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COCKFIGHT

The new book from the author of HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN, about Monte Hellman's COCKFIGHTER (1974)

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COCKFIGHT

COCKFIGHT

COCKFIGHT

COCKFIGHT

COCKFIGHT

The new book from the author of HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN, about Monte Hellman's COCKFIGHTER (1974)

The new book from the author of HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN, about Monte Hellman's COCKFIGHTER (1974)

The new book from the author of HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN, about Monte Hellman's COCKFIGHTER (1974)

The new book from the author of HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN, about Monte Hellman's COCKFIGHTER (1974)

Kier-La Janisse
Kier-La Janisse
Kier-La Janisse
Kier-La Janisse
5 Campaigns |
Toronto, Canada
$8,590 USD 182 backers
114% of $7,500 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Highlights
Mountain Filled 5 Projects Mountain Filled 5 Projects
Overview
In her third book as an author, Kier-La Janisse (HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN) explores the intersection of Southern Gothic, ritual masculinity and second wave feminism in Monte Hellman's 1974 film COCKFIGHTER with a combination of cultural criticism and production history, while also examining in detail the Charles Willeford novel and the controversial bloodsport that inspired it.

There is no shortage of loaded - and often gendered - symbolism in the sport of cockfighting. And this becomes a starting point for author Kier-La Janisse (HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN) to investigate the themes of obsession, competition, divination and self-ascribed nobility that dominate the hyper-masculine world of Monte Hellman's existential and controversial film, COCKFIGHTER (1974).

In this, its fifth book, Canadian micro-publisher Spectacular Optical explores the intersection of Southern Gothic, ritual masculinity and second wave feminism in COCKFIGHTER with a combination of cultural criticism and production history. The book will also examine in detail the Charles Willeford pulp novel and the bloodsport that inspired it. While Willeford always maintained that it was a tale of obsession and not 'about' cockfighting, this unique sport nonetheless provides all the contradictions necessary for a great lone wolf story. And here, author Kier-La Janisse faces up against her own contradictions as she personally delves into the strange world of cockfighting in the American south.

COCKFIGHTER stars character actor Warren Oates as Frank Mansfield, a career cocker who has taken a vow of silence until he can win the Cockfighter of the Year Award. Surrounded by fellow cockfighters played by Harry Dean Stanton, Ed Begley, Jr, Steve Railsback, Richard B. Shull and even author/screenwriter Charles Willeford himself, the film traverses the underground cockfighting world of the Deep South, with a highly detailed documentation of this unique subculture brought vividly to life by esteemed cinematographer Nestor Almendros.

The book features interviews with director Monte Hellman and producer Roger Corman – who will sign special edition copies of the book available only through the IndieGogo campaign - as well as several other surviving cast and crew.

Cover art by Adam Juresko at No Supervision:

Author Kier-La Janisse broke new ground in film criticism with her 2012 book House of Psychotic Women: An Autobographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films (now in development as a series with Rook Films), and this new monograph is also a highly personal labour of love whose appeal promises to transcend the fanbase for the film itself.

“Monte Hellman has made films he likes much better than Cockfighter,’ says Janisse, “But Cockfighter was always the one that resonated with me; primarily its emphasis on a stubborn, meticulous anti-hero who wants to be the best at something that others consider foolish at best, or barbaric at worst. At its core it is a story about work, obsession, drive, conviction and finding religion and beauty in strange places."

Perks are unique added incentives to support the book now; they are free gifts you get with contributions of anything over the basic cost of the book.

Special perks for the IndieGogo include belt buckles, tote bags, a Cockfighter-themed flask and deck of cards, an original cockfighting gaff necklace designed by silversmith Ben High and a signed deluxe edition that comes with the Cockfighter of the Year medal as depicted in the film (rendered by illustrator Andrew Barr and created by Pallbearer Press). In addition we have blu rays from our colleagues at Severin Films and The American Genre Film Archive!

