My Chauffeur (1986) (Limited Edition)

[formula72]

Sorry, I did not see a thread of this movie. I just received the bluray ( paid $26) and to my surprise, I did not get a "slipcover". There also seems to be "two versions", one limited to 1500, and then a regular standard release. Does anybody have more information or got their copy with a slip?

[Eman910]

Did you buy it directly from their website?

[The Great Owl]

I bought My Chauffeur directly from the Vinegar Syndrome website, and I have the limited edition with the slipcover. It's a thing of beauty. It's exclusive to the Vinegar Syndrome website, though.

Here is my review of the Blu-ray that I posted in the VS thread...




The beautiful Deborah Foreman (Valley Girl, Real Genius) plays Casey, a fun-loving young woman who, under mysterious circumstances, is hired on as a driver for a prestigious Los Angeles limousine service. She faces resistance and chauvinism from the established older male drivers in the company right off the bat, but she gradually earns respect by handling some rather high-maintenance chauffeur duties, including transporting a rebellious British punk rocker to a concert and driving an arrogant executive, played by Sam J. Jones (Flash Gordon). Casey and the executive soon fall in love before she realizes that he is the son of the elderly man who hired her for the company for his own reasons.

My Chauffeur is one of many 1980s romantic comedies that excel at slapstick humor and gratuitous nude scenes, but the oddball Great Expectations style plot line about the reasons for Casey's being hired on board with the company adds some uniqueness to the final result. It's a silly movie in so many ways, and, interestingly enough, a scene featuring the comedy due, Penn and Teller, in their first film appearance, almost stops the movie dead in its tracks, but the good-natured vibe of the whole setup quickly won me over. The charismatic performance of Deborah Foreman is the main attraction, and she easily commands attention and excitement whenever she's on the screen.

This Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray sports a perfect video presentation, and an impressive audio presentation that brings out the best with the cool tunes by The Wigs, who wrote songs just for the film, and a few other bands, including The Replacements. A present-day interview with Deborah Foreman is a joy to watch, because she reminisces on some strange and even unfortunate events concerning the film production and the film's reception. The commentary tracks are informative and fun, with production assistant Jeff McKay.

The new cover art for the win!

[animefan77]

Originally Posted by formula72

Sorry, I did not see a thread of this movie. I just received the bluray ( paid $26) and to my surprise, I did not get a "slipcover". There also seems to be "two versions", one limited to 1500, and then a regular standard release. Does anybody have more information or got their copy with a slip?

Slipcover is limited edition offered only from their website. If you bought it from anywhere else, you would not get the slipcover because that would be just regular release.

[formula72]

OK, thanks, that makes sense...I bought it through amazon..

[iamnoone]

formula - Can you correct the thread title (Chauffeur misspelled) so future searches will bring it up? TIA.

[formula72]

Done, thank you!!

Ordered from Vinegar Syndrome website, now in the process of a return with Amazon.

Thank you all, for the information.

I will add this, I hope Vinegar Syndrome releases "The Van" 1977 here soon!!! Surprisingly decent B movie.

[Blades1370]

Originally Posted by formula72

Done, thank you!!

Ordered from Vinegar Syndrome website, now in the process of a return with Amazon.

Thank you all, for the information.

I will add this, I hope Vinegar Syndrome releases "The Van" 1977 here soon!!! Surprisingly decent B movie.

Yeah I did the same thing, pre-ordered initially through Amazon for the cheaper price, till I realized the only way to get the slipcover was to order from Vinegar Syndrome.

[The Dugan]

Originally Posted by formula72

I will add this, I hope Vinegar Syndrome releases "The Van" 1977 here soon!!! Surprisingly decent B movie.

I fully echo your sentiment.

[kdawq]

just ordered from VS so I can get that sweet slipcover!

[grrrarg]

Let me pump this release up a little more with my mini review from the Vinegar Syndrome thread.

Forgot to mention the Blu-ray cover art is reversible so you can enjoy both the new art on the slipcover and see the classic art in the case if you so desire.

Originally Posted by grrrarg

Received my copy of My Chauffeur.

This is a title I have been hoping for on Blu-ray but was not hopeful would ever be released.

First the packaging. It is a thing of beauty. The thick slipcover is matte except for the shiny lips, which is a nice touch. The thing just feels luxurious when you are holding it in your hand, its got the feel of a pile of fresh cash. I'd rank the slipcover as one of the top 5 I own, and it might be more towards the top of that list than the bottom.

The new cover art captures the sense of the film with a retro 80s vibe. Very classy. I rarely like new cover art, preferring the artwork from the original release, so kudos to the artist.

