From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 12, 2023

"From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family" (1956-1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include multiple exclusive new audio commentaries; archival promotional materials; documentaries; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Going through the thirteen films that are included in From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family, a four-disc box set, was a unique experience. I liked a lot of them but primarily because I could not immediately tell where they were heading or what they were trying to accomplish. Several of these films actually had my mind stuck in a guessing mode almost until the very end, but they were neither carefully crafted thrillers nor complex dramas. They were just flat-out bizarre. Something Weird Video’s massive catalog has some quite strange films that can easily overwhelm the mind of a mainstream film lover but they confidently pick a playground where they intend to impress and stay there, fully aware of their limitations and the risks they plan to take. The films in From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family instinctively enter different playgrounds, roam free, and then evolve into cinematic kamikazes because what they do to impress is supercharged with an impossible-to-rationalize desire to improvise. I suppose the best way to profile them is to write that they share a lot that nowadays is associated with gonzo filmmaking. However, such a description ignores what was happening in the minds of their creators, and I think that this is crucial information for anyone that wishes to understand why they exist.

The most creative and influential of these minds belonged to Ron Ormond, then came the minds of his wife, June, and son, Tim. Ormond directed his first film in 1950, a very low-budget project titled King of the Bullwhip, and it appears that after that he just could not be stopped. Between 1950 and 1979, Ormond directed more than twenty different films, produced more than forty, stayed very active as a screenwriter, and even found the time to do a little bit of acting. For a while, he was almost as prolific as the cult Spanish helmer Jess Franco.

Interestingly, while going through the thirteen films, I could not stop thinking of Franco’s films because what Ormond does to subvert is fairly similar. For example, in Please Don’t Touch Me (1963) a frustrated husband discovers that his wife does not enjoy making love to him because of an awful experience she has had as a young girl. However, when the mother of the wife introduces her to a prominent psychologist and he reaches the most distant corners of her mind through advanced hypnosis, the information that emerges unexpectedly resets the entire case. Please Don’t Touch Me sounds like a serious psychological drama, does not it? It does, but it is actually a twisty erotic B-film with the flexible morality of a trashy C-film. In other words, it is a lot like the subversive B and C-films Franco loved to direct.

In The Exotic Ones (1968), Ormond does not even hide his aspiration to subvert. In Louisiana, a couple of hunters capture a strange creature in the bayou and then decide to make a few bucks off it by transforming it into a star in the sleaziest area of New Orleans. But the plan backfires when the creature becomes infatuated with an unpredictable stripper.

Different variations of sleaze are very common in Ormond’s films but in The Girl from Tobacco Row (1966), an authentic piece of Americana, it is almost impossible to detect any. In this film, a handsome convict named Earl "Snake" Richards figures out how to regain his freedom and soon after arrives in a tiny provincial town where he steals the heart of the preacher’s daughter. After a group of big city mobsters arrive in the area and begin looking for a large stash of stolen money the convict might be familiar with, the camera falls in love with several exceptionally good country/bluegrass performers.

White Lightin’ Road is another interesting piece of Americana and arguably the most conventional film in the box set. It is about race driving and moonshining and how in years past the two were interconnected. While not completely innocent, this film could be a proper companion piece to cult favorites like Steel Arena (1973), The Last American Hero (1973), and Thunder and Lightning (1977).

The undisputed chef-d'oeuvres in the box set are The Burning Hell (1974) and The Believer’s Heaven (1977), both religious mind-benders that must be seen to be believed. Ormond directed these films after his family survived a couple of plane crashes that apparently transformed him into a deeply pious man. At least this is the official story, I am unsure what the real story is. A few more films that came after them also deal with religious themes and they are similarly bizarre. Why? Because all of them function as spiritual seances whose definition of The Truth and insistence to embrace it unquestioned can engage the viewer in drastically different ways. So, what are they, really? Bizarre but sincere films directed by a legitimately reformed man, or pieces of mad satire conceived by a legitimately kooky prankster.

