In the 1970s the idea a man with the best of power and athleticism was reveled in the iconic show The Six Million Dollar Man and than the spin-off series The Bionic Woman. Now many athletes would given anything to have those type of advantages.
Just a short year after The Bionic Woman series left the air. A new story, a different type of story about a super women athlete would thrill movie goers entitled Goldengirl. Now the good folks from Scorpion Releasing and Kino Lorber are giving this film a Blu-ray release cult movie fans are going to devour.
The film follows a scientist and neo-Nazi doctor named Serafin (Curt Jürgens) who developed a way to create a physically superior human beings. So he decides to tests this out on his adopted daughter, Goldine (Susan Anton). He has been injecting her with supplements since her childhood and now is her time. Serafin declares that his "Goldengirl" will enter and win three races at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
As a cash grab Serafin sells shares in his daughter's future to a business syndicate. Now in an attempt to look out for their interest they send merchandising expert Jack Dryden (James Coburn) to see to Goldine's personal and emotional development. But he didn't expect to fall in love with her, he unravels the bizarre history of her training!
Now while the film is based on the science fiction novel of the same title by Peter Lear, the neo-nazi superwoman plot is sadly barely mentioned. It revolves more around the sport and the relationship of Jack and Goldine. While that could be a bit of a downer, don't worry this is still a very interesting film.
The film is directed by Joseph Sargent (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three) and expertly scored by Bill Conti (Rocky). In addition to Susan Anton and James Coburn the film co-stars Leslie Caron (Gigi), Robert Culp (TV’s I Spy), Harry Guardino (Dirty Harry), Michael Lerner (Barton Fink). There is also a cameo appearance by tennis great John Newcombe.
The film makes it's Blu-ray debut thanks to Scorpion Releasing, Studio Canal and Kino Lorber. The film has been transferred in 1080p in 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a DTS-HD 2.0 audio, from a brand new 4K Restoration by StudioCanal. There is also optional English subtitles.
I have seen stills of this film and looking at those in comparison to what we see on this Blu-ray the difference is night and day. Studio Canal did such a tremendous job with this restoration. While it may not be a perfect restoration is it pretty good. There is some softness to the picture and and very slight muffling in the audio, but those are very minor complaints.
Now Kino Lorber went above and beyond with this Blu-ray and added some really cool bonus features. Take a look at what is included on this Blu-ray.
* NEW Interview with Star Susan Anton
This is a very interesting near 12 minute video chat where Susan Anton talks about her singing career and working in this movie.
* NEW Interview with Actor Nicolas Coster
In this 7 minute video chat interview Nicolas shares his thoughts on director Joseph Sargent, his co-stars in the film especially Susan Anton. His thoughts on the 1980 boycott of the Olympics and more.
* NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson
* Composer Bill Conti: Career Highlights
This 15 minute video chat Bill Conti shares highlights of his amazing career that included scoring Rocky, The Karate Kid, The Right Stuff and many more.
* Trailers
I think it is interesting to note that NBC heavily invested in this movie with plans to air it during the 1980 Summer Olympics. But as we all know their was a boycott of those Olympic games. So it was sent to theaters ultimately becoming a a box office flop, earning $3 million against a $7 million budget.
Goldengirl still deserves it's place in cinema history. It is an entertaining tale and one that should be revisited in this generation. So if Goldengirl sounds interesting to you head over to Amazon and order your copy today. I think you might enjoy it!
Out of 4 film reels (4 being the best) Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release of Goldengirl receives...
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