Alcopop! Records announce the launch of a brand new film distribution arm with the acquisition of the feature length documentary Hollywood Bulldogs: The Rise and Falls of the Great British Stuntman, set for release on all digital platforms on 4th April 2022 with a Blu-ray edition to follow later this year.
The label will also be releasing a special one-off stunt bike edition of the Blu Ray, which comes complete with a custom-painted Hollywood Triumph Scrambler signed by some of the featured stuntmen—yours for a deliciously trim £13,500.
Narrated by award-winning actor Ray Winstone (Nil by Mouth, Sexy Beast), the documentary tells the rough-and-tumble story of the small community of British stunt performers who came to dominate Hollywood in the 1970s and 80s.
Commenting on the launch, label manager Jack Clothier said:
For a label that’s always prioritised creativity and aesthetic wonderment over the pursuit of financial gain, it’s important to us that we develop. With the arts feeling so under threat at the moment, I personally have been feeling more and more excited by a richer tapestry of culture beyond music, feeling more connected to artists, film-makers and writers as well; inspired by what they’re doing and creating.
When my friend and director Jon Spira came to us with this smashing film, Hollywood Bulldogs, it felt ridiculous to not get on board. It’s stuffed with charm; a historic movement of genuinely heartfelt stories from a community that have a hell of a lot of narrative to share. Plus it’s narrated by bloody Ray Winstone. What’s not to like!
Hollywood Bulldogs is A Canal Cat Films Production in association with Red Rock Entertainment and Verax Films, and features a cast of invincible stuntmen from the length and breadth of the UK including Vic Armstrong, Paul Weston, Rocky Taylor, Greg Powell, Ray Austin, Jim Dowdall, Richard Hammatt and Frank Henson, Hollywood Bulldogs: The Rise and Falls of the Great British Stuntman is directed by Jon Spira (Anyone Can Play Guitar, Elstree 1976), produced by Hank Starrs (Elstree 1976, Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story) and executive produced by Adam F. Goldberg, Liam Dunne, Robert Hornak, Gary Collins, and Arvind Desai.
Growing out of the ragtag community of bouncers, gangsters and demobbed soldiers who were prepared to take a punch or chuck themselves down a flight of stairs for a few quid, the next generation went on to turn stunt work into a legitimate profession.
Hollywood Bulldogs: The Rise and Falls of the Great British Stuntman reveals how, by partying and drinking their way through chaos and tragedy, they created and performed the iconic action sequences of 007, Superman, Rambo, Star Wars, Highlander, the Indiana Jones films and pretty much everything since.
They crashed cars, jumped from burning buildings, shot, stabbed, kicked and punched their way into cinema history.
Hollywood Bulldogs: The Rise and Falls of the Great British Stuntman is released on UK streaming services on 4th April 2022 with a Blu-ray edition coming later this year.
Launch Party @ Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford – 24th March 2022, 6.15pm with Post-Screening Q&A + Afterparty