From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The original elements for the majority of the films in the box set are apparently lost. As a result, quite a few are sourced from standard definition masters. The following films were recently restored in 2K:

The Burning Hell
The Believer's Heaven
If Footmen Tire You What Will Horses Do?
39 Stripes
About The Second Coming

Unsurprisingly, the overall quality of the presentations varies quite a bit, even among the films that are sourced from standard definition sources. I would say that for the most part these are acceptable presentations because apparently there are no better elements to access. The upscaling is decent, though it does not strengthen the visuals in any way that can be described as meaningful. Why? Because of the nature of the existing limitations, which range from modest to very serious. In other words, when you sit down to view the films in the box set, you should prepare yourself to see content with drastically different quality. Stability is usually very good, though there are a few uneven spots here and there. Color balance is pleasing. Obviously, there is room for plenty of meaningful corrections but there are no horrible anomalies. There are some anomalies that are unavoidable. What about damage? All films have some. I did not find any of the surface imperfections distracting because even on the roughest looking films they were mostly insignificant. (Note: All four discs in the box set are Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to access their content regardless of your geographical location).

From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Each film in the box set can be seen with an English LPCM 1.0 track. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for all films.

For obvious reasons, the quality of the audio tracks varies. I thought that clarity was very good on all tracks because I never felt the urge to adjust the volume of my system so that I can hear all exchanges. Stability is acceptable. Some films reveal unevenness but not of the kind that distracts. Dynamic intensity is average at very best, which is understandable given the low-budget nature of each film.

From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

DISC ONE - UNTAMED MISTRESS / PLEASE DON'T TOUCH ME / WHITE LIGHTIN' ROAD

• Theatrical Trailer - presented here is a vintage theatrical trailer for White Lightin'. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Radio Spots - presented here are a couple of vintage radio spots for White Lightin'. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Edge of Tomorrow (1961) - a fascinating documentary by the Ormonds about Reinhold O Schmidt, a native of Nebraska, who claimed to have made contact with UFO. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (50 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary for Please Don't Touch Me was recorded by author and Ormond biographer Jimmy McDonough.

DISC TWO - FOURTY ACRE FEUD / GIRL FROM TOBACCO ROW / THE EXOTIC ONES

• Radio Spots - presented below are several vintage radio spots for the following films:
  
  1. Forty Acre Feud
  2. Girl from Tobacco Row
  3. The Exotic Ones

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary for The Exotic Ones was recorded by author and Ormond biographer Jimmy McDonough.

DISC THREE - IF FOOTMEN TIRE YOU WHAT WILL HORSES DO? / THE BURNING HELL / THE GRIM REAPER / THE BELIEVER'S HEAVEN

• Radio Spots - presented here are a couple of vintage radio spots for The Grim Reaper. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary for If Footmen Tire You What Will Horses Do? was recorded by documentarian Brian Rosenquist and Greg Pirkle, son of Baptist minister and Ormond collaborator Estus Pirkle.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary for The Burning Hell was recorded by Tim Ormond, Jimmy McDonough, and film restorationist Peter Conheim.

• Estus Pirkle Sermon - presented here is an archival audio recording of a sermon that was held in 1970. In English, not subtitled. (64 min).

DISC FOUR - 39 STRIPES / IT'S ABOUT THE SECOND COMING / PLAY THE SACRED SYMBOL

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary for It's About The Second Coming was recorded by Tim Ormond and Jimmy McDonough.

• A Tribute to Houdini (1987) - this documentary about the life and legacy of the great Harry Houdini was produced by Tim Ormond in 1987. It features recreations of numerous tricks presented by John Calvert. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (60 min).

• Lash LaRue: A Man and His Memories (1992) - a terrific documentary about the great western star Lash LaRue produced by Tim Ormond. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (71 min).

• June Carr: The Virtual Vaudevillian (1997) - Tim Ormond produced this program about his mother, June Carr Ormond. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (31 min).

• Forgotten Memories (1997) - a short film by Tim Ormond about a most unusual encounter between two women. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (21 min).

• Forgotten Memories Production Footage - a short film by Tim Ormond about a most unusual encounter between two women. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Radio Spots - presented here are a couple of vintage radio spots for 39 Stripes. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Booklet - 100-page book with an extended essay by Jimmy McDonough, Peter Conheim on the restorations, and technical credits.

• Cards - five collectible art cards.

From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If seen on the right night and especially at the right time, some of the films in From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family could temporarily expose one to surreal places, characters, and stories like the ones that typically emerge in David Lynch and Lech Majewski's films. If my favorite independent video store was still around, all of these films would have been in its famous "other" section, which introduced me to numerous very, very special gems over the years. These types of films cannot be described as good or bad because they are simply way too different. Do you enjoy different films? If you do, you cannot afford to miss From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family. (For what it's worth, I thought that Edge of Tomorrow was a phenomenal documentary and quite a bit more effective than some of the main attractions). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.