Slade in Flame (1975)
"Flame" (original title)

Light the Rock n' Roll spark with a Flame in the guise of Dave, Noddy, Jim and Don and their showcase of the rise and demise of rock band Flame. Set in the hardships of North England's ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Loncraine

Writers:

Andrew Birkin (screenplay), Dave Humphries (additional dialogue)

Stars:

Don Powell, Jim Lea, Noddy Holder

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Don Powell	...	Charlie
Jim Lea	...	Paul
Noddy Holder	...	Stoker
Dave Hill	...	