Long-Awaited Movie of Hope, 'Delivering Milo' Comes Home on Video
July 07 2005 - 11:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Long-Awaited Movie of Hope, 'Delivering Milo' Comes Home on Video
Award winning family movie struggled through 9/11, financial
troubles and distribution obstacles before being delivered to the
U.S. market by Hannover House NEW YORK, July 7 /PRNewswire/ --
Producers Heide Levitt and Heriberto Schoeffer knew that they had a
special movie on their hands from the first time they read the
script for "Delivering Milo." What they didn't know is that they
were about to embark on a long and troubled journey that is the
stuff of Hollywood dreams and business nightmares. (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050707/NYTH070 ) In 1999,
Levitt and Schoeffer began their producer's duties of assembling
financing, stars and crew for what was planned as a modest,
$5-million dollar production. The cast they assembled was top
notch, including Albert Finney, hot off an Oscar nomination for
"Erin Brockovich" as well as Bridget Fonda, Campbell Scott, Lesley
Ann Warren, and two up-and-coming young stars Alison Lohman
("Matchstick Men") and Anton Yelchin as "Milo." It was a movie made
in heaven, where much of the film's spiritual action takes place.
But the journey in store for the producers was about to take them
quite far from heaven before their "movie of hope" would see life
in the U.S. market. "Fate played a hand in this film, in many
ways," said Levitt, a respected producer and well-established
casting director. "As easily as the financing and creative elements
came together in pre-production, they just as easily unraveled
after we were well into production," she continued. Production
obstacles in Manhattan and Atlantic City brought a spate of
financial demands, and the film went several million dollars over
its original budget. Post-production editing and sound work
stretched months past schedule, and the film seemed to be going
nowhere fast. But the worst was yet to come. "For a movie about
heaven and the beauty of life, we were certainly facing our share
of adversity," said Levitt. "We were honored to have the film
licensed by United Airlines, but distressed to learn that it was
one of the in-flight movies on September 11, 2001. The film is
about hope and the precious gift of life, so the timing of a
release following the terrorist attacks turned into our biggest
challenge." "Over half of 'Delivering Milo' takes place in
Manhattan, and the World Trade Center Towers are seen prominently
in several scenes," said Levitt. "This sparked a debate between
some of the financing parties and our creative team as to whether
or not the shots with the World Trade Center should be edited out
of the film. The terrorist attacks triggered such a powerful
emotional response that there was concern that this visual might
set the wrong mood for an otherwise light-hearted comedy. It got to
the point that the Major U.S. Studios were afraid to release a film
about 'hope' that also showed images of the World Trade Center,"
Levitt concluded. But Schoeffer and Levitt were not about to let
their film sit on the shelf. In '2002, they entered "Delivering
Milo" into the prestigious Heartland Film Festival, and won the
award as Best Family Film of the year. European and international
distribution through Lakeshore Entertainment ("Million Dollar
Baby") also garnered audience and critical praise. Finally, in late
'2004, "Delivering Milo" found a home with U.S. DVD distributor
Hannover House through the assistance of Foundry Film Partners and
American Entertainment Investors. The film was released on video in
the United States last month, on June 7, 2005. "We are so impressed
with this film," said Hannover House President, Eric Parkinson.
"It's one of the best independent features in the past decade. It
could have easily opened up on over 1,000 theaters if it had been
given the chance and the proper timing. Video consumers are going
to be extremely pleased with this gem," he concluded. "Delivering
Milo" is a family-appeal, comedy adventure that has been compared
to the classic film, "It's A Wonderful Life." It tells the story of
a young boy in Heaven, who refuses to go to Earth when his time to
be born arrives. Milo's choice sets in motion a variety of comic
events which must be corrected before the spiritual balance of the
universe is destroyed. Albert Finney portrays a wayward
angel-in-training who is assigned to persuade young Milo that life
on Earth is a beautiful gift, well worth receiving. Bridget Fonda
and Campbell Scott portray Milo's parents-to-be, and Lesley Ann
Warren plays a vivacious, former flame of Finney's. "Delivering
Milo" is 94 minutes long, and is rated PG. DVD's are priced at
$19.95 suggested retail, and VHS units are priced at $14.95
suggested retail. Key retailers carrying the videos include
Wal-Mart, Albertson's, Sam's Club and Amazon.com. Information on
the film is also available at http://www.hannoverhouse.com/. "We
think Americans are finally ready to see a movie about hope, joy
and the precious gift of life," said Levitt. "We think 'Delivering
Milo' exemplifies the values of most Americans and will inspire
audiences for many years to come. We hope that millions of people
will take the time to rent or purchase the videos, as the message
is important, timeless, and truly an enjoyable film," she
concluded. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050707/NYTH070
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Hannover House CONTACT:
Eric Parkinson of Hannover House, +1-818-481-5277, Web site:
http://www.hannoverhouse.com/
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