Search - Myra Breckinridge on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Brief Nudity, Nudity, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1970 DVD Release: 03/09/2004 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English, Spanish Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 34 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Members Wishing: 9 Genres: Comedy, Satire, Gay & Lesbian Films

Gore Vidal's best-selling satiric novel gets an inarguably unique screen treatment in this off-center psycho-sexual farce. Fussy film buff Myron Breckinridge (Rex Reed) goes to Europe and gets a sex-change operation from a slovenly chain-smoking doctor (John Carradine) and returns to the United States as the glamorous and willful Myra Breckinridge (Raquel Welch). Myra appears at the door of former cowboy star-turned-acting school entrepreneur Buck Loner (John Huston), who also happened to be Myron's uncle; Myra insists she's Myron's widow and demands her fair share of Loner's inheritance to her late husband. Loner, suspicious of the appearance of Myron's bride, tries to find a way out of giving her any of his money, while giving Myra a job in his acting school to keep her busy. Myra's new career allows her to make the acquaintance of Leticia Van Allen (Mae West), an aging sexpot and talent agent who represents "leading men only." Through Leticia, Myra meets alpha-male aspiring star Rusty Godowsky (Roger Herren) and his naïve girlfriend Mary Ann Pringle (Farrah Fawcett); as part of her own bid to ferment sexual anarchy, Myra attempts to introduce Mary Ann to the pleasures of lesbianism, while forcibly expanding Rusty's sexual boundaries. In the midst of the action, director Michael Sarne uses clips from dozens of vintage Hollywood films of the 1930s and '40s as a comic counterpoint to the story. Both Gore Vidal and Rex Reed expressed their dissatisfaction with Myra Breckinridge after the film hit theaters, though Vidal has also claimed not have seen the finished product; the film has gone on to develop a devoted cult following, despite the fact the film's only authorized video release has been out of print since the late '70s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Mae West - Leticia
John Huston - Buck Loner
Raquel Welch - Myra Breckinridge
Rex Reed - Myron Breckinridge
Farrah Fawcett - Mary Ann

Michael Sarne's infamous adaptation of Gore Vidal's Myra Breckinridge finally comes to DVD with this interesting disc from 20th Century Fox. The film is presented in a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The film has never looked as good on home video. Interestingly, both the original theatrical cut and a slightly altered special edition are both presented in full on the disc. Supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by Sarne. He goes into some detail about his intentions with the film, as well as the remarkable, stressful shoot that found him at war with the film's producers. A commentary track by lead actress Raquel Welch may very well be one of the best commentary tracks on any DVD. She obviously understands that the film is reviled, even though it has attained cult status with some people. She openly mocks the film, and yet somehow simultaneously manages to be protective of her work in it. One realizes how diplomatic her comments about co-star Mae West are after viewing the documentary (originally produced for AMC) about the film that is also included on this disc. While it might be hard to believe, Myra Breckinridge has been given a superb DVD release. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide