NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Milestone Films Blu-ray (May 2024): Milestone Films have transferred David Schickele's Bushman to Blu-ray. A text screen before the film tells us "Bushman (directed by David Schickele, US, 1971) has been restored and digitally remastered from the original 35mm black-and-white picture and soundtrack negatives. In addition to the fully restored digital edition, new 35mm prints have been struck from the original picture negative and a newly restored optical soundtrack. The work was completed in Fall 2022." There was additional support by DVDBeaver friend Peter Conheim of Cinema Preservation Alliance. The 1080P image looks wonderful; beautifully restored, well-layered contrast, clean and appreciated grain texture. It's on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. A fabulous film looking marvelous on Blu-ray.

NOTE: We have added 52 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Milestone Films use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. Bushman has no aggressive moments but does have Nigerian music recorded by David Ames, as well as samplings of Bobby Vinton's Blue Velvet, Aretha Franklin's Respect and Henry Purcell's Ground in C Minor Zd 221 - as well as Paul Eyam Nzil Okpokam singing We Shall Overcome. Even with some intentionally vérité moments it sounds flawless in the lossless transfer. Milestone Films offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Milestone Films Blu-ray offers a new commentary by film historian Daniel Kremer and independent director, based in San Francisco, Rob Nilsson (David Schickele's best friend.) They talk about Cassavetes strong influences, the rediscovery of Schickele's films, that he passed in 1999, meeting in Nigeria, and so much on the director, his music, growing up in Fargo, his love of the desert, etc. - very informative. Included are Schickele's other two films; Give Me a Riddle is a 1966 documentary, running an hour 7-minutes. The director himself describes it as "Nigeria became an independent country in 1960. In 1967 it was torn apart by civil war. Between these two events Nigeria enjoyed a kind of golden age, full of cultural ferment and cross-tribal fertilization. Every kid out of the village was writing the great Nigerian novel. A spirit of great hope prevailed through the land. Give Me A Riddle is about this golden age, seen through the eyes of ex-Peace Corps volunteer returning to his host country a couple of years after his Peace Corps service as a teacher at the University of Nigeria. The film follows Roger as he looks up his old student friends, travels with them to their homes, talks with them about their lives and the life of their country. Shot in 1966, the film is a time capsule of a Nigeria and the Peace Corps both in the rambunctious bloom of youth." Also included is his last film Tuscarora; Schickele's 1992 documentary described by The Studio Potter as "Dennis and Julie Parks left the eastern seaboard in the early 1960's, settling in the former mining boomtown of Tuscarora, Nevada, population twelve. They spent the next twenty-five years operating and expanding their pottery school, raising a family and running a studio. A mining company, motivated by high gold prices, began a large open pit gold mining operation just outside of town in 1989. Nevada, encouraging mining, writes its laws to favor that industry's interests over all others. The pit grew ever larger, and the town found its very existence threatened. Spurning buyout offers from the mining company, the Parkses and the other residents decided to stay and fight the near-certain destruction of Tuscarora. As the video chronicles the ongoing saga, we learn much about the Parkses, their school, Dennis' clay work and life in the wide open west. A human scale is given to a story which is told all too often today: as with the rain forests, the snail darter and the spotted owl, economic forces and societal needs can threaten elements of our natural world. In the case of Tuscarora and its residents, relief was granted when the mine shut down as gold prices decreased. For now it's back to business as usual, but there still lurks the possibility of resumed mining in the future if gold prices rise again." Lastly is a re-release trailer and an 8-page liner notes booklet with photos and text.  

David Schickele was a remarkable man - he was a free-lance violist who conducted the local community orchestra at fifteen-years of age, his brother was Peter Schickele (who passed in January of this year) of 'P. D. Q. Bach' fame, and David was a filmmaker and a member of the Peace Corps. He died in 1999 at 62-years of age. His second film, Indie effort, Bushman - part documentary time-capsule, part profile - has won plenty of awards including Best First Feature at the Chicago International Film Festival. It was also accepted by the Museum of Modern Art in New York for their archives. Keen cinema fans may notice Jack Nance (as 'Felix') who starred in David Lynch's Eraserhead. Schickele worked for almost a year on releasing, from prison, his wrongfully incarcerated leading man of Bushman, Paul Eyam Nzie Okpokam. Milestone Films' Blu-ray is a magnificent find - essentially containing all three films of David Schickele, a revealing commentary and a booklet. We use the term 'gem' too often although that is the most adept description of this Blu-ray package. Very strongly recommend!

Gary Tooze