LOS ANGELES, Feb. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ —ย Greenwood Hill Productions has announced that “Gotham” star Ben McKenzie’s film version of the Off-Broadway stage monologue “Johnny Got His Gun,”ย based on Dalton Trumbo’s novel, has been released on multiple internet streaming platforms 10 years after the film’s theatrical release.
McKenzie’s critically acclaimed filmed stage performance received theatrical distribution in art houses prior to an exclusive distribution to U. S. high schools. This is the first time the movie has been available to the public since it’s 2008 release.
“I appreciated that the film was made available exclusively to high schools after its initial release,” McKenzie said. “I’m glad that its message will have an opportunity 10 years later to reach a wider audience.”
“When the movie’s rights reverted back to us we jumped at the opportunity to share Ben’s riveting performance,” said Greenwood Hill producer and theย film’s director, Rowan Joseph. “As a filmed stage play it was never intended as a remake of the classic 1970 movie. This version, as in Trumbo’s original novel,ย tells the story from the wounded soldier’s POV, healthy, youthful, trapped.”
The story takes place in the mind of Joe Bonham, an American soldier hit by an artillery shell on the last day of WWI; a quadruple amputee who has also lost his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Regaining consciousness, he discovers that while his brain is healthy, the rest of his body is irreparably shattered, leaving him trapped within his own imagination. Tapping his head in Morse code, he breaks through and pleads with his caretakers to be put on display as a living example of the cost of war. Written by Bradley Rand Smith, in the same stream of consciousness style as the book, the film explores the interplay between science, medicine, religion, and politics.
The original 1982 Off-Broadway production starred a then 28-year old Jeff Daniels, who won an Obie Award for his performance. McKenzie was the same age when his stage performance was filmed at the Luckman Theatre at Cal State L.A.
McKenzie currently stars as “Detective James Gordon” in the FOX seriesย “Gotham,” now in its fifth and final season. In addition to his on-screen duties, McKenzie also directed a number of episodes of the series.
“Johnny Got His Gun” was edited by three-time Academy Award nominee Jay Cassidy, and is available on iTunes, Google Play, YouTube Movies, Steam, Microsoft Movies, Fandango Now, Xbox Live, Vudu and Amazon.
Website:ย https://www.johnnygothisgunthemovie.com
SOURCE Greenwood Hill Productions
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