THE PERKS:

 

The funds raised here will go towards completion funds, design, image rights and printing costs, as well as a small budget to cover the perk production. These pre-sales also ensure that we can pay artist fees – not only designer fees, but all contributors to the book receive royalties on every copy sold. Part of our goal with Spectacular Optical is to create a small but sustainable business that is able to pay artist fees to the many awesome (and often underpaid) writers and graphic artists working in our field, and to give them books they are proud of.

In addition, as part of our crowdfunding campaigns, we often team up with like-minded organizations to offer their products in bundles with our own, acknowledging that collaboration between independent artists and companies keeps our small economy moving and allows us all to find an audience for our unique work.

COCKFIGHT will be a beautiful 6X8", perfect-bound book, roughly 170 pages and illustrated throughout with stills, posters, ads and other visual ephemera. It is a unique book in that it combines academic research with a pop-culture approach, offering a high standard of analytical insight while remaining accessible and comprehensive.

In just a few short years, Spectacular Optical has garnered a reputation for making quality books that showcase underappreciated or under-examined aspects of pop culture - and we hope to make many more. This is the fifth book being published under my own imprint (though the first to be written by me), and I have managed many projects at this scale - from running film festivals to operating my own microcinema. And we’ve also been mentored all along the way by the British cult film publisher FAB Press - so we have some good people on our side making sure we don’t fall.

If we don't reach our goal, the book will still be printed and perks will still be delivered, but pre-sales through Indiegogo ensure the necessary cash flow to keep everything in the allotted timeline so that we can take advantage of promotional opportunities through the fall 2018/spring 2019 film festival season, where we hope to pair book launches with screenings of a new 35mm print of Cockfighter, recently struck through a partnership between Jon Davison, Roger Corman and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Our goal is to have the book ready and being mailed out to customers by February 2019, if not before.

Kier-La Janisse (author/Artistic Director of Spectacular Optical)
Kier-La Janisse is a film writer and programmer, Owner/Artistic Director of Spectacular Optical Publications and the founder of The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, and has been a programmer for the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. She is the author of A Violent Professional: The Films of Luciano Rossi (FAB Press, 2007) and House of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films (FAB Press, 2012), and has contributed to the books Destroy All Movies!! The Complete Guide to Punks on Film (Fantagraphics, 2011), Recovering 1940s Horror: Traces of a Lost Decade (Lexington, 2014) The Canadian Horror Film: Terror of the Soul (University of Toronto Press, 2015) and We Are the Martians: The Legacy of Nigel Kneale (PS Press, 2017) as well as co-editing and/or publishing Spectacular Optical books KID POWER! (2014), Satanic Panic: Pop-Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s (2015) and Lost Girls: The Phantasmagorical Cinema of Jean Rollin (2017). In addition to her work on the forthcomingYuletide Terror, she is currently writing A Song from the Heart Beats the Devil Every Time: Children's Programming and the Counterculture, 1965-1985,

Paul Corupe (Managaing Editor of Spectacular Optical)
The creator of Canuxploitation.com, Toronto-based writer and editor Paul Corupe has been exploring and documenting the secret history of Canadian genre movies for more than 15 years. A regular contributor to Rue Morgue magazine, he is has also written about film for The Toronto Star, Take One Film and Television in Canada and Cinema Sewer, among others.

Kaila Hier (Publicist for Spectacular Optical)
Kaila Hier is an international publicist who specializes in genre festivals and genre-related projects. In addition to Spectacular Optical she also does PR for The Fantasia International Film Festival, Boston Underground Film Festival, Ithaca Fantastic Film Festival, The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, Brooklyn Horror Fest, Fright Fest, North Bend Film Festival, Stranger With My Face and more.


Named after the sinister institution in David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, Spectacular Optical is a small-press publisher of collectible film and pop culture books with an emphasis on supporting Canadian genre film writers and designers. Spectacular Optical is owned and operated by film writer and programmer Kier-La Janisse.

