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Features: DVD
Life in the park is daily warfare with rival gangs, police raids, the wealthy decadents who now come for drugs and the ongoing demons of addiction. This is where we meet Cody, once a dedicated family man whose addiction to crack cocaine met no criticism and was welcomed by others like him. The harder Cody tries to escape the parameters of the park, the more it seems to close in on him. Finally, Cody surrenders his pipe to reclaim a relationship with his son and a life outside MacArthur Park.
"...a rare balance of concision, sympathy and brute realism." Dennis Harvey, Variety
"Billy Wirth's unflinching look at the underside of life." Merle Bertrand, Filmthreat.com
Editor's Note
MACARTHUR PARK is the powerful directorial debut of actor Billy Wirth (THE LOST BOYS, WAR PARTY). Wirth's film was initially intended as a documentary on the homeless drug addicts living in Los Angeles' once-elegant, but now crime-infested, MacArthur Park. While interviewing park residents for the documentary, Wirth learned of a script written by a former playwright-turned-crack-addict, Tyrone Atkins, who had lived in the park but was now serving time in prison. Atkins' manuscript was eventually found and filmed by Wirth as a loosely-disguised biographical fiction centered around park resident and former trumpet player Cody (Thomas Jefferson Byrd), who lost both his career and his family to crack cocaine addiction. Byrd leads a large ensemble that cast includes Ellen Cleghorne, Lori Petty, Miguel Nunez, and real-life rappers Bad Azz, B-Real, and Sticky Fingaz as the park's other drug-addled citizens. The vibrant hip-hop soundtrack--composed by Jane's Addiction's Stephen Perkins and featuring an electrifying cover of "MacArthur Park" by Macy Gray--adds a gritty, authentic vibe to the film's portrayal of drug addiction and broken souls.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital Stereo | | Behind-The-Scenes Featurette | | Commentary And Interview With Director | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Trailer |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Showtime Entertainment |
| Release Date: 5/18/2004 |
| Running Time: 88 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2001 | | Catalog ID: 9049 | | UPC: 00758445904925 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Letterbox 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Sundance Film Festival (2001) | | | Billy Wirth, Nominee, Grand Jury Prize |
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