This 61-minute retrospective documentary offers a very engrossing and illuminating chronicle on the making and distribution of the offbeat low-budget indie 70's drive-in movies "Axe" and 'Date With a Kidnapper." Writer/director Frederick R. Friedel talks about how he idolized Orson Welles and aspired to make his first film by the time he was twenty-five. Make-up artist Worth Keeter and production manager Phil Smoot reveal that they were paid next to nothing to work on "Axe." Disc jockey Ray Green discusses how he got cast and a close call with a splinter during the shooting of the scene in which Leslie Lee drags his body across a wooden floor.
Some of the best stories center on cinematographer Austin McKinney, who was a fast, but cranky guy who got paid one hundred per day to shoot "Axe" and had a quick temper that resulted in him admonishing other crew members for not always doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. Moreover, we get to learn the background story on rugged lead actor Jack Canon, who eventually quit acting after he failed to snag a coveted role in a TV series and went on to become a successful novelist. Sadly, the two guys who composed the scores for both films were tragically killed in an automobile accident. But the most alarming stuff in this doc comes from how crooked distributor Harry Novak pocketed the profits from Friedel's movies and refused to let Friedel have access to the negatives of his own films. Fortunately, Friedel was ultimately able to get the negatives back for a DVD and Blu-ray release of his pictures. Essential viewing for both fans of these movies and aficionados of 70's exploitation cinema alike.
Some of the best stories center on cinematographer Austin McKinney, who was a fast, but cranky guy who got paid one hundred per day to shoot "Axe" and had a quick temper that resulted in him admonishing other crew members for not always doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. Moreover, we get to learn the background story on rugged lead actor Jack Canon, who eventually quit acting after he failed to snag a coveted role in a TV series and went on to become a successful novelist. Sadly, the two guys who composed the scores for both films were tragically killed in an automobile accident. But the most alarming stuff in this doc comes from how crooked distributor Harry Novak pocketed the profits from Friedel's movies and refused to let Friedel have access to the negatives of his own films. Fortunately, Friedel was ultimately able to get the negatives back for a DVD and Blu-ray release of his pictures. Essential viewing for both fans of these movies and aficionados of 70's exploitation cinema alike.