In addition to our print books, throughout the year Spectacular Optical produces film events and brings you articles, essays and interviews with established and emerging genre filmmakers, artists, curators and exhibitors on our website. Through our film production arm, we support the creation of genre-related short, feature-length and episodic media.

Just because you can’t contribute financially doesn’t mean you can’t help! It would be a great help just to post a link to our campaign on Facebook, Twitter and/or other social media using the Indiegogo share tools - and encourage others to share the link too!

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Choose your Perk

featured

Cockfighter of the Year

$150 USD
Get the COCKFIGHT Book signed by Roger Corman, Monte Hellman and author Kier-La Janisse, plus the bookmark, tote bag, flask, downloadable Southern Fried mixtape, a Cockfighter-themed deck of cards, and the Cockfighter of the Year Medal, as depicted in the film, created by Andrew Barr and Pallbearer Press.
Included Items
  • COCKFIGHT Book
  • Tote bag
  • COCKFIGHTER Deck of Cards
  • Flask
  • Cockfighter of the Year Medal
  • Corman and Hellman Signatures
Estimated Shipping
February 2019
10 out of 100 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

COCKFIGHT Book

$20 USD
Get a copy of the COCKFIGHT book signed by author Kier-la Janisse, and a collectible bookmark!
Included Items
  • COCKFIGHT Book
  • Collectible Bookmark
Estimated Shipping
February 2019
94 out of 200 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Southern Fried

$30 USD
Get the COCKFIGHT book signed by author Kier-La Janisse, plus a downloadable Southern Fried mixtape of music from cult and exploitation films.
Included Items
  • COCKFIGHT Book
  • Southern Fried Mixtape
Estimated Shipping
February 2019
Only 2 left
Ships worldwide.

Book + Buckle

$40 USD
Get the COCKFIGHT book signed by author Kier-La Janisse plus a rooster belt buckle made by Regan Flegan.
Included Items
  • COCKFIGHT Book
  • Belt Buckle
Estimated Shipping
February 2019
8 out of 20 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Oates Tote

$40 USD
Get the COCKFIGHT book signed by author Kier-La Janisse and a black tote bag featuring the great character actor Warren Oates as cockfighter Frank Mansfield.
Included Items
  • COCKFIGHT Book
  • Tote bag
Estimated Shipping
February 2019
12 out of 40 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Wild Beasts

$40 USD
Get the COCKFIGHT book signed by author Kier-La Janisse, plus a blu ray of Franco Prosperi's WILD BEASTS, courtesy of Severin Films.
Included Items
  • COCKFIGHT Book
  • WILD BEASTS Blu Ray
Estimated Shipping
February 2019
Only 1 left
Ships worldwide.

Til Death Do Us Part

$50 USD
Get the COCKFIGHT book signed by author Kier-La Janisse plus a stainless steel 9 oz flask bearing one of the cockfighting world's most popular slogans.
Included Items
  • COCKFIGHT Book
  • Flask
Estimated Shipping
February 2019
6 out of 20 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

COCKFIGHTER Cards

$50 USD
Get the COCKFIGHT book signed by author Kier-La Janisse plus a limited edition COCKFIGHTER-themed deck of cards, illustrated by Toronto artist Andrew Barr.
Included Items
  • COCKFIGHT Book
  • Deck of Cards
Estimated Shipping
February 2019
4 out of 20 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

The Twin Gaffs

$85 USD
Get the COCKFIGHT book signed by author Kier-La Janisse with this exclusive sterling silver cockfighting gaff necklace (also available as a pendant with pinback) designed by silversmith Ben High just for this campaign.
Included Items
  • COCKFIGHT Book
  • Gaff Necklace or pendant
Estimated Shipping
February 2019
3 out of 20 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
sold out

The Cock & Pussy

$40 USD
Estimated Shipping
February 2019
10 out of 10 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
sold out

The Full Monte

$350 USD
Estimated Shipping
February 2019
1 out of 1 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

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