New Release: American: The Bill Hicks Story Blu-ray and DVD

American: The Bill Hicks Story movie scene

American: The Bill Hicks Story looks at the controversial funnyman's life and career.

On June 7, 2011, Warner Home Video released the DVD and Blu-ray of American: The Bill Hicks Story, a biographical documentary on the life — too short life — of controversial comedian/social commentator Bill Hicks, who died of pancreatic cancer in 1994 at the age of 32.

Produced and directed for the BBC in 2009 by British filmmakers Paul Thomas and Matt Harlock, American: The Bill Hicks Story notably applies a unique cut-and-paste animation technique to a number of still pictures of Hicks — who once described himself as “Chomsky with dick jokes” — to document his life and career. The film also includes archival footage, as well as interviews with Hicks’ family and friends, including Kevin Booth, an American filmmaker and musician who was one of Hicks’ frequent collaborators.

The movie was well-received at Stateside film festivals and during its run in theaters last year in England, where Hicks was very popular. The documentary will roll out in a limited theatrical release in the U.S. in April in New York, Los Angeles, Austin, Portland, Phoenix and additional cities that have yet to be announced.

The Blu-ray and DVD carry the list prices of $29.99 and $29.98, respectively.

Here’s the film’s trailer:

 

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About Laurence

Founder and editor Laurence Lerman saw Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest when he was 13 years old and that’s all it took. He has been writing about film and video for more than a quarter of a century for magazines, anthologies, websites and most recently, Video Business magazine, where he served as the Reviews Editor for 15 years.