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Jacqueline Bisset, Charles Champlin, Theresa Russell, Robert Altman, Stuart Cooper ... see more see more... , F.X. Feeney , James B. Harris , Henry Jaglom , Jim Jarmusch , Charles H. Joffe , Alexander Payne , Alan Rudolph , Penelope Spheeris , Oliver Stone , Quentin Tarantino , James Woods , Vilmos Zsigmond , Donald Hyde , Paul Verhoeven , Timothy Ryerson , David Chasman , Vera Anderson , Charles Lynn Batten , Andrea Grossman , Bill Mechanic , Edwin Michaelove , Ned Nalle , Jerry Pam , Chuck Ross , Doreen Ringer Ross , Jeff Schwager , Bob Strock , Jonathan Turell , Douglas Venturelli , Kevin Thomas

The Z Channel wasn't America's first premium cable outlet specializing in feature films, and it wasn't the most commercially successful, but few, if any, had as strong an impact on the film industry o... read more read more...r a more influential list of customers. Based in California and blanketing sections of the state dominated by the movie business, Z Channel had been operating for several years before former screenwriter Jerry Harvey took over as head of programming in 1980. Under the guidance of Harvey and his staff, the channel became a film buff's dream, screening rare classics, important foreign films, and maverick American titles that had fallen through the cracks of commercial distribution. Harvey and his staff also programmed original and uncut versions of films which had only played American theaters in altered form (including Heaven's Gate, Once Upon a Time in America, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and The Leopard) long before the concept of the "director's cut" had currency beyond the most hardcore of film fans. And The Z Channel aggressively championed pictures they believed were overlooked, and programmed deserving Oscar-nominated movies during the Academy's voting period, years before studios began distributing video "screeners" to potential voters. (More than one industry expert has credited Z Channel's showings of Annie Hall as a key factor in the film winning Best Picture.) But Jerry Harvey was also a deeply troubled man, and when legal and economic problems began dogging the company in the late '80s, he snapped, leading to a horrible and tragic murder and suicide. The Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession is a documentary that looks at the channel's short but remarkable history as well as Harvey's damaged personal life. It includes interviews with Robert Altman, Quentin Tarantino, James Woods, Jim Jarmusch, Alexander Payne and a number of other filmmakers and critics who attest to Z Channel's lasting impact. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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R, 2 hr. 2 min.

Directed by: Alexandra Cassavetes, Xan Cassavetes

Release Date: October 13, 2004

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DVD Release Date: June 27, 2005

Stats: 103 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (103)

  • mjgildea
    March 5, 2010
    mjgildea
    Z Channel - A Magnificent Obsession is a pretty damn good documentary about one of the first and possibly the best (from the sound of it if nothing else) cable movie channels ever. Z Channel not only played an incredibly wide selection of great movies that were swept under the ru... read moreg by studios for what was considered disappointing box office performances, but it also helped institute what we know today as the director's cut. That being said, Z Channel - A Magnificent Obsession is about the channel itself and its founder/programming director, Jerry Harvey. This documentary basically has one of a few things going on at any given time. There's either 1) a clip from any given movie that played on Z's eclectic rotation, 2) an interview with a director whose career was either jump started or saved by Harvey or 3) an interview with one of Harvey's close friends/exes/employees talking about how brilliant and/or fucking insane he was. This documentary also really makes you appreciative and grateful considering most of us wouldn't have heard of the movies we love today, let alone would have been able to see them if not for Harvey's work at Z Channel. This documentary is a must for any serious or even fair weather film buff who can even appreciate something different. Watching this movie also opens an incredibly huge can of worms by adding almost 2 dozen movies to my must-see list. It's like Martin Scorsese's Personal Journey Through American Movies all over again...
  • tsigur
    June 8, 2009
    tsigur
    Engaging and entertaining doc that is a must for film nerds. (Although, I really wish QT would calm the fuck down when being interviewed.) It's really interesting after watching this and reading Easy Riders, Raging Bulls at the same time makes me want to reconsider my career path... read more. It's a shame that this channel isn't still around and the wreckage that this man left behind. Good thing the last name of the director of this doc was Cassavettes who was able to tell a great story.
  • DrBenway
    August 24, 2008
    DrBenway
    Z Channel: A Magnicent Obsession is a film buffs delight, but it also should interest the casual movie-goer searching for a guide to movies not that familiar but worth seeing. Directed by Xan Cassavetes, daughter of maverick filmmaker John Cassavetes. This well-crafted document... read moreary puts together a fitting tribute to Jerry Harvey, who was head of programming at Z Channel, an independent groundbreaking Pay TV station founded in 1974 (before there were video stores or HBO).

