MovieChat Forums > Chameleon Street (1991) Discussion > What ever happened to this film?

What ever happened to this film?


This is a great film that I saw at Sundance. It won the grand jury prize but then it seems like it basically vanished. It's not on DVD, and I talk to people who know indie cinema and nobody's ever heard of it. Anyone know whatever happened to the brilliant director and why this film fell between the cracks?

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Yeah this movie is ultimate rad! I read in a n article a while back that distributers refused the film because they didn't know how to market it. I don't know though. Usually winning a big fest is enough to start with. I smell a rat. Let's get this film a rerelease and a fancy Criterion DVD!

"I like my movies made in Hollywood" - Richard Nixon

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[deleted]

FYI, it will be coming out on DVD in the next few months. Can't give more details, but take my word for it.

- I DO want your money, because GOD wants your money. -

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I saw Chameleon Street in the theater back when it was released. There weren't many other folks in the audience, and I'm pretty sure the movie tanked pretty quickly.

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One of the great films of the decade, though hardly anyone I know has seen it. Public TV did a piece on it and said that Warner Bros. wanted to buy the right to remake it as a comedy with Will Smith. A few years after there was a brief report that Harris was going to make a Spike Lee produced film about an escaped Roman slave. It obviously never came to fruitation. I great career seems to have been thwarted, I thought he would at least make it as an actor with that great deep voice of his.

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I used to work at a certain Boston-area moviehouse that will go unnamed... they showed it (and I was lucky enough to catch it) when it initially ran... probably due to the genius of the guy who was programming the theater at the time. They also ran a piece on it on the short-lived but awesome PBS Media program "The Edge" in which I believe they said it was not distributed because of the "wet-from-the-rain white people smell like dogs" part... which always seemed odd to me as I wasn't terribly offended. I made a bootleg copy of a screener tape that was kicking around, but sadly I think it's long since disappeared. Even worse I lost the copy of the poster I had for that movie...

I'm very glad to hear it will be coming out on DVD, it's an amazing film.... I'll definitely be picking up a copy.

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One of my personal favs as well. Will be on line (okay, it'll be a short line) to buy my copy on day one.

I got one of my film teacher back in '94 to continially use this movie in her aesthetics class. Wish this brother would do more.

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Don't worry, he's got another film in the works. DVD was delayed, but it will be coming out soon. Promise.

- I DO want your money, because GOD wants your money. -

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You seem to know something about the DVD release. Its been 7 months since this post and I cant find it on DVD yet. Any info?

"He who knows nothing, doubts nothing".

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[deleted]

Woo-Hoo. December 18th on DVD. I'll be buying it and will be assigning it as a required film to my students in film history as representing the best of the 1980s US independent cinema, even if it fell between the cracks.

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[deleted]

I have the dvd at my house on netflix and am ordering it on amazon.

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Just watched it...Blockbuster Online has it.

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I was the 1st A.D. on this production (as well as a cameo as the overly eager burglar alarm installer jumping out of the van). All of the cast and crew were incredibly dedicated and put in many long days & nights.

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Was it a "gas" working on the film? Seriously, I love this film. I have it on VHS and watch it at least twice a year.

"This is boring!"

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Yeah what was it like working with Harris? His first movie, and he's doing *beep* people haven't even thought of yet... susch a good movie.

"Freedom?This isnt about freedom If Im gonna get my balls blown off for a word,my word is poontang"

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