directed by Haskell Wexler
The time: 1968. The Place: Chicago. Who? The Democratic National Convention. Haskell Wexler had the foresight to figure there would be blood at the 1968's Democratic National Convention. So, Wexler and a few unknown actors went to ground zero in Chicago to shoot from a script Wexler wrote, and ended up making an amazing film in which the entire cast and crew a part of the unrest. And got great footage.
See our YouTube upload of the official theatrical trailer click official theatrical trailer
Forster plays a cameraman so jaded he barely blinks while getting video of a dying woman at a car crash. He works for a television station -- thus the term Medium Cool, coined by the great Marshall McLuhan for media that requires more effort on the part of viewers to determine what is going on. Forster's character meets a young mother from West Virginia, played by Verna Bloom. She is the innocence in the story, the young mom raising her son in a tough Chicago ghetto. As Forster gets more involved in the relationship, his feelings awaken. See another YouTube upload of the opening scene.
Forster is better known as Max Cherry in Quinten Tarantino's Jackie Brown, 1995, and the granddad who belted Sid in George Clooney's The Descendents. 2011. Medium Cool in its improvisation and in-the-moment shooting would make Tarantino envious. Forster started in a tiny role as the voyeur in John Huston's Reflections in a Golden Eye, starring Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor. He has not been on the screen a lot, but his roles have been excellent.
Medium Cool initially was rated X for one nude scene which is tame by today's standards. The film's smart, sensitive script and understated actors play well against the time of fiery civil unrest.
Please see our YouTube upload of a early scene click here
The digital transfer to DVD is beautiful, it has the original theatrical trailer, scene selection and full commentary by Wexler. It is in widescreen for 16:9 TVs, Region 1 (US, CA) and for light shipping comes in a protective sleeve, no art. In the U.S. it ships USPS first class $4 and $8 to anywhere outside the US. Rates have increases due to consecutive price increases by USPS. Please check back as we are adding inventory often.
Please check back as we are always adding inventory as often as we can.
- UPC 097360690743
- ISBN 07391767
- Brand DVD
- Mfg Part # none
00578
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