ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (UMD/PSP/WS 2.35 A/2.0 SURROUND/MONO/ENG-SUB/FR-BOTH) DVD

Escape from New York
The year is 1997. Manhattan Island is now a heavily guarded maximum-security prison, where the scum of the earth have converged. When Air Force One crash-lands in Manhattan, the president (Donald Pleasence) is held hostage by its denizens. One-eyed mercenary Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is strong-armed into rescuing the chief executive. He is aided, not always willingly, by a tough gal (Adrienne Barbeau) and a manic cab driver (Ernest Borgnine). Escape from New York was followed by a sequel of sorts in 1996, Escape From L.A., again starring Kurt Russell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken Lee Van Cleef as Bob Hauk Ernest Borgnine as Cabbie Donald Pleasence as President of the United States Isaac Hayes as The Duke of New York Season Hubley as Girl in Chock Full O'Nuts Harry Dean Stanton as Brain Adrienne Barbeau as Maggie Tom Atkins as Rehme Charles Cyphers as Secretary of State

Crew Barry Bernardi - Associate Producer Stephen Loomis - Costume Designer Larry J. Franco - First Assistant Director John Carpenter - Director Todd Ramsay - Editor John Carpenter - Composer (Music Score) Alan Howarth - Composer (Music Score) Ken Chase - Makeup Raymond Stella - Camera Operator Joe Alves - Production Designer Dean Cundey - Cinematographer Alan Levine - Production Manager Larry J. Franco - Producer Debra Hill - Producer Cloudia - Set Designer Roy Arbogast - Special Effects Thomas D. Causey - Sound/Sound Designer Steve Maslow - Sound/Sound Designer James Winburn - Stunts Kent Hays - Stunts Roydon E. Clark - Stunts Mike Johnson - Stunts Jack Verbois - Stunts Jesse Wayne - Stunts Eddie Hice - Stunts Tony Brubaker - Stunts Ted White - Stunts Harvey Parry - Stunts John Moio - Stunts Buff Brady - Stunts Sandy Gimpel - Stunts Bill Hart - Stunts George Wilbur - Stunts George Sawava - Stunts Loren Janes - Stunts Fred Lerner - Stunts Mike McGaughy - Stunts Bob Minor - Stunts Glory Fioramonti - Stunts Nick Castle, Jr. - Screenwriter John Carpenter - Screenwriter

Escape from New York
John Carpenter is a cinematic virtuoso, and his talents as a writer, director, and even composer are all at the forefront of Escape From New York. Given the mere seven-million-dollar budget, the film is a technical achievement as well as a testament to Carpenter's ingenuity. These were the days before computer-generated special effects; the aerial city view, for example, was an actual physical model that Carpenter painted and filmed -- there's nothing digital about it. At the time, Kurt Russell was best known for his roles in family films, and it's safe to say that Escape sent his career in a more profitable direction. His growly performance as the eye-patched Snake Plissken is one of the more memorable cinematic bad-guy heroes. For all its strengths, the film has a rather slow pace and never really develops much suspense, even in the action sequences. Regardless, there are many great scenes and images here; the view of the unlit, desolate New York City skyline is particularly memorable. In the years since its release, the film has gained a solid cult following and given rise to many imitators, particularly on the Italian filmmaking scene. ~ Matthew Doberman, All Movie Guide
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English, French Sound Processing: Additional Features: DVD Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1: Cinemascope MPAA Rating: R DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 99 min