Skip to content

The Driver's Seat

£16.99

Released: 26th June 2023. Elizabeth Taylor stars as a troubled woman who, upon arriving in Rome, finds a city fragmented by autocratic law, leftist violence and her own increasingly unhinged mission to find the most dangerous liaison of all.  Never before released in the UK, The Driver’s Seat (aka Identikit) remains the most obscure, bizarre and wildly misunderstood film of Taylor’s illustrious career.Adapted froman unnerving novella by Muriel Spark (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie), the film marked a wild step into the unknown for the screen icon, as she cast off the shackles of the US studio system in the shadow of her tumultuous personal life.Co-starring Ian Bannen, Mona Washbourne and Andy Warhol, The Driver’s Seat stunned critics and audiences alike upon its premiere in 1974 but failed to secure a UK release – until now.Directed by Giuseppe PatroniGriffi('Tis Pity She's a Whore) and featuring cinematography by three-time Oscar® winner Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now), this much-sought after cult classic is presented in a new4K restoration by Cineteca di Bologna and Severin Films. Special Features Restored in 4K by Cineteca di Bologna and Severin Films and presented in High Definition Introduction By Kier-La Janisse, author of House of Psychotic Women (2022, 6 mins) Audio Commentary with curator and programmer Millie De Chirico (2022) A Lack of Absence (2022, 22 mins): writer and literary historian Chandra Mayor on Muriel Spark and The Driver's Seat The Driver’s Seat credit sequences (1974, 4 mins) Darling, Do You Love Me? (1968, 4 mins) in a hugely entertaining parody of her media persona, Germaine Greer stars as a terrifyingly amorous woman who pursues a man relentlessly Waiting For… (1970, 11 mins): a young woman embarks on a filmmaking project when some mysterious men give her a camera and tell her to capture her everyday reality The Telephone (1981, 4 mins): a young woman enacts an imaginative revenge on her boyfriend for being unfaithful in this short film by Chris Petit (Radio On) National Theatre of Scotland trailer (2015, 2 mins): The trailer for the National Theatre of Scotland's 2015 stage production of The Driver's Seat **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by the BFI’s Simon McCallum and Canadian artist, writer and filmmaker Bruce LaBruce. Also includes Kier-La Janisse’s writing on The Driver’s Seat, previously published in her acclaimed book, House of Psychotic Women  

More info

Format

Blu-ray

There was an error adding this product to your basket. Please try again.

Ring & Reserve

*Availability subject to change.

To reserve this item in store, call: 03333 230 667

Delivery to the UK only
*Free UK delivery on orders over £20
(exclusions apply)
Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Click & Collect
Get it delivered to a store near you with FREE Click & Collect available on this product.
  • Details

    Released:
    26th June 2023
    Category:
    Drama
    Studio:
    BFI
    Format:
    Blu-ray
    Certification:
    15 – Suitable only for 15 years and over
    Barcode:
    5035673014899
  • Description

    Elizabeth Taylor stars as a troubled woman who, upon arriving in Rome, finds a city fragmented by autocratic law, leftist violence and her own increasingly unhinged mission to find the most dangerous liaison of all. 

    Never before released in the UK, The Driver’s Seat (aka Identikit) remains the most obscure, bizarre and wildly misunderstood film of Taylor’s illustrious career.Adapted froman unnerving novella by Muriel Spark (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie), the film marked a wild step into the unknown for the screen icon, as she cast off the shackles of the US studio system in the shadow of her tumultuous personal life.Co-starring Ian Bannen, Mona Washbourne and Andy Warhol, The Driver’s Seat stunned critics and audiences alike upon its premiere in 1974 but failed to secure a UK release – until now.Directed by Giuseppe PatroniGriffi('Tis Pity She's a Whore) and featuring cinematography by three-time Oscar® winner Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now), this much-sought after cult classic is presented in a new4K restoration by Cineteca di Bologna and Severin Films.

