Ganja & Hess

Raves for Ganja & Hess

Selected as runner-up for Best DVD Exclusive of 1998 by film.com!

"I bought my first DVD player based on the format's proper treatment of just one film: All Day Entertainment's new release of writer/director Bill Gunn's landmark 1973 tour de force of Black American cinema Ganja & Hess... arguably the most important DVD release in the format's young history."

--Travis Crawford, Video Eyeball

"Early adopters of the DVD format have had no trouble stocking their libraries with blockbuster titles; it's heartening to see, though, that specialist and cult items are becoming increasingly available. On the really unusual front, a new company called All Day Entertainment is making small strides with super-specialist genre films, presented with quality and integrity. All Day's latest is the legendary Ganja & Hess, a 1973 film mutilated by distributors from its original version to heighten its blaxploitation potential. All Day is releasing the picture in its rarely seen original version."

--Glenn Kenny, Premiere Magazine

" In their finest and most important release to date, All Day have rescued this important and significant film from the jaws of oblivion. This DVD is a splendid piece of restoration, certainly strong enough to win the film some well-deserved expsore, and a new generation of enthusiasts. The supplementary features include an excellent, lively commentary by the filmmakers. As much as I admired the film before, the commentary increased my respect and affection for it."

--Tim Lucas, Video Watchdog

"A subtly disquieting film that's more about class and assimilation than neck bites. One of All Day's first releases, it has a decent print, an amiable audio commentary from many of the principals, and a lengthy article by Tim Lucas and David Walker on its production history."

--Michael Giltz, Entertainment Weekly

"All Day Entertainment has now undertaken its most laudable task, restoring the late Bill Gunn's 1973 Ganja & Hess for DVD. More aesthetically fascinating than emotionally involving, Ganja is well worth viewing for those interested in the more esoteric branches of the horror and black film genres and in seeing Gunn's unusal vision rescued. A groundbreaking work of black cinema."

--Michael Gingold, Fangoria

"A multilayered, thoughtful reinvention of classical vampirism. Audaciously experimental in form, it has an intriguingly fractured narrative and makes extraordinary use of sound in telling its tale of impassioned lovers transforming themselves and their shared world. Previously trimmed by its clueless distributor, the film has been restored to its full length by All Day Entertainment. In its current form it's a singular, monumentally iconocalstic masterpiece."

--Art Black, Psychotronic Video

"One of the most unique and poignant tales of horror, Ganja & Hess is a movie all film lovers should see, and film students should learn from. Clean audio, and a picture made beautiful with the digital transfer. And this has to be the most beautiful cover created for any DVD, courtesy of artist Bill Chancellor."

--Todd Doogan, The Digital Bits

"This DVD is fleshed out, as all good movies deserve to be, with an essay, production stills, audio commentary by most of the major surviving participants, and other extras. With any luck, it will find an audience while serving as an example of how films deserve to be treated."

--Keith Phipps, The Onion

"Perhaps the most significant release by All Day thus far is the full version of Ganja & Hess. Featuring elegantly composed images and a serious never-before-seen take on vampirism, Ganja & Hess is a film for those who think all vampire films are essentially the same. All Day has presented this very adult film (featuring full frontal nudity and outbursts of graphic violence) in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and restored it to its full 110 minute running time. Not satisfied with this, All Day has included a running audio commentary, a reproduction of a 24 page essay, a series of cast photos and production stills, and prosuction notes. Ganja & Hess can be viewed time after time with the viewer seeing something new upon each sitting."

--John Stell, Monsters From the Vault

"While many of the horror and fantasy releases of 1998 have been truly spectacular, All Day has possibly outdone all of them with their restoration of the greatest holy grail of 70's black cinema, Ganja & Hess. This remarkable work, often cited as the thinking man's black horror film, has become something of a legend to collectors who have often heard about it but never actually seen it. At last, the full director's cut can be seen by the public. All Day has done a stunning job with the transfer. This is an essential purchase."

--Nathaniel Thompson, Mondo Digital

"A lot of films shoot for a dreamlike atmosphere and such, but very few succeed and among those that do, this picture is one of the finest examples. This picture has elements of horror, blaxploitation, and some real offbeat stuff too, but it just doesn't fit into any of those genres in clean fashion. This disc from All Day Entertainment restores the film to the intended director's cut, as it had been hacked many times before, so it could run in various drive in features. I recommend this movie to all fans of cinema and with such a deluxe treatment, I think All Day Entertainment (distributed via Image Entertainment) deserves some recognition for their work here, very impressive indeed.

