Rent Magic, Myth and Mutilation (2015)
2.6 of 5 from 51 ratings
10h 42min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Containing the complete surviving works of Britain's great, unheralded DIY auteur, this definitive, individually numbered, ten-disc set collects an astonishing half-century of creative output. For the first time ever, these twenty-six films are presented newly restored and remastered, using original film and tape materials held in the Murphy archive, and are accompanied by a wealth of bonus materials...
- Actors:
- James Reynard, Timur Kocak, Lisa Fornara, Kate Steavenson-Payne, Pauline Kennedy, Espen Nowacki, Susannah Vilenne, Kevin Ryan, Judith Holding, Chris Jupp, Anthony Whitfield, Steve Lewis, Alan Jensen, Neil Goulbourn, Lorna Richardson, Nick Kynvin, Claire Helps, Ben Green, Vince Dunningham, Stephen Harris
- Directors:
- Michael J. Murphy
- Producers:
- Michael J. Murphy, Jeanne Griffin, Rick Arthur
- Writers:
- Michael J. Murphy, Leo Golding
- Aka:
- Magic, Myth & Mutilation: The Micro-Budget Cinema of Michael J Murphy, 1967–2015
- Studio:
- Elevation
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 30/01/2023
- Run Time:
- 2241 minutes
- Languages:
- English Mono, English Stereo
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Various
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- Alternative presentations of Invitation to Hell, Qualen, Bloodstream, Tristan (1986), The Rite of Spring, and Tristan (1999)
- Archival audio commentaries on Invitation to Hell and The Last Night with Michael
- J Murphy, and actors Phil Lyndon and Sally Duncan
- Archival audio commentary on Atlantis with Murphy, and actors Lyndon, Judith Holding and June Bunday
- New audio commentary on Invitation to Hell with writer Johnny Walker
- Archival audio commentary on Skare with Murphy and Holding
- Murphy's Lore: three-part documentary exploring Murphy's life, work, andlegacy
- Surviving fragments from Murphy's lost works
- Making of and behind-the-scenes documentaries
- Outtakes
- Alternative and deleted scenes
- Surviving extracts and rehearsal footage from the lost 2001 version of Skare
- 16mm test footage from the early 1980s
- Mike Gives Us a Tour of His Home and Studio: 2014 short
- Murlyn's Cave: friends and collaborators salvage rare items and props from the director's home shortly after his death in 2015
- Trailers
- Image galleries
- Script galleries
- World premieres on Blu-ray
- Disc 1:
- This disc includes the following:
- Qualen (1983)
- Bloodstream (1985)
- Special Features - Disc 2:
- This disc includes the following:
- Tristan (Versions 1 and 2) - (aka Legend of the Hero) (1986)
- Death Run (1987)
- Special Features - Disc 3:
- This disc includes the following:
- Roxi (2004)
- Skare (2009)
- Special Features - Disc 4:
- This disc includes the following:
- ZK3 (2012)
- Nekros: Isle of the Dead (2014)
- The Return of Alan Strange (2015)
- Special Features - Disc 5:
- This disc includes the following:
- Second Sight (1991)
- Road to Nowhere (1993)
- Special Features - Disc 6:
- This disc includes the following:
- The Rite of Spring (Version 1 and 2) - (1995)
- Tristan (Version 1 and 2) - (1999)
- Special Features - Disc 7:
- This disc includes the following:
- Tristan and Iseult (1970)
- Happy Ever After (1974)
- Secrets (1977)
- Almost a Movie! (1979)
- Special Features - Disc 8:
- This disc includes the following:
- The Cell (1980)
- Stay (1980)
- Death in the Family (1981)
- Invitation to Hell (1982)
- The Last Night (1982)
- Special Features - Disc 9:
- This disc includes the following:
- Avalon (1988)
- Moonchild (1989)
- Special Features - Disc 10:
- This disc includes the following:
- Torment (1990)
- Atlantis (1991)
- Special Features
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Reviews (1) of Magic, Myth and Mutilation
The worlds of Michael J. - Magic, Myth and Mutilation review by NP
Michael J Murphy was a prolific, mostly unknown writer and director who died quite suddenly in April 2015.
He leaves behind a film legacy contained here in what must surely be its entirety. 26 films on 10 discs, together with a plethora of extras.
The first thing that grabs you when watching is that the 'micro budget' label on the cover is painfully true - you cannot help but be thrown by the DIY quality of many of the productions; it's also very interesting to see how they progress technically and professionalism over the years. Very cheaply made to the end - Murphy talks about at length in the interviews - they are nevertheless engaging in terms of story and situation. There are more twists, turns and revelations than you might imagine, and that - for me - outweighs the deficiencies in budget.
My preference is for the thriller/horror featured here rather than the sword and sorcery efforts (although the three visitations to the story of 'Tristan' are very strong and surprisingly touching). Perhaps 'Torment' is my favourite - a twisted story that balances the brutality of celebrity culture with full-on horror - although 'Death Run', 'Moonchild' and the last film 'The Return of Alan Strange' all come a close second. It's difficult to place them in order.
I knew nothing about Michael J Murphy, but I'm really glad I took the plunge with this set. His repertoire of actors became his close friends, their fondness for him evident in the interviews. The only question that remains after watching, is 'what could he have achieved if he had a budget?'
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