I like odd and challenging movies. Hell, one of my favorite movies is Salo: 120 Days of Sodom. I was excited to receive a copy of Gold from Wild Eye Releasing, representing a title that has been viewed by such a small segment of individuals that it feels lke a forbidden delight. However, there are good as well as bad sides to this movie that should be addressed. First off, Wild Eye has an incredibly sharp print of the film, much more clear both in terms of the video, conversation versus ambient noise, and musical selections that are present.
The music itself is absolutely amazing – whether it be better known acts like MC5 or slightly more forgotten acts like Beastly Times – while Wild Eye has stuck a tremendous amount of additional features on this DVD. This means that two distinct audio commentaries are present here, whether it be with those that were actually present at the filming (director Bob Levis and lead Garry Goodrow) or those that were tremendously influenced by the film (Upright Citizens Brigade). A vintage interview with Levis further fills up this bonus section, while the trailers present are integral in understanding what facets of the film were touted as important during its original theatrical run. Aside from these strong features, the film itself is a little bit of a mess.
The blending together of Hippie and Western elements seems to be a little hard to swallow, while the gratuitous sex scenes seem to further destroy any semblance of narrative that may be present. The absurd actions of the different characters in the film may be interesting, but I feel that I am missing some sort of subtext while watching this film, even with the additional benefit of these commentaries and interviews. The packaging of the film is without any complaint – I simply cannot complain there. I would suggest that viewers come into the feature with an opened mind and perhaps a few additional hours to fully tease out what is going on.
Rating: 6.4/10
Gold: 40th Anniversary Edition (DVD) / 2010 Wild Eye Releasing / 90 Minutes / http://www.wildeyereleasing.com /