Taking its name from the Lumière Brothers invention of the same name, Cinématographe is a new sub-label from Vinegar Syndrome that seeks to fill gaps in the canon of American cinema. Offering a mix of auteur driven studio films produced during the New Hollywood era of the late 1960s and 70s all the way through the indie boom of the 1980s and 90s, Cinématographe will explore the wide breadth of American moviemaking, spanning numerous genres and scales of production. Curated and produced by Vinegar Syndrome's Justin LaLiberty, each limited edition release will be housed in a specially designed, cloth-bound, media book with embossed foil titles and custom molded disc trays accompanied by a slipcase featuring newly commissioned art and an individually numbered J-card.
Former evangelist Bill Hill (Christopher Walken, King of New York), discovers Juvenal (Skeet Ulrich, Scream), a purported miracle worker who can heal people simply by touching them and bears the marks of stigmata on his body. Hill, no stranger to exploiting others, sees a potential fortune in Juvenal and primes him for show business but Hill’s plans go awry when the woman he entrusts to seduce Juvenal (Bridget Fonda, Jackie Brown) falls for him and a fundamentalist reverend (Tom Arnold, True Lies) threatens to put a stop to the whole enterprise.
Based on a novel by noted crime author Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty, Jackie Brown) and
adapted for the screen and directed by Paul Schrader (Hardcore, Affliction), TOUCH is a burst of post-Tarantino dark comedy, matching Leonard’s offbeat characters with Schrader’s unwavering examination of theology in America. Featuring an ensemble cast that also includes the likes of Gina Gershon (Bound), Lolita Davidovich (Raising Cain), Paul Mazursky (director of An Unmarried Woman), Janeane Garofalo (Reality Bites) and LL Cool J as himself, TOUCH is quintessential Paul Schrader and ripe for rediscovery. Cinématographe is proud to present this often overlooked entry in the career of one of America’s most prized filmmakers in its first ever blu-ray release, sourced from a new 2K scan of its original camera negative.
directed by: Paul Schrader
starring: Bridget Fonda, Christopher Walken, Skeet Ulrich, Gina Gershon, Tom Arnold, Paul Mazursky, LL Cool J, Lolita Davidovich
1997 / 96 min / 1.85:1 / English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Additional info:
- Region A Blu-ray
- New 2K restoration from the 35mm Interpositive with original 5.1 theatrical soundtrack
- New video interview with writer/director Paul Schrader
- New audio commentary with film historians Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell
- New video essay by Daniel Kremer
- Essays by film critics Chris Cabin and Bilge Ebiri and filmmaker/writer Cosmo Bjorkenheim
- English SDH subtitles
