GRINDHOUSE RELEASING Presents Duke Mitchell's GONE WITH THE POPE, Sam Raimi's EVIL DEAD
Oscar-Winner Bob Murawski to Introduce Festival Screenings
LOS ANGELES - Grindhouse Releasing is proud to announce that Duke Mitchell's long-lost 1970s crime saga GONE WITH THE POPE will be shown on screens across the country following the film's successful world premiere in Hollywood.
A renowned nightclub entertainer, singer and movie actor known as "Mr. Palm Springs," Mitchell directs and stars in GONE WITH THE POPE as an ex-con who hatches a plan to kidnap the Pope in exchange for the ransom of "a dollar from every Catholic in the world." The movie has been described as "the holy grail for lovers of B-movies" and "a true gem from the American underground."
GONE WITH THE POPE was shot in 1975 but remained unfinished at the time of Duke Mitchell's death in 1981. The film reels sat in his son's garage until Grindhouse Releasing owners Sage Stallone and Bob Murawski offered to take a shot at piecing the movie together. Murawski took charge of the restoration and spent 15 years giving Mitchell's low-budget movie an A-list treatment in between editing Sam Raimi's SPIDER MAN 1, 2 & 3, DRAG ME TO HELL, and THE HURT LOCKER.
Murawski and wife/partner Chris Innis won Best Film Editing Oscars for their work on THE HURT LOCKER the same week that GONE WITH THE POPE premiered at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
"The audience response to the movie at the Hollywood premiere surpassed my wildest expectations," Murawski said. "The turnout was incredible, with the Egyptian Theatre filled to almost capacity. And the crowd was with the movie the entire time - laughing, gasping and cheering at all the appropriate places. The film ended to a thunderous applause that lasted a full minute. It was like a Cannes Film Festival screening. Or a rock concert. After 15 years of hard work finishing this movie, the feeling of accomplishment was tangible and profound. My only regret was that Duke himself was not with us to share it. However, I'm certain he was there in spirit. I feel we have done something truly special in finishing GONE WITH THE POPE, and am excited that audiences across the US and beyond will get a chance to experience the movie on the big screen in its upcoming theatrical tour."
The buzz from the film's debut caught the interest of Landmark Theatres, which has been working with Grindhouse on the revival of Sam Raimi's EVIL DEAD. GONE WITH THE POPE is scheduled to open on Landmark screens in New York City, Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Houston, Dallas, and Washington, D.C.
Murawski will travel to Copenhagen to introduce GONE WITH THE POPE at the CPH PIX Film Festival this month. He will also attend a festival screening at George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film in May.
Meanwhile, Grindhouse Releasing reports success with its ongoing North American tour featuring Sam Raimi's EVIL DEAD. The horror classic will screen April 3 at the Alamo Drafthouse in WInchester, Va., and April 10 at the Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes in San Antonio, Tx., on a triple bill with EVIL DEAD 2 and ARMY OF DARKNESS.
"EVIL DEAD is a movie that will never die," said David Szulkin, head of theatrical bookings for Grindhouse Releasing. "Thanks to Landmark Theatres, the Alamo Drafthouse, and other exhibitors, we've been able to bring the movie back to the fans who love it. Recent screenings of EVIL DEAD at the Nu Art Theatre in Los Angeles, the Alamo in North Austin, and other venues were sold out completely. The movie will continue to play through the end of 2010."
For more information and updates, visit www.GrindhouseReleasing.com and www.GoneWithThePope.com. For press, stills, and bookings, e-mail David Szulkin at info@grindhousereleasing.com.
GONE WITH THE POPE trailer
L.A. Weekly review of GONE WITH THE POPE by Karina Longworth
VARIETY coverage of GONE WITH THE POPE premiere by Carole Horst
GONE WITH THE POPE
April 3 - Grand Illusion Cinema, Seattle
April 23 & 25 - CPH PIX Festival, Copenhagen
May 6 - George Eastman House, Rochester, NY
May 10 - Doc Films, Chicago
May 21 & 22 - E Street Cinema, Washington, D.C.
June 4 & 5 - Sunshine Cinema, NYC
June 11 & 12 - Uptown Theatre, Minneapolis
June 18 & 19 Main Art Theatre, Detroit
June 25 & 26 River Oaks, Houston
July 2 & 3 Inwood Theatre, Dallas
EVIL DEAD
April 3 – Alamo Winchester, Winchester, VA
April 10 – Alamo Westlakes, San Antonio – with EVIL DEAD 2 and ARMY OF DARKNESS
April 16-17 – Cable Car Cinema, Providence, RI
April 23-24 – Guild Cinema, Albuquerque, NM
April 30 – May 1 – Music Box Theatre, Chicago
May 2 – 5 – Alamo Ritz, Austin, TX
May 14 – 15 – Hi-Pointe Theatre, St. Louis
May 21 – Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, MI
May 22 - Hudson Horror Show, Poughkeepsie, NY with PIECES and ZOMBIE
May 28-29 – Oaks Theater, Oakmont, PA
June 5 – Cedar Lee Theatre, Cleveland
June 12- 13 – Palace Theatre, Syracuse
June 12 – Ken Cinema, San Diego
June 19 – Ritz East, Philadelphia
June 25 – Art Theatre, Long Beach, CA
July 9-11 – Brattle Theatre, Cambridge, MA
July 24 – Circle Cinema, Tulsa, OK
July 31 – Cinema Arts Centre, Huntington, NY
August 21 – Oriental Theatre, Milwaukee
September 4 – The Screen, Santa Fe, NM
September 10 – 11 – MIDWAY DRIVE-IN, Dixon, Ill., with S.F. Brownrigg’s SCUM OF THE EARTH and more!
October 15 – Castro Theatre, San Francisco
October 29 – 30 – Main Art Theatre, Detroit
About Grindhouse Releasing:
Owned by actor/director Sage Stallone and Academy Award-winning film editor Bob Murawski, Grindhouse Releasing has restored such notorious exploitation-horror films as CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, CANNIBAL FEROX (a.k.a. MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY), Lucio Fulci's THE BEYOND and CAT IN THE BRAIN, PIECES, and I DRINK YOUR BLOOD. Renowned for its commitment to excellence, the company has been called the Criterion of cult movies (Film-Talk.com). In addition to its DVD releases, Grindhouse distributes its films in theaters. Grindhouse Releasing partnered with Quentin Tarantino's Rolling Thunder to release THE BEYOND in theaters and in 2010 launched a nationwide re-release of Sam Raimi's EVIL DEAD.
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