Plot: What’s it about?
As he enjoys a party with some good friends, Jerry Zipkin (Zalman King) has no idea of the tragic turn of events that is soon set into motion. An old friend of his, Frannie Scott (Richard Crystal) is at the party and soon, he snaps and turns his rage on some of the guests. Scott pushes three people into the fireplace, an action that was sparked by someone yanking off his toupee, which sent the man into a violent outburst. As he doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt, Jerry steps in and tries to subdue Scott. This leads to an all out brawl, which spills out into the streets and looks to have a bloody, brutal finish. The end comes when Jerry pushes his former friend in front of a semi truck, which puts Scott down once and for all. This solves the problem of Scott’s violence, but now Jerry has troubles of his own. Not only is he responsible for Scott’s death, but he has no flawless alibi for the murders at the party. So when the heat is turned up on him, Jerry goes on the run and tries to uncover the truth about Scott’s violent temper. The signs seem to point to a bad batch of LSD, which was termed Blue Sunshine. Scott sampled the narcotic and so did some others, most of which have lost their hair and gained horrific anger issues. It seems that even after ten years, the Blue Sunshine trip has yet to come to an end…
This is one oddball picture, with insane hippies, tons of bald heads, some bad LSD, and of course, the presence of softcore maven Zalman King. The premise is quite cool, kind of like Hitchcock on psychedelic narcotics, with one hell of a weird streak. But Blue Sunshine is fueled more by insanity than storyline, so don’t expect a traditional style thriller here. A number of memorable scenes are found here however, such as toupee snatching, fireplace stuffing, and my personal favorite, the one man destruction of a disco. You have to love the music in this picture too, as it brings even more of a weird texture and of course, the soundtrack is included in this release. As far as performances, most of the work seen here is overacting, especially from King, but that never lessens the overall entertainment value. I mean, you don’t need award level efforts here, as the wild atmosphere and bizarre bald maniacs are sufficient. A movie that defies reason and classification, Blue Sunshine is a must see for fans of cult cinema. This limited edition release from Synapse Films is almost too good to be true, with a restored, uncut version of the movie itself, plus a special CD soundtrack and a host of great supplements, a superb treatment in all respects. As such, Blue Sunshine is highly recommended to cult cinema fans, without hesitation.
The acting here is not superb, as I said before, but it does have its charms, being so outlandish and over the top at times. The lead in Blue Sunshine is a man we know better as a director and producer, and as the force behind a number of erotic productions. Yes, Zalman King is present and he is in front of the camera here, which might surprise some viewers. But in truth, King has acted in numerous projects, though success was minimal in most cases. So he went into the realm of erotica, where he has created the Red Shoe Diaries, a popular erotic anthology series that is broadcast on Showtime. In Blue Sunshine, his performance is manic and out of control, which makes for an entertaining watch. I think he made the right decision to move behind the camera, but even so, his work here is quite humorous. If you’re interested in King’s erotic work, check out Two Moon Junction, Wild Orchid, Delta of Venus, and Women of the Night. The cast also includes Deborah Winters (The Outing, Tarantulas), Mark Goddard (Roller Boogie, Strange Invaders), and Brion James (Cherry 2000, The Fifth Element).
Video: How does it look?
Blue Sunshine is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. I was quite impressed with the visuals here, as this movie has a very checkered past. All of the original elements were lost or destroyed, so Synapse began a worldwide search for the best available materials, to create this restored and uncut presentation. The end result is a superb visual effort, but keep in mind the unique circumstances involved. The print has some debris and damage, but not enough to be concerned about, given the situation. The image is also on the soft side, with some grain evident, but again, all things considered, the movie looks terrific. I found colors and contrast to be solid too, with no serious troubles. A restoration comparison is included here also, in case you want to see the dramatic enhancements made by Synapse.
Audio: How does it sound?
As the original audio materials were still available, Synapse was able to craft a new Dolby Digital 5.1 option for this release. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is one dynamic and effective soundtrack. The surrounds are used to enhance the experience, especially in terms of subtle atmosphere and the musical score. The score now immerses you in the picture, as it surrounds you and adds a little more punch to some scenes. The sound effects remain reserved in most scenes, but there is subtle presence at times. I found dialogue to be crisp and clean throughout, with no signs of trouble I could detect. This new soundtrack is head & shoulders above what I expected, so I think fans will be delighted. In case you’re like me and also want the original presentation, Synapse has also included the original mono track.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release has some terrific supplements, starting off with an audio commentary with director Jeff Lieberman, who is joined by moderator Howard Berger. Lieberman mostly talks about the trials & tribulations of low budget filmmaking, so we hear about all kinds of production fiascoes in this session. He also speaks about the cast and the overall experience, as well as his thoughts on the film after all these years. Lieberman is also found in a half hour interview, in which he discusses his career in low budget horror cinema, including some projects that went unproduced. He has a lot of insightful comments in this interview, so fans won’t want to miss this piece. This disc also includes some still photos, Lieberman’s short film The Ringer (w/ optional audio comments), a restoration comparison, and the film’s rare, original theatrical trailer. A superb assortment of supplements, so kudos to Synapse on this release. The first fifty-thousand copies of Blue Sunshine also offer the film’s CD soundtrack, which has never before been offered before this release. So that’s reason enough to snag this edition as soon as possible.
