Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen talk about their new film, Rated X

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Putting the "X" on DVD:
Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen
talk about their new film, Rated X


It was the 1970s - a time before home video had exploded, when porn movies were still things you went to see in theaters. Before Larry Flynt's battles with the guardians of American moral decency, a pair of brothers from Antioch, California revolutionized the porn industry. While still in college, Jim and Artie Mitchell began making their own porn films and discovered that they could make good money selling them to local adult theaters for exhibition. Within months, the brothers had borrowed $10,000 from their parents and purchased their own theater in San Francisco. Now, all the profits from their films went directly to them... allowing them to make even more movies. Soon, they owned several such venues. And in 1971, the brothers struck gold with a film called Behind the Green Door, which launched the career of adult star Marilyn Chambers and made some $40 million in profits. But the brothers' story wasn't quite that simple. Many of their films were pirated by organized crime, meaning that they never received most of the profits for ticket sales outside of San Francisco. The Mitchell Brothers also endured numerous police raids of their theaters and offices, as well as arrests and other legal hassles. And they were often the targets of "decency" campaigns by outraged moral and religious groups. Eventually, their lives spiraled into a nightmare of drugs, alcohol and personal conflict, which ultimately lead to the shooting death of Artie Mitchell... at the hands of his own brother. Jim spent three years in prison for the killing. Today, he continues to own and operate the The Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theater in San Francisco. The story of the Mitchell Brothers is one that has fascinated filmmakers for years. And now, it's finally been told, albeit on the small screen, thanks to Showtime Entertainment. The critically-acclaimed Rated X stars real-life brothers Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez as Artie and Jim (their father is actor Martin Sheen, of NBC's The West Wing). It was also directed by Emilio - his fifth such effort. We recently caught up with the pair at the sound stages of Complete Post in Hollywood, as they were preparing to record the audio commentary track for the forthcoming DVD release of Rated X, to ask for their thoughts on the film and the DVD format... Bill Hunt (The Digital Bits): What was it about the Mitchell Brothers' story that got you both interested in making this movie? And Emilio, how did you come to direct it? Emilio Estevez: Well, initially the fact that it was a true story - a true crime story. It also afforded us an opportunity to play brothers for the first time. Charlie Sheen: And to actually take part in recreating a couple of guys that influenced not just their immediate environment, but our entire society... and what led to their ultimate demise. Plus, from a business standpoint, we knew the type of talent that had been circling the project for years, and we figured that if we don't do this... Emilio Estevez: ...someone else is gonna. Charlie Sheen: You hear names like DeNiro and Sean Penn and Oliver Stone. The Baldwin brothers... you know... Emilio Estevez: At one point, Sean was gonna direct and DeNiro was gonna be in it. So for us, it was really only a matter of time before someone did this film. And Showtime afforded us an opportunity to make the film. It was a very quick trigger. They sent us the script and we read it that night. Actually Charlie read it before I did, and he called me and said, "We have to do this. We have to do this film." Charlie Sheen: But they were actually pushing other directors. And I said I wouldn't do it unless he [Emilio] directs it.
Emilio Estevez: And so we went down the road with it. And I told them, "Look, we're losing time. I'm either directing this thing or not. But I have to present myself as the director, because we've got six weeks to prep the film, and I've got to start operating as a director. So let's go." So off we went... Bill Hunt: Obviously, you both had to do a lot of research on the Mitchell Brothers when preparing for this film, because this is ultimately a true story. What was it like, immersing yourself in the details of the fledgling porn business of that time - the 70s? Emilio Estevez: (laughs) Well... it was interesting. You know, there were two books available. One was called X-Rated by David McCumber and the other was called Bottom Feeders. And they were both pretty pulpy. Neither one was written with Jim Mitchell's blessing - he didn't participate at all. Nor did he participate in this film. He didn't want to have anything to do with it. So our research was... Charlie Sheen: Limited.	Rated X - coming to DVD on 2/6/01.
