Originally posted by brizz

Now if we could only get City of Hope

On the eve of the theatrical premiere of his film Sunshine State, distributed by Sony Classics, pioneer independent filmmaker John Sayles has completed commentary tracks for a quartet of his earliest films: Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980), Lianna (1983), The Brother From Another Planet (1984) and Matewan (1987).

The films are part of a retrospective national theatrical tour presented by IFC Films. Each has been fully restored by Sayles’ company, Anarchists Convention, in consultation with the preservationists of the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

On recording commentaries, Sayles said he has “done yack sessions” before, most notably alongside producer Roger Corman on New Concorde’s Battle Beyond the Stars (1980), which he wrote, and on his own Limbo (1999), which was released by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment.

“I do a lot of free association on commentary tracks,” said Sayles, adding that since he edited three of the four debuting titles (the exception being Matewan), he

knows each film backward and forward. “The stuff in the films that I didn’t like then, I continue to dislike now, and that hasn’t changed. But I still like the performances.”

Secaucus 7, Lianna, Brother and Matewan are tentatively scheduled to be released on DVD by MGM Home Entertainment in 2003.

http://www.videopremiereawards.com/H...ewsSayles.html