    Special Features
    • Restored in 4K by Cineteca di Bologna and Severin Films and presented in High Definition
    • Introduction By Kier-La Janisse, author of House of Psychotic Women (2022, 6 mins)
    • Audio Commentary with curator and programmer Millie De Chirico (2022)
    • A Lack of Absence (2022, 22 mins): writer and literary historian Chandra Mayor on Muriel Spark and The Driver's Seat
    • The Driver’s Seat credit sequences (1974, 4 mins)
    • Darling, Do You Love Me? (1968, 4 mins) in a hugely entertaining parody of her media persona, Germaine Greer stars as a terrifyingly amorous woman who pursues a man relentlessly
    • Waiting For… (1970, 11 mins): a young woman embarks on a filmmaking project when some mysterious men give her a camera and tell her to capture her everyday reality
    • The Telephone (1981, 4 mins): a young woman enacts an imaginative revenge on her boyfriend for being unfaithful in this short film by Chris Petit (Radio On)
    • National Theatre of Scotland trailer (2015, 2 mins): The trailer for the National Theatre of Scotland's 2015 stage production of The Driver's Seat
    • **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by the BFI’s Simon McCallum and Canadian artist, writer and filmmaker Bruce LaBruce. Also includes Kier-La Janisse’s writing on The Driver’s Seat, previously published in her acclaimed book, House of Psychotic Women

     
    Region Code:
    Region B
    Duration:
    102 minutes
    Extras:
    Language(s): English, Hard of Hearing Subtitles: English, Interactive Menu, Booklet, Commentary: Millie De Chirico (TCM Underground curator), Documentaries: 'A Lack of Absence' (2022): Chandra Mayor (writer/historian) on Muriel Spark and 'The Driver's Seat', Introduction by Kier-La Janisse (author); 'The Driver's Seat' credit sequences
  • Delivery and Returns

    When will my order arrive?

    • If the items are in stock, we’ll aim to dispatch them within 24 hours of your order being placed.  
    • Orders sent via Royal Mail 48® are usually received within two to five working days, including Saturdays. 
    • Orders sent via the Express Delivery service will be dispatched the same day if ordered by 2pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).
    • We will aim to dispatch pre-orders so that you receive them on the release date.
    • Where an item is 'Back in stock soon', we'll aim to receive more stock within a week and will dispatch any orders once the shipment has arrived.
    • Certain items can take longer to source than the estimated week, particularly during busy trading periods and may take longer to arrive at our warehouse. In this instance, we'll send weekly updates to keep you aware. 
    • Products labelled '*item fulfilled by Exertis on behalf of hmv' will be supplied to you directly by Exertis via their approved couriers. When you place an order for an item that is fulfilled by Exertis, your details shall be forwarded to them so that they can fulfil the order, and to their courier so that they can deliver the item.

    Delivery charges

    • Free delivery is available for most items when the order exceeds £20, but any exceptions will be clearly highlighted.
    • Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge.
    • Selected items are only available for delivery using Click & Collect to an hmv or FOPP store of your choice.
    • All delivery options and any charges that are applicable will be shown at the checkout.

    Will you tell me when my order is on its way?

    • We will email you as soon as each item is ready to be dispatched so you know when to expect them, but you can also check the status of your order in your account.
    • We don’t always ship everything together so check your dispatch email for more details - we’ll send you a dispatch email per parcel.
    • If your order contains items that are out of stock, we’ll ship the in-stock items as soon as we can and will dispatch the out-of-stock items as soon as we’ve received more stock in the warehouse.
    • For items that are dispatched using our standard service, we ask that you wait 14 days from the date of dispatch before reporting any items as undelivered.

    Returns

    • We're happy to accept returns for unwanted items provided that they're returned within 14 days of receipt; unopened, unused and in perfect condition.
    • Some exclusions apply, please visit our Help Centre for more details. 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Sign-up for emails

Sign-up for emails

Sign-up for emails

I'd love to hear about offers and promotions from hmv*