Film Montage from "Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession" (2004)

For high quality, click link above view count.

This is the end of the film "Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession" (2004), a fine documentary about the Z Channel, which was one of the first pay cable TV stations in the US. Z Channel became famous for showing an eclectic variety of films, including foreign language, silent, documentary, director's cut, forgotten, overlooked, underappreciated, erotic as well as mainstream films, without commercials and uncut and letterboxed when possible.

The film also tells the tragic story of Z Channel's programming director Jerry Harvey, true film lover, programming genius, and a man almost singlehandedly responsible for getting many great films shown to the public. Sadly, Jerry was a mad genius who had a constant battle with personal demons and ended his own life and the life of his wife in a murder-suicide.

The saddest part of all is that Z Channel (and Jerry's awesome programming) didn't survive to become a nationwide cable channel.

In this clip we hear Jerry requesting the song "What'll I Do" because "for me, it's the greatest love song". The song was written by Irving Berlin, and is sung here by William Atherton. Yes, the actor from "Die Hard".

As the song plays, the remainder of this clip is a montage of clips from films shown on the Z Channel.

0:18 1900 (1976, Bertolucci)
0:26 ?
0:28 Children of Paradise (1945, Carné)
0:34 China 9, Liberty 37 (1978, Hellman)
0:38 The Leopard (1963, Visconti)
0:44 Black Orpheus (1959, Camus)
0:49 La Strada (1954, Fellini)
0:55 Das Boot (1981, Petersen)
0:59 McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971, Altman)
1:04 Malizia (1973, Samperi)
1:07 1900 (1976, Bertolucci)
1:10 In a Lonely Place (1950, Ray)
1:15 Heaven's Gate (1980, Cimino)
1:25 Salvador (1986, Stone)
1:29 Paths of Glory (1957, Kubrick)
1:33 Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession (1980, Roeg)
1:37 Turkish Delight (1973, Verhoeven)
1:40 8½ (1963, Fellini)
1:49 Le Magnifique (1973, de Broca)
1:45 The Important Thing is to Love (1975, Zulawski)
1:52 Fitzcarraldo (1982, Herzog)
1:55 One Deadly Summer (1983, Becker)
2:00 Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973, Peckinpah)
2:05 ?
2:09 Once Upon a Time in America (1984, Leone)
2:13 Silver Streak (1976, Hiller)
2:15 Pandora's Box (1929, Pabst)
2:18 College (1927, Horne)
2:21 Overlord (1975, Cooper)
2:25 Red Desert (1964, Antonioni)
2:30 The Wild Bunch (1969, Peckinpah)
2:36 The 400 Blows (1959, Truffaut)

• Category

  Film & Animation

[ucantinjaaninja]

someone needs to name every film! by the second

[edgayer]

Your wish is my command. The list is at the bottom of the video description box. Click "more info" there.

Actually, I had always intended to do that once I had a complete list, but two clips remain unidentified and as time went by I eventually neglected to post what I had.

[wayofthecass]

Hey can you tell me the name of the film shown in the clip at 00:44 with the little girl dancing on the hill in the sunset and the clip directly after that which has some great camera work and I presume is French.

Also the one with the guy with the shades at 01:43. Thats such a cool shot.

Thanks.

[edgayer]

My pleasure.

0:44 "Black Orpheus"(1959, Camus) - three kids and a guitar

0:49 "La Strada"(1954, Fellini) - Giulietta Masina

1:40 "8½" (1963, Fellini) - Claudia Cardinale & Marcello Mastroianni

[edgayer]

There's two clips in this montage that I have not been able to identify. If you know which film either of the following clips are from, please send me a message or post a comment. Thanks.

0:26 - two children with green umbrella

2:05 - nude woman in sand

[wayofthecass]

As for the documentary....I enjoyed it. It has been on Sky movies in the UK a lot over the past 3-4 months. I'll be honest and say as I live in the UK I had never heard of the Z Channel before I saw it. It was important in reviving and restructuring underrated greats like "Heaven's Gate" and "Once upon A Time in America". Jerry Harvey was ultimately a cruel self loathing alcoholic though. I felt that came across strongly.

It was directed by Xan Cassavetes daughter of the late great John.

[edgayer]

Thanks for the two replies which add valuable information. I suspect that most people hadn't heard of the Z Channel unless they lived in the LA area or were connected to the cable TV industry. And yes, Jerry was not a nice guy. He loved movies more than people, and that's shown with the really curt answers he gives to interviewers in the doc. I should probably find a more accurate term for him than "mad genius" since that carries the "weird but likable" connotation.

[Megan Hussey]

Great clips; and who knew William Atherton had such a golden voice.

[maggieman]

This is beautiful. Thank you so much

[Cadan McCann]

0: 26 is Juliet of the Spirits by Fellini

[lordoftime425]

0:26, The Scene with the two children with green umbrella is Fellini's Juliet of the Spirits (1965)

[paintedturtle]

Dude i friggin love you! I've been waiting so long for someone to upload this! your fuckin awesome and i wish you a long and happy life

[lucap75]

The magic and nostalgic ending of a moving and beautiful documentary.

The end of a brave and unique experience.

I will never be grateful enough to those who made the documentary and the channel itself.

[lovemylogics]

Was Z-Channel carried by LA cable or was it a broadcast over-the-air subscription service like "ONTV" and "SelecTV" - or was it sent via Microwave antenna?

[fmac904]

Does any one know the source of the clip that is shown in the doc just before the Women on the Bus clip. I've got the dvd, but that clip doesn't seem to be listed among the 52 clips listed. thanks

[marneedear]

THANK YOU!