New on Blu-ray: STORY OF A JUNKIE aka GRINGO (1985) - Documentary

Product Description: John Spacely, known on the streets as Gringo, has spent much of his life selling - and using - drugs, mostly heroin. Since relocating from his native California to the Lower East Side of New York, Gringo has gained a group of steady customers for the dope he sells, amongst them musicians and actors and, in the process, has also developed a reputation as a colorful street character; hanging out amongst the dilapidated environs of Lower Manhattan. But with his own drug habit starting to get the better of him, Gringo must challenge himself not to end up on an even darker path, from which there may be no way back.

An unflinching study of addiction from multi-award winning documentarian, Lech Kowalski, STORY OF A JUNKIE (originally titled Gringo) stars Spacely as a semi-fictionalized version of himself, mixing staged interactions with grim documentary realism. Filmed entirely on location, and featuring a supporting cast of Gringo's real life friends and customers, Vinegar Syndrome Labs presents the Blu-ray debut of this remarkably human document not just of the long-gone punk counterculture on the Lower East Side, but of the fascinating and colorful personalities who populated it.

"The Entertainment Factor is supported by its audience. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission."

Find out more about this DVD/Blu-ray release after the jump.

Click the links below to jump directly
to the selected section:

Movie Details

Available Formats (Purchasing Links)

Video

Audio

Subtitles

Special Features & Extras

Trailer and Clips

Pictures

MOVIE DETAILS

JUMP BACK TO TOP

Director: Lech Kowalski

Starring: John Spacely

Genre: Documentary

Runtime: 79 min

Rating: R

Language: English

Studio: Vinegar Syndrome

Home Video Release Date: April 30, 2024

AVAILABLE FORMATS (click links to order from Amazon):

JUMP BACK TO TOP

Blu-ray

VIDEO

JUMP BACK TO TOP

Blu-ray

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Region: Region A/1

AUDIO

JUMP BACK TO TOP

Dubbed:

Blu-ray: None

Audio Formats:

Blu-ray: LPCM Mono

SUBTITLES

JUMP BACK TO TOP

Blu-ray: English SDH

SPECIAL FEATURES & EXTRAS

JUMP BACK TO TOP

Region Free Blu-ray + Soundtrack CD
Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 16mm original camera negative
"The Dance of Death" (19 min) - an interview with director Lech Kowalski
"Thirteen Weeks of Hell: Editing Story of a Junkie" (11 min) - an interview with editor Val Kuklowsky
"Drop the Needle" (12 min) - an interview with composer Chuck Kentis
"Troma: The Last Stop on the Train" (4 min) - an interview with Troma President Lloyd Kaufman
Archival interview with producer Ann S. Barish (10 min)
Soundtrack CD by composer Chuck Kentis
Reversible sleeve artwork
English SDH subtitles