something Weird Video – today announced The Worldwide Blu-ray Premiere of the Lee Frost/Wes Bishop ‘roughie’ THE PICK-UP. Though writer/director/
cinematographer Frost and co-writer/producer/star Bishop’s films included such exploitation classics as HOUSE ON BARE MOUNTAIN, LOVE CAMP 7, THE THING WITH TWO HEADS, and RACE WITH THE DEVIL, this 1969 crime shocker was thought lost for decades. But with the recent discovery of its original camera negative in a Paris vault, it can now be seen restored and uncut for the first time ever.
Legendary producer Bob Cresse (HOT SPUR, THE SCAVENGERS), sexploitation icon David F. Friedman, Lynn Harris (THE EROTIC ADVENTURES OF ZORRO) and mysteriously disappeared folk singer Jim Sullivan co-star in this extreme ‘roughie’ about two bagmen for the L.A. syndicate who are robbed of $1 million in Las Vegas mob money by a seductive pair of con artists, leading to a desperate frenzy of carnal violence and brutal vengeance. THE PICK-UP is newly scanned in 4K and features a Webstore Exclusive Bonus Disc that includes the “fascinating” (Austin Chronicle) and long-out-of-print 2001 documentary MAU MAU SEX SEX starring Friedman and fellow exploitation pioneer Dan Sonney, plus filmmaker/historian Frank Henenlotter, Something Weird founder Mike Vraney and more.
THE PICK-UP is available for pre-order at The Severin Films Webstore beginning January 27.
Special Features for THE PICK-UP
BLU-RAY:
Sirens On The Road: Post-Noir Vision And Beatnik Glory In THE PICK-UP – Video Essay By Filmmaker Stephen Broomer
Photo Gallery With Commentary By Something Weird Video's Mike Vraney And Exploitation Legend David F. Friedman
Trailer
DISC 2: MAU MAU SEX SEX (Limited Edition webstore exclusive)
Audio Commentary With Director Ted Bonnitt And Severin Films' David Gregory
Archival Audio Commentary With Exploitation Legends David F. Friedman And Dan Sonney
Archival Audio Commentary With Director Ted Bonnitt And Writer Eddie Muller
Trailer
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