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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "Scraping Bottom" or "Addict")
Directed by Ivan Passer
USA 1971
J. (George Segal, Where’s Poppa?) was a hairdresser until his escalating heroin addiction broke up his family and overtook his life. In filmmaker Ivan Passer's Fun City-set Born to Win, J. and his friend and fellow junkie Billy Dynamite (Jay Fletcher, Foxy Brown), are reduced to running scams all over town together, desperately angling for their next fix. When a free-spirited young woman (Karen Black, Easy Rider) falls for J., it seems they might have a chance to escape this bleak world together, but J.'s addiction means they are never too far from the reach of a merciless drug dealer and pimp (Hector Elizondo, The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3) and a relentless narcotics cop (Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver). In the supporting cast, are Paula Prentiss (The Stepford Wives) as J.'s estranged wife, who turns tricks to support her habit, and, in one of his first roles, Burt Young (Rocky) as a hoodlum.
After directing his acclaimed debut film Intimate Lighting in his native Czechoslovakia, Passer fled to America, following the Warsaw Pact invasion of his homeland. He teamed with playwright and novelist David Scott Milton and producer-star Segal to make Born to Win, his first English-language film. Over fifty years after its initial release, it stands as one of the quintessential and most influential cinematic portrayals of the down-and-out New York City of the early 1970s, and some of its less fortunate inhabitants. *** A smart-mouthed junkie and loser known as J.J. (George Segal) spends his days looking for just "one more fix". |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: December 1st, 1971
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Review: Fun City Editions - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures: |
Distribution | Fun City Editions - Region FREE - Blu-ray | |
Runtime | 1:28:53.328 | |
Video |
1.85 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 28,853,708,519 bytesFeature: 27,641,283,456 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.92 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate Blu-ray: |
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Audio |
LPCM Audio English
2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit |
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Subtitles | English (SDH), None | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Fun City Editions
1.85 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 28,853,708,519 bytesFeature: 27,641,283,456 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.92 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
• Newly recorded audio commentary by Jason Bailey and Michael Hull of
the Fun City Cinema podcast
Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 5 |
Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
NOTE: We have added 60 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
(in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE
On their
Blu-ray,
Fun City Editions use a linear PCM dual-mono track (24-bit) in the
original English language. Born to Win
has a few aggressive moments, with guns, that come through with hollow depth.
The score is by William S. Fischer (his first of four film composures.)
There is also Ooh Poo Pah Doo performed by Ike Turner and Tina
Turner and Ballad in C written and sung by Karen Black - all sounding
authentic with consistent dialogue
in the uncompressed transfer. Fun City Editions offer optional English
subtitles on their Region FREE
Blu-ray.
The Fun City Editions
Blu-ray
Ivan Passer's Born to Win
follows purposeless drug addict J.'s (George Segal) desperate lifestyle
and his interactions with his dealer (Hector Elizondo), Ex-wife (Paula
Prentiss - onscreen for only 3-minutes) a relationship with carefree 'Parm'
(Karen Black) and there are bit parts by a young Robert De Niro as a cop
and 'heavy' Burt Young. Some of the characters in "Born to Win"
were played by actual junkies who director Ivan Passer was exposed to
while researching the film. I found the black humor aspects were
overshadowed by the anguish we feel over the distraught characters. It
has some excellent scenes showcasing the sad wandering desperation of J.
and his friend and junkie Billy Dynamite (Jay Fletcher.) "Born to Win"
(tattooed on J.'s needle-marked arm)
does showcase grassroots NY street scenes and I am glad I was able to se
the film in this fine 1080P transfer. The Fun City Editions Blu-ray
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Menus / Extras
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Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures: |
Distribution | Fun City Editions - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
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