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| THE PUNK ROCK MOVIE A FILM BY DON LETTS Running Time: 79 minutes Released 30th June 2008 �12.99 FREMANTLE |
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| Back in '77 Don Letts the Rasta DJ at London's only Punk club, the Roxy was going round town when he wasn't spinning dub discs, filming the new phenomenon called Punk on his newly acquired Super 8 hand held camera. Having just been given a camera by his friend Caroline Baker, Don decided to press the trigger on a shoot to kill basic after barely reading the instructions. Don shot all the punk action he could witness as artistic expression. Like the music he was capturing, he was new at this latest art form and like the sounds, it certainly captures the grubby surroundings and almost prehistoric ambiance. The colour is lurid with splashes of pink 'n' greens blurring across our screen. And what it don't make up for in technical quality, it certainly does in archiving a scene and scenesters at play on and off stage. The live footage although important and shouldn't be missed, isn't always what you remember most in this film, but is essential viewing as a diabolical Slits rehearse for the 'White Riot' tour. Slaughter And The Dogs crank it up during a cloud of talcum powder. The Clash are hip and stoned on the White Riot tour bus and the Heartbreakers seem way too exotic to be playing the Roxy. Pity we didn't get no Stranglers or Damned coz alongside Siouxsie who looks very young and in good shape as she pops the pills, most of the UK punk icons are immortalised on here. John Rottens voice during a vintage Screen on the Green gig is hilarious, he sounds like hes been sucking in helium as he berates the hippy audience and tells em all to "sit down". The punk godfathers and grandmothers are all so young in this film, its like witnessing some ancient artifact that has been recovered from the bowls of the 20th century London. And put alongside today's mega pixel breed of memory hunting punksters it can get pretty ropey to view at times. Especially the dissapointing dark X-Ray Spex footage. However this film does capture the original essence of Punk perfectly and with not a Mohican in sight! The real stars of the footage however has to be the lesser known acts such as Eater frantically chopping up a pigs head during "No Brains". Generation X looking very polished and pin up on stage and in the dressing room at the Vortex. While Wayne County chews gum, sweats and pouts during an hilarious version of "Cream In My Jeans". Innevitably Wayne can't resist putting his head in the bass drum. Its also funny watching an out his depth Mark P. of Alternative TV being taught the fundamentals of Dub in a recording studio by his producer. Don the "number one nigger ligger" round town definitely had exclusive access that the TV cameras of the day never got to see. Mainly due to his supply of weed to the new Punk intelligentsia, so trust was assured. Sid Vicious is caught building a joint down the Roxy as kids mutilate themselves with razorblades. We see the cadaver punkettes drool at the stage edge adorned with swastikas. We even get Keith Levene (ex-Clash future PIL guitarist) fixing up in the Roxy toilets. From the squalor we get the much loved Shane McGowan footage jumping around which always brings a smile your face, as does Soo Catwoman who goes all shy and coy on us as she spells out her musical tastes, while Jordan glares. What is noticeable is the sound has been overdubbed on some of the live sequences. I personally have no problems with the overdubs, but it could destroy the original ambiance for all the die hard collectors out there. And obviously the Slits actually needed an overdub, but were deemed so bad they are actually left intact! The story behind this film is full of twists and turns itself. The original raw version of this film was shown at Londons ICA cinema for 6 weeks by public demand in 1977. And when the finished cut was eventually shown to cinemas in New York and LA for a week in late 1977 it was destined to be a cult hit. That was until a certain Malcolm McLaren who was by then embroiled in his 'Swindle' flick bought in a injunction on the film which left Letts and producer Peter Clifton's movie hanging out on a limb for a very long time till it eventually came out on video years later. With hindsight this wide screen DVD release is probably the first real footage of the UK punk scene and if your a fan you'll love the grainy decadence, but now when were so used to pristine film footage it isn't something you could watch again and again. Although that rawness of the footage does make for some great moments never to be revisited ever again. This spontaneous, eclectic mix of punk closes with John Rotten in Jamaica whilst on a Reggae scouting mission for Virgin records. He systematically dismantles and destroys a typewriter as his Jamaican hostess teases him. And alongside an interesting authentification quote from Mr Rotten recalling his view of the film in '78 he said ... "It's a collection of people that i know personally having fun and doing their stage bits and just ligging around being themselves. Its essential viewing, it shows that these people weren't animals...but very close to it". The extra footage tagged on at the end is a PIL era 1983 interview conducted by producer Peter Clifton with John Rotten on his first tour of Australia which is a very amusing in itself as he dodges the flys and the more intrusive questions. But has no real relevance to the main feature. Surly we could've had more footage of Wayne County or Eater to entertain us? WORTH WATCHING! PETER DON'T CARE |
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