Search - The Gardener (AKA The Seeds of Evil) on DVD

For a specialized audience only

Ben | Lincoln, CA, USA | 05/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a good film if you are an arthouse/Warhol fan, if you're into bad (meaning fun) 70's schlock, or are obessed with Joe Dallesandro. If you don't fall into any of these catagories, then don't bother with this film.

Most of the plot revolves around the lead female and her best friend investigating the mystery that is Carl, the gorgeous but unnerving gardener. Dallesandro himself only has a few speaking lines, but he is beautiful as ever, especially in those tight 70's low ride jeans. There are several psuedo-scary scenes that are actually more erotic than frightening, so if you are adverse to horror flicks, you have little to worry about here. There is only one scene with a lot of blood, although I'm not sure where the blood comes from as the scene is pretty tame.

For those who want to know: there are a few nude Dallesandro scenes, but they are confined, as it were, to butt shots. If you want more revealing nudity, stick to the Morrisey trilogy (Flesh, Trash, & Heat).

The ending is pretty silly, but then so's the whole movie.

Sound and color transfer seem as good as one can expect from a low-budget 70's flick, and there aren't any real DVD extras.

As both an arthouse and Dallesandro fanatic, I found the film light and entertaining. Don't expect too much, and you won't be dissapointed. Just sitback and enjoy this little piece of 70's silliness."

An excellent DVD release

Gregory Holmes | 04/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm amazed that such an obscure little film has gotten such a lavish DVD re-issue. This is an incredibly beautiful film and this transfer from Subversive Cinema looks and sounds spectacular. The colors pop off the screen (and what wild and vibrant colors they are). I think this film is some sort of a classic, although I'm not sure what kind of a classic it might be. It never fails to be entertaining and every frame is beautiful to behold. The acting is first rate, especially Katherine Houghton and Rita Gam. Joe Dallesandro is perfect as Karl, THE GARDNER who manages to be the most beautiful sight in a film full of beautiful images.

An earlier review here stated that there are no DVD extras. Nothing could be further from the truth. This DVD is blooming with special features. First the packaging is gorgeous. The DVD comes in a lovely blue slip case with holographic lettering and a reproduciton of the poster art. Inside is a transparent keepcase with color production photos printed on both sides of the insert. There are three full color lobby cards included as well as a 12 x 17 color poster. The DVD has two audio tracks, the original mono and an all new dolby mix. Both sound great. There are two commentary tracks. The first is from star Joe Dallesandro and it is a lot of fun. The second commentary is from director James Kay. There are two documentary films. The first is called PLANTING THE SEEDS OF EVIL and features brand new interviews with Joe, Katherine Houghton and James Kay. The second documentary is from the late 70's and discusses the distribution problems that independent films face. It features GARDNER producer Chalmer Kirkbride. Also included on the disc is an extensive photo gallery of behind the scenes shots. Six theatrical trailers are included. There is also extensive cast and crew biography information and colorful animated menus.

This is a great early seventies art film and I'm so glad that Subversive Cinema has seen fit to produce such an incredible DVD release of it. A big thank you and congratulations to everyone who worked on this!"