Out of the Blue 1980
Like James Dean, Linda Manz appeared in many television shows before starring in three movies by famous directors. The actress was Generation X’s Dean, and Dennis Hopper’s Out of the Blue was her Rebel Without a Cause. Both embodied the spirit of cinematic youth rebellion wrapped in black leather. The 1980 drama started out as a weepy made-for-TV, got hi-jacked by an infamous dope fiend, and became a feral punk masterpiece.

Cebe (Linda Manz) is a teenage rebel obsessed with Elvis and the Sex Pistols. Her trucker father, Don (Dennis Hopper) is in prison after drunkenly smashing his rig into a school bus, and her mother, Kathy (Sharon Farrell) is a junkie waitress who takes refuge in the arms of other men, including Don’s best friend, Charlie (Don Gordon). With Don’s release, the family struggles to reconnect and the trauma of the past looms large as dark secrets slowly begin to emerge.

Initially only hired as an actor in the family-friendly drama ‘Cebe’, Hopper took over directing duties a week into production, rewriting the script and starting principal photography from scratch. The bleak punk epic that resulted - Out of the Blue - arguably represents Hopper’s strongest outing as a filmmaker and features an astonishing performance by Manz.

Director: Dennis Hopper
Cast: Linda Manz, Dennis Hopper, Sharon Farrell, Don Gordon, Raymond Burr, Eric Allen, Fiona Brody, David L. Crowley, Joan Hoffman, Carl Nelson, Francis Ann Pettit, Glen Pfeifer, David Ackridge
Country: Canada
Genre: Drama

2xBD50 | 1080p AVC | 01:35:46 | 91 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English
Subtitles: English

Extras:

DISC ONE
* The Film
• Audio Commentary with director Dennis Hopper, producer Paul Lewis and distributor John Alan Simon (2000)
• Audio Commentary by Kate Rennebohm (2021)
• Audio Commentary by Kat Ellinger (2021)
• Screen Guardian Talk: Dennis Hopper (1990) (90:50)
• Interview with Dennis Hopper by Tony Watts (1984) (96:52)
• "Subverting Normality: Linda Manz Comes from Out of the Blue" 2021 video essay by Amanda Reyes and Chris O’Neill (17:53)
• Archive Shorts (with Play All) (35:00)
-- "Morecambe and Wise – Be Wise Don’t Drink and Drive" 1963 short (0:49)
-- "Drink Drive Office Party Cartoon" 1964 short (0:43)
-- "A Girl’s Own Story" 1983 short by Jane Campion (26:34)
-- "Girl" 1993 short by Carol Morley (6:52)
• Jack Nicholson Radio Spot (0:59)
• Trailers (with Play All) (5:08)
-- US 1982 Theatrical Trailer (reconstruction) (2:29)
-- 40th Anniversary Trailer (2:28)

DISC TWO
• "Remembering Out of the Blue" 2021 interviews (with Play All) (173:37)
-- Christine Wilson, script supervisor (18:48)
-- Bob Akester, second assistant director (18:13)
-- Pointed Sticks & John Anderson, punk band & actor (20:47)
-- Tom Lavin, composer (22:36)
-- John Holbrook, camera operator (19:17)
-- Patti Allen, production coordinator (15:17)
-- Julia Frittaion, unit publicist & post-production assistant (29:00)
-- Doris Dyck, film editor (16:05)
-- Sharon Farrell, actress (13:31)
• "Me & Dennis" 2021 interviews (with Play All) (80:12 + 14:49)
-- Ethan Hawke, actor & filmmaker (43:52)
-- Julian Schnabel, filmmaker & artist (16:41)
-- Philippe Mora, filmmaker (19:37)
-- Richard Linklater, filmmaker (14:49)
• "Alex Cox Recalls Out of the Blue" 2021 interview (13:16)
• 2020 Montclair Film Festival Q&A (29:51)