This includes a very informative and extensive text essay by Tim Lucas and David Walker, a selection of production stills and promotional materials, and an excellent audio commentary track. The track features Sam Waymon (soundtrack composer), Marlene Clark (performer), James Hinton (cinematographer), and Chris Schultz (producer), all of whom seem to have a lot to say. I was very impressed with how much insight is given here and if you're a fan of Ganja & Hess, this is a must listen track, even if you usually skip audio commentaries. "

--Marc Girdler, DVD Authority

Raves for Ganja & Hess
Selected as runner-up for Best DVD Exclusive of 1998 by film.com! "I bought my first DVD player based on the format's proper treatment of just one film: All Day Entertainment's new release of writer/director Bill Gunn's landmark 1973 tour de force of Black American cinema Ganja & Hess... arguably the most important DVD release in the format's young history." --Travis Crawford, Video Eyeball
	"Early adopters of the DVD format have had no trouble stocking their libraries with blockbuster titles; it's heartening to see, though, that specialist and cult items are becoming increasingly available. On the really unusual front, a new company called All Day Entertainment is making small strides with super-specialist genre films, presented with quality and integrity. All Day's latest is the legendary Ganja & Hess, a 1973 film mutilated by distributors from its original version to heighten its blaxploitation potential. All Day is releasing the picture in its rarely seen original version." --Glenn Kenny, *Premiere Magazine* " In their finest and most important release to date, All Day have rescued this important and significant film from the jaws of oblivion. This DVD is a splendid piece of restoration, certainly strong enough to win the film some well-deserved expsore, and a new generation of enthusiasts. The supplementary features include an excellent, lively commentary by the filmmakers. As much as I admired the film before, the commentary increased my respect and affection for it." --Tim Lucas, Video Watchdog "A subtly disquieting film that's more about class and assimilation than neck bites. One of All Day's first releases, it has a decent print, an amiable audio commentary from many of the principals, and a lengthy article by Tim Lucas and David Walker on its production history." --Michael Giltz, Entertainment Weekly "All Day Entertainment has now undertaken its most laudable task, restoring the late Bill Gunn's 1973 Ganja & Hess for DVD. More aesthetically fascinating than emotionally involving, Ganja is well worth viewing for those interested in the more esoteric branches of the horror and black film genres and in seeing Gunn's unusal vision rescued. A groundbreaking work of black cinema." --Michael Gingold, Fangoria "A multilayered, thoughtful reinvention of classical vampirism. Audaciously experimental in form, it has an intriguingly fractured narrative and makes extraordinary use of sound in telling its tale of impassioned lovers transforming themselves and their shared world. Previously trimmed by its clueless distributor, the film has been restored to its full length by All Day Entertainment. In its current form it's a singular, monumentally iconocalstic masterpiece." --Art Black, Psychotronic Video "One of the most unique and poignant tales of horror, Ganja & Hess is a movie all film lovers should see, and film students should learn from. Clean audio, and a picture made beautiful with the digital transfer. And this has to be the most beautiful cover created for any DVD, courtesy of artist Bill Chancellor." --Todd Doogan, The Digital Bits "This DVD is fleshed out, as all good movies deserve to be, with an essay, production stills, audio commentary by most of the major surviving participants, and other extras. With any luck, it will find an audience while serving as an example of how films deserve to be treated." --Keith Phipps, The Onion "Perhaps the most significant release by All Day thus far is the full version of Ganja & Hess. Featuring elegantly composed images and a serious never-before-seen take on vampirism, Ganja & Hess is a film for those who think all vampire films are essentially the same. All Day has presented this very adult film (featuring full frontal nudity and outbursts of graphic violence) in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and restored it to its full 110 minute running time. Not satisfied with this, All Day has included a running audio commentary, a reproduction of a 24 page essay, a series of cast photos and production stills, and prosuction notes. Ganja & Hess can be viewed time after time with the viewer seeing something new upon each sitting." --John Stell, Monsters From the Vault "While many of the horror and fantasy releases of 1998 have been truly spectacular, All Day has possibly outdone all of them with their restoration of the greatest holy grail of 70's black cinema, Ganja & Hess. This remarkable work, often cited as the thinking man's black horror film, has become something of a legend to collectors who have often heard about it but never actually seen it. At last, the full director's cut can be seen by the public. All Day has done a stunning job with the transfer. This is an essential purchase." --Nathaniel Thompson, Mondo Digital "A lot of films shoot for a dreamlike atmosphere and such, but very few succeed and among those that do, this picture is one of the finest examples. This picture has elements of horror, blaxploitation, and some real offbeat stuff too, but it just doesn't fit into any of those genres in clean fashion. This disc from All Day Entertainment restores the film to the intended director's cut, as it had been hacked many times before, so it could run in various drive in features. I recommend this movie to all fans of cinema and with such a deluxe treatment, I think All Day Entertainment (distributed via Image Entertainment) deserves some recognition for their work here, very impressive indeed. This includes a very informative and extensive text essay by Tim Lucas and David Walker, a selection of production stills and promotional materials, and an excellent audio commentary track. The track features Sam Waymon (soundtrack composer), Marlene Clark (performer), James Hinton (cinematographer), and Chris Schultz (producer), all of whom seem to have a lot to say. I was very impressed with how much insight is given here and if you're a fan of Ganja & Hess, this is a must listen track, even if you usually skip audio commentaries. " --Marc Girdler, DVD Authority