Emilio Estevez: ...pretty limited. We obviously looked at Behind the Green Door, Sodom and Gomorrah... other porn films from that era. They're all pretty terrible. The fact that Behind the Green Door - there were actually two films that really stood out during that period. And that was Behind the Green Door and Deep Throat. Those were the seminal porno films of the 70s. And I think Behind the Green Door ended up making - for an initial investment of $60,000 - somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 million? Charlie Sheen: Yeah. Emilio Estevez: Something incredible. Charlie Sheen: In 1972 dollars. Emilio Estevez: Right. So for me, it was interesting. I was pretty unfamiliar with that world. And it was interesting having to direct people to take off their clothes. After a while, you become desensitized to it, which is pretty interesting in itself. But that world is definitely interesting. It's not a world that I want to dwell in... Charlie Sheen: Nor I. It remains today one of our most exported films, correct? Emilio Estevez: Yeah. You know, legitimate Hollywood films generated what... $8 billion in revenues last year? And the porn industry generated $12 billion. And yet we still like to hold onto these ridiculous puritanical values that don't really apply anymore... (laughs) Bill Hunt: Let's talk a little about DVD, because you're currently working on the DVD version of Rated X for early next year. As a director, what benefits do you see from releasing your films on DVD? How do you think it enhances a viewer's experience of the film? Emilio Estevez: Well, I'm kind of mixed on this. And I'll tell you why. I think that in the last 10 to 15 years, the problem with the movie industry is that it's become completely demystified by things like Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight and the way the box office totals are reported... not just in L.A. papers, but all over the country. It's on CNN and it's like, you've got Mildred in Illinois knowing that your movie made $60 million and was a hit. Or it made $2 million and it's a bomb. Why should those people care? So I think that while it [DVD] does give the viewer an inside look at filmmaking, that, I think, is also one of the big problems. You bring filmmaking to such a level that anyone feels like they can do it. And anyone feels like they're an expert. Let them go try, you know? It's a much different business when you're on the inside, actually doing it, as opposed to being on the outside thinking... Charlie Sheen: That you're an expert. Emilio Estevez: Right - based on what you've seen. We know how all the special effects are made now. We know when an actor gets $20 million to show up. We know when a director is going through a divorce and is bringing all his troubles to the set. We know too much about filmmaking. And as a result, some of the magic is gone. But on the other hand, watching some of these DVDs, and listening to the directors talk, is interesting to me as a director. Because, I'm looking at it from that perspective - "Oh, that's the lens he used..." or whatever. So I'm mixed about it. I think it's an interesting tool. I know that's probably not a good answer, given that this is another revenue stream. It's probably not a popular answer. Bill Hunt: But I think it's an honest answer. I know there are other filmmakers who feel the same way. Directors like Steven Spielberg decline to record commentaries on DVD because they prefer the film to speak for itself. And we recently spoke with William Friedkin, who I think alluded to that. His point was that filmmakers used to reference literature and World Cinema, but today there's a new breed that is referencing popular culture instead - MTV and other films and TV shows that they've seen on video and laserdisc and now DVD. There's an argument to be made that originality suffers because of that. But at the same time, as you say, it's a tool for filmmakers - both novice and experienced. Interesting answer. Listen guys - I appreciate your talking a little time to chat with us about Rated X. I think our readers will find it interesting. Charlie: Our pleasure. Emilio: Thank you. ---end---
Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez recording the commentary track for Rated X on DVD.
Rated X is currently scheduled to arrive on DVD on February 6th from Showtime, in a special 115-minute, unrated version for home video (click here to preorder the disc from DVD Planet). The disc will carry an SRP of $24.98, and will include the film on a dual-layered disc in its original full frame presentation, with the Sheen/Estevez audio commentary, 30 minutes of new interviews with porn star Marilyn Chambers and San Francisco Assistant D.A. Bernard Walter about the Mitchell Brothers, filmographies and a gallery of still photographs. The disc will also feature fully-animated menus with music, 2.0 Dolby Digital English audio and will be Closed Captioned.
L to R: Complete Post's Steve Gustafson, Emilio Estevez, Showtime's Rosalie Camarda, Charlie Sheen and Showtime's Eric A. Peterson.
The Digital Bits would like to thank Emilio and Charlie for taking the time to talk with us. Thanks also to Steve Gustafson, Vice President of DVD at Complete Post, as well as everyone at Showtime for their help. We'll have more on Rated X in the coming weeks, including a look at the making of the disc and an in-depth review of the film and DVD. So stay tuned... Bill Hunt, Editor The Digital Bits billhunt@thedigitalbits.com