Schlock-Wire: Report From the GONE WITH THE POPE Premiere!

The biggest schlock-film event of the year thus far has been the premiere of Duke Mitchell's legendary lost film, Gone With The Pope.  The premiere screening took place in Los Angeles on Friday, March 12th (as previously announced here).  Your Humble Reviewer regrets that he couldn't be there for the grand event but he has a nice bit of intel to offer any Mitchell fans hungering for details on this film - a capsule review from someone who attended this screening!The following short review of Gone With The Pope comes directly from Nathaniel Thompson, a DVD producer, critic, author and friend of Schlockmania.  For Your Humble Reviewer's money, Nathaniel writes THE best cult DVD reviews on the net and his site Mondo Digital is a must-visit.  He attended the Friday screening and was gracious enough to offer this on-the-spot review:"First of all, Grindhouse did an amazing job putting it together -- the print quality, editing, and sound mixing are great (maybe TOO great for a Duke Mitchell movie). Actually more entertaining start to finish than MAFIA, complete with a horrifying/hilarious obese sex scene that outdoes the Jean Hill lesbianism in DESPERATE LIVING, lots of ridiculous racial epithets, and some cosmic/spiritual plot twists you really, really won't believe (including a bit involving a caught fish that had the audience howling in disbelief), which climaxes in a supernatural final scene way out of left field. Oh yeah, and it's got creative/hysterical use of Rome stock footage (and posters), loads of bloody gunshots, gratuitous nudity, a big dog named Hamlet, great mid-'70s Las Vegas and L.A. footage, and a great soundtrack that really should get released on its own. They're booking it in a few cities already, so definitely check it out on the big screen if possible."Sounds like a classic waiting to happen, doesn't it?  Like many Duke Mitchell fans, this is exactly what Your Humble Reviewer was hoping to hear.As further information on screenings and the eventual DVD release becomes available, Schlockmania will post it for you.   In the meantime, check out the Grindhouse Releasing website for more information on Gone With The Pope and the many other wonderful schlock-epics in their catalog.