Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Theatrical Release Date: 2001 07 20 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 883929248186

Studio: New Line Home Video

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Nudity, Not For Children, Adult Humor, Profanity, Sexual Situations]

Summary: Adapted from the hit off-Broadway musical of the same name, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the tale of an "internationally ignored" rock & roll singer who hails from Communist Berlin and who dreams of becoming an American sensation. Hedwig (John Cameron Mitchell), born a boy named Hansel, is raised by a single mother (Alberta Watson) who wishes to see her son do better than his poverty-stricken family. Some years later, Hansel is attracted to a good-looking American G.I., who promises a better life overseas for young Hansel, under one condition: that he undergo a sex-change operation to become a fully functional female whom he can then marry. The operation is seriously botched, leaving the now-renamed Hedwig with an "angry inch" only to be stranded in a dingy Kansas trailer park on the day the Berlin Wall comes tumbling down. Hedwig then supports herself through a series of ill-fated lounge gigs and side jobs, meeting up with 16-year-old Tommy Gnosis (Michael Pitt), a religious type who befriends her and later steals her songs and becomes the rock star Hedwig always dreamed of being. Undeterred, Hedwig continues to perform in the shadow of Tommy's sold-out stadium tour, attempting to make herself whole in spirit, if not physically. The film features several songs by composer Stephen Trask, who also appears as a member of Hedwig's disinterested rock band; Miriam Shor portrays Hedwig's newfound love and backup singer. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Category: Comedy Drama

Awards: Dramatic Audience Award – Sundance Film Festival Dramatic Directing Award – Sundance Film Festival Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or – null Best Music Score (Runner-up) – Los Angeles Film Critics Association New Generation Award – Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Directorial Debut – National Board of Review Best Picture – Independent Spirit Awards Best Director – Independent Spirit Awards Best First Screenplay – Independent Spirit Awards Best Actor – Independent Spirit Awards Best Cinematography – Independent Spirit Awards Best Actor - Runner-up – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Format: DVD

Release Date: 04/24/2012

Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, 2 PCM stereo

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
0. Select a Scene
1. America the Beautiful [1:05]
2. Tear Me Down [3:59]
3. Vitzhak [2:37]
4. St. Louis [4:42]
5. East Berlin 1968 [1:08]
6. Origin of Love [5:35]
7. The Wild Side [4:20]
8. Menses Fair [2:11]
9. Luther and Gummy Bears [2:29]
10. Sugar Daddy [2:10]
11. Cut and Paste [1:10]
12. Angry Inch [3:47]
13. Freedom [2:33]
14. Wig in a Box [5:14]
15. Mall Appearance [3:14]
16. Tommy Speck [3:21]
17. Wicked Little Town [4:09]
18. Knowledge [4:10]
19. Love is Immortal [7:06]
20. "I'm Going to Guam" [3:06]
21. Reunion [4:56]
22. Hedwig's Lament/Exquisite Corpse [3:49]
23. Wicked Little Town (Tommy Gnosis Version) [3:25]
24. Midnight Radio [:32]
25. Origin of Love [5:13]
26. Wig in a Box/End Credits [2:06]

Jason Clark

A mixed-bag effort to translate John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask's ambitious rock musical to the screen, this remains a worthwhile movie experience on any account, successfully opening up its heartfelt, often sad account of an "internationally ignored" rock singer suffering from a botched sex change operation. Mitchell's fierce, hypnotic performance is as indelible on film as it was on-stage -- fearful, hilarious, and moving. His direction is a bit less remarkable, as the movie offers much to look at, but little of it comes through in quite the same way as the music. The filmmakers too often literalize what should be expressed musically, which robs the viewer of some of the discoveries that might have made the film more successful. A few stretches sag as well, but the movie springs to life the most in its final reel -- when the title character takes on a young prot?g? (a quietly effective Michael Pitt) -- even if it fails to fully reach its emotional mark. Audiences at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival clearly found Hedwig refreshing: it won the Audience Award as well as a Grand Jury directing prize for Mitchell. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Pamela Koffler  Producer 
John Cameron Mitchell  Director 
John Cameron Mitchell  Screenwriter 
Michael De Luca  Executive Producer 
Christine Vachon  Producer 
Amy Henkels  Executive Producer 
Katie Roumel  Producer 
John Cameron Mitchell  Actor 
Miriam Shor  Actor 
Stephen Trask  Actor 
Theodore Liscinski  Actor 
Andrea Martin  Actor 
Michael Pitt  Actor 
Rob Campbell  Actor 
Michael Aronov  Actor 
Alberta Watson  Actor 
Maurice Dean Wint  Actor 
Michael Stevens  Actor 

Country: USA