The movie looks fantastic. If you have only ever seen this on VHS, cable or DVD... what a revelation. The original Rhino DVD was awful, dark and murky. The later BCI release looked a bit better, and of course the movie has been rammed on to many a multi-movie pack with little to no care. And of course, finally the film is available on home media in its OAR for the first time. The movie was scanned at 2k and what a 2k scan. I swear, it is still amazing how Vinegar Syndrome manages to to such a great job retaining a natural sense of film grain that some larger studios still have trouble doing to this day.

The plot itself is at its heart a love story, not what you might think of as standard Vinegar Syndrome fare. But it is a product of the 80's, very quirky and strange and enjoyable. Watch for Penn and Teller's awful film debut as Bone and Abdul. Watch for the Blue Lady with the Blue Dog.

I am very happy that Vinegar Syndrome took a shot at releasing this film. I know it is a little outside the typical genre releases and had to be a bit of an experiment, a bit of a risk, to test the waters and see how sales go. It definitely does not have the built in market that a lot of the horror and (s)exploitation films come with.

I still have to delve in to all of the extras, but seriously, who ever thought My Chauffeur would be packed with extras... any extras!? The level of care that went into this release is off the charts all things considered.

If you have even the slightest bit of interest in this film, I would say go for the limited edition slipcover release while it is still available. It might take a bit to sell out, but whether it makes it til the Black Friday sale is anyone's guess, but I have a feeling it may sell out sooner rather than later.

Highly recommended.

[AOD]

My copy just arrived from Vinegar Syndrome with the slip cover. Is the slip cover the only difference between what Amazon (or others) may sell and buying direct? Exact same otherwise?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by AOD

My copy just arrived from Vinegar Syndrome with the slip cover. Is the slip cover the only difference between what Amazon (or others) may sell and buying direct? Exact same otherwise?

Exact same otherwise.

[msc1208]

Just curious if anyone can help answer a question about the Blu-ray. There are 2 cuts in existence of this film. I own both on DVD. According to IMDB and the Blu-ray release the running time should be 97 minutes. One of my DVD's was released by BCI Home Entertainment and part of a collection titled "School Dazed". the running time on that version runs just under 92 minutes, but the case for that one incorrectly states 97 minutes. It was also part of an 8-movie collection from Lionsgate awhile back. The running time according to that back cover is 94 minutes, but the Lionsgate release is the full 97 minute version. Of course I am hoping they got it right for the Blu-ray. The scene missing from the shorter version happens when they blow a gasket and end up on a long walk to a cabin. It's one of the better scenes in the film. In the shorter version they blow a gasket and it skips straight to them knocking on the cabin door in the rain. I want the Blu-ray, but only if it's the full 97 minute version. Can anyone verify that for me? If so, thanks in advance.

[filmo70]

Originally Posted by msc1208

The scene missing from the shorter version happens when they blow a gasket and end up on a long walk to a cabin. It's one of the better scenes in the film. In the shorter version they blow a gasket and it skips straight to them knocking on the cabin door in the rain. I want the Blu-ray, but only if it's the full 97 minute version. Can anyone verify that for me? If so, thanks in advance.

It's the complete 97 min.

[msc1208]

Thanks so much for letting me know. I do appreciate the information!

[RickDalton19]

Sorry to necro this thread, but the VS thread locked while typing. Uninvited has no thread, so I'm not sure where else to post...

I was aware of My Chauffeur (1986) on blu ray, but thanks again to Vincent Dawn for making me take another look. It's no Uninvited (1988), but it's about as close as I can get to loving a "traditional" rom-com. It's a better Joss Whedon film than all of Joss Whedon's films. "Giles" is the father figure and Leland Crooke, who does the commentary, was in Buffy (1997).

Speaking of Uninvited, could VS not scan the negative of the International Cut? It has nudity, more gore, and the better ending.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhzxNtq4c9U

[bergman864]

Originally Posted by RickDalton19

Sorry to necro this thread, but the VS thread locked while typing. Uninvited has no thread, so I'm not sure where else to post...

I was aware of My Chauffeur (1986) on blu ray, but thanks again to Vincent Dawn for making me take another look. It's no Uninvited (1988), but it's about as close as I can get to loving a "traditional" rom-com. It's a better Joss Whedon film than all of Joss Whedon's films. "Giles" is the father figure and Leland Crooke, who does the commentary, was in Buffy (1997).

Speaking of Uninvited, could VS not scan the negative of the International Cut? It has nudity, more gore, and the better ending.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhzxNtq4c9U

It's possible they didn't have access to it. They've released alternative versions on tape if they can. It's possible they didn't even have that, or it was in such bad shape they couldn't include it.