Grindhouse Releasing is GONE WITH THE POPE (review)

Duke Mitchell's follow-up to MASSACRE MAFIA STYLE in which a group of ex-cons decide to kidnap the pope and ransom him for "a dollar from every Catholic" never saw the theater screens and sat unfinished in the care of his son musician Jeffery Mitchell until the nineties when Sage Stallone and award-winning editor Bob Murawski (THE HURT LOCKER) set about restoring the passion project over a fifteen year period.  Now it hits Blu-ray and DVD from Grindhouse Releasing with a bevy of extras to accompany this oddball exploitation film from the star of BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA!

REVIEW LINK: Grindhouse Releasing (US) Region ALL Blu-ray/Region 0 NTSC DVD (DVD Drive-in)

GONE WITH THE POPE Blu-ray/DVD combo specs:

• Blu-ray:
• 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.78:1 widescreen
• English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 1.0 mono
• English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
• DVD:
• 16:9 anamorphic 1.78:1 widescreen
• English Dolby Digital 5.1, 2.0 stereo, and 1.0 mono
• GONE WITH THE POPE - The Players - interviews with actors Joe Lo Bianco and John Murgia, editors Robert Florio and Bob Leighton, cinematographer Robert Santoro, and Mitchell family friend Matt Cimber
• Shooting GONE WITH THE POPE with Robert Santoro
• Restoring GONE WITH THE POPE
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Inserts
• "Frankie Carr and the Nov-Elites: Live in Vegas"
• Hollywood Premiere
• Theatrical Trailer
• Still Galleries
• DVD-ROM: Script notes and screenplay, essay on the restoration
• Fold-out poster with essay by John Skipp on the reverse