    Films shown were as diverse as Heaven's Gate, Fitzcarraldo, The Leopard, Andrei Rublev, Das Boot, The 400 Blows, The Wild Bunch, Salvador, Once Upon A Time In America, 1900 and many others that would have been overlooked and most likely forgotten if it were not for Z Channel. Many of these films bombed in the theater because they were cut up by hack editors hired by the studio, but Jerry was able to get them shown in their uncut version, and this later led to films re-released as director's cut. It was through such a cross-section of art films and commercial ones, European, Asian and American, that Z station built a loyal and broad audience. A host of film people are interviewed such as James Woods, Jacqueline Bisset, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Altman and Jim Jarmush who speak of Jerry's contributions and his love for film.
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  • gor41
    October 20, 2007
    gor41
    Excellent documentary for movie buffs, charting the life of an LA pay channel that dared to be different and its parallel with the tragic life of its key programmer, which suffuses the film with a melancholy air.
  • littlecharmer1959
    September 4, 2008
    littlecharmer1959
    If only the Z channel was still around today!

    Extremely interesting documentary, a must for film buffs everywhere.
  • kingmob6
    November 9, 2011
    kingmob6
    Amazingly fun & informative documentary about the early days of cable television in Los Angeles, and the revolutionary programmer who came to an awful end after having a huge impact on the industry.

    A lot of fun to watch for the vintage film footage and clips from the numerous m... read moreovies that Jerry Harvey championed and brought into wider release through his time at the network.

    Recommended.
  • RicardoCraneo
    June 26, 2011
    RicardoCraneo
    A tad overlong, but otherwise, a cinephile's revelation in what makes cinema today - the good and the bad. Quite shocking to see how much of this relatively small but heavyweight business rested on one man and how it was cut short before its ballooning in what would've probably b... read moreeen the expanding of art house, indie and foreign nationwide in the US. This would've probably prevented the crap movies Hollywood makes these days too. Endlessly interesting for the film lover as it mentions films from every corner of the world; movies featured on what sounds like was the best television channel ever made for films.
  • bleedirony
    July 20, 2009
    bleedirony
    I only knew a little bit about Z channel growing up because my dad would tell me about it. I wish I lived during that time to catch all the great films that Z channel had to offer. I recommend this to any film buffs looking for films that fell off the radar and are essential view... read moreing. Some of the films featured in this documentary are hard to find if you don't look hard enough.
  • NathanSwink
    November 3, 2007
    NathanSwink
    The birth of the ?Director?s cut? was a little channel on the edge of the cable-boom, called z-chanel.
  • thrusz
    October 7, 2007
    thrusz
    I feel like I'm pretty educated when it comes to film. Sure, I'm no Greg, but I've seen my fair share of movies. Not knowing what the Z Channel was makes me feel dumb. Admittedly, I didn't live in Los Angeles during the 70's and 80's. Hell, I was born in 1983. Peckinpah died... read more in 1984. Just to let you know where I fall on the great cinematic timeline.

    The interesting part about Cassavetes's documentary is the focus on Jerry Harvey in relation to his publicity of movies that were previously ignored. It isn't about his murder-suicide and while that is mentioned, it takes a backseat to what really matters: the power of film. Pretty much what this movie did for me is make a new list. I need to see a lot more movies thanks to this documentary. I feel like I'll never see a good portion of these films simply because I'll forget, but I feel negligent in what little I have seen on the grand scale of things. I know it's not possible to see everything, but I certainly can try.

View All Z Channel - A Magnificent Obsession Reviews

Critic Reviews

David Nusair
October 31, 2008
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...a fascinating, thoroughly engaging documentary... Full Review

Jonathan W. Hickman
March 7, 2005
Jonathan W. Hickman, Entertainment Insiders

...films like Z Channel help to further my education providing an enriching experience for any serious cineaste. Full Review

Robert Roten
February 3, 2005
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope

What comes across most is the deep affection that viewers continue to have for this pioneering cable channel. Full Review

Walter Chaw
January 31, 2005
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central

A glass darkly held to watchers in the dark that succumb, now and again, to the rapture of the screen. Full Review

Dan Lybarger
December 3, 2004
Dan Lybarger, eFilmCritic.com

Xan Cassavetes' new documentary Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession recaptures the thrill of catching a rare film on the channel. Full Review

Christopher Null
November 30, 2004
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

How Z Channel affected the development and release of movies is interesting Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
November 29, 2004
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

This hugely entertaining documentary tells the surprisingly engrossing story of a beloved cable channel in Los Angeles. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
November 19, 2004
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A film buffs delight. Full Review

Jon Popick
November 6, 2004
Jon Popick, Planet Sick-Boy

Recommended viewing for any serious film lover. Full Review

Peter Hanson
November 6, 2004
Peter Hanson, Film Threat

It's thoughtful and arresting. Full Review

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