Watch Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession For Free

Thanks for the memories!

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

A young movie theater manager near Los Angeles, a lover of obscure titles and cult films, writes an angry letter regarding programming to a pay-TV outlet and arouses enough curiosity about his knowledge of cinema to land himself a job; soon, Jerry Harvey is on the move from Select-TV to Z Channel as programming director. Z Channel, an L.A.-area based station showing both old and newer movies uncut and commercial-free, creates a buzz in the Hollywood community, turning its bearded, manic programmer into an underground celebrity. In the years prior to the burgeoning cable conglomerates Home Box Office and Showtime, Z Channel provided the heart of show business with diverse and stimulating programming, a virtual olive branch to overlooked movies, their directors and stars. This documentary by Xan Cassavetes includes clips of many of the pictures aided financially or otherwise by Harvey, as well as interviews with filmmakers, co-workers, friends and exes involved with Harvey prior to and during his most successful years. The story ends on a sad, puzzling note--with lives unraveled and business affairs in disarray--but for awhile there, Harvey seemed to have it pretty good. Unfortunately however, Jerry Harvey was never able to enjoy his own success, being the product of a very mixed-up family with mental illness the dominant gene--and apparently, there isn't anyone left who can fully explain his devastating ups and downs. Cassavetes doesn't recognize or underline the fact that Z Channel appears to have been a rowdy boys' club for film-geeks, with she herself contributing to the misogyny (lots of naked women and/or overt feminine sexuality in nearly every picture spotlighted). I found myself at the finish-line with a litany of unanswered questions, and there's very little attempt to get into the backgrounds of the cast of characters presented here. Still, "Z Channel" whets the appetite for a film-festival of hidden gems and unrealized genius, and it showcases a pointed yearning many of us have for personal redemption through movies.

There were a slew of "films" (read "DV documentaries") about the movies of the 1970's released around the time of Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession. One patting Francis Coppola, William Friedkin etc on the back repeatedly before insisting "Hey dude, have you seen The Godfather, or Taxi Driver?" Whilst I forget the name of said "documentary", it was pointless and made me bored and angry. Z Channel on t'other hand, is a genuinely interesting and insightful documentary which was lost amongst the dirge. How ironic.The daughter of John Cassavetes interviews both over-enthusiastic notables (Tarantino), notable bores (Jim Jarmusch) and people you've never heard of in front of her DV video camera. Each explains the significance of a regional cable channel in LA, and how one man's complaint about the quality of programming led to the modern age of DVD audio commentaries on Italian art films which wouldn't been seen in the English speaking world otherwise.Alexandra Cassavetes charts the rise and fall of a channel which filled the gap before Criterion Collection DVDs. Treating subscribers to a potpourri of exploitation, documentary and classic art films they had never seen before. To quote one interviewee, films "which people wouldn't have gone to see if they were free!" were beaming direct to people's living rooms, commercial free. And one obsessive film fan is to thank. A Mr. Jerry Harvey.Because the cutting and pace of this doco is full speed ahead, it quickly glosses over the pre-Jerry years of the channel (it had been active since the '70s as one of the first cable channels, Jerry became programmer in 1980) to run the parallel story of the troubled mind of this largely self-taught film "genius". Considering he was only one man, he was able to do a hell of a lot in a very short space of time. As chief programmer for THE cable channel in THE entertainment hub of THE universe, he brought films which had been overlooked to the Academy's attention (aiding directly in the Oscar recognition for Salvador), and in other instances changed the reputation of films from 'flop' to 'classic' by running them at their original length, effectively inventing the "Director's Cut", and giving the kiss of life to films like The Wild Bunch, Heaven's Gate, Once upon a Time in America, 1900 and The Leopard.Alexandra walks us through his many marriages and his troubled family life by use of a radio interview and slow 8mm scenes of Hollywood, which will either work or won't depending on your disposition. She makes sophomoric mistakes along the way, an interview with Penelope Spheeris about the punk classic, The Decline of Western Civilization, has little to do with Z Channel. They did screen it, but the discussion fails to shed light on either the film or Z Channel's involvement, and along with the many nude scenes from other films, seems in place only to break up all the talking.Admittedly hearing Jim Jarmusch discuss L'avventura left ejaculate on the hem of my panties, and I wished the entire film could have been like that - More Paul Verhoeven, please - but this is a split between film buffery and the sober Jerry Harvey allegory. Z Channel it seems, died with Jerry. After successfully fighting off competition from HBO and Showtime, Jerry succumbed to personal demons, as the channel introduced sport, and thus commercial, content. As one interviewee has it, during a screening of The Silence, a film about the quest for God ("what's at the end, is it God or silence") the climax was ruined by a promo for an upcoming sporting event.

I wanted to ask if anyone knew anything about another small channel.This channel was called "Showbiz" and we got it in rural San Diego county because cable did not reach us back then. Showbiz was available as a pay service but it was broadcast locally.It reminds me of Z channel because it showed odd little films and felt like there was a "DJ" picking out films to show me that I would never have thought to see.This channel's programing introduced me to Austrailian films, which in the late 70's and early 80's were very interesting.If someone can respond with a URL or other data I would be most appreciative.

It's doesn't take a genius to see why the Independent Film Channel would finance this documentary. Basically the Z Channel was the first movie channel to play independent, little seen, and foreign films. Featuring interviews with directors Quentin Tarantino, Robert Altman, and Alexander Pane, "Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession" focuses on the effect the channel had on the film industry. The station had among it's subscribers some of the biggest names in Hollywood. What I found fascinating about this film is the power a cable channel can have. For example James Woods credits his Oscar nomination to the Z Channel's constant playing of the little seen movie "Salvador" to the right people. As a film geek I also enjoyed the generous amount of film clips by director Cassavetes. The film turned me on to movies like "Bad Timing" and "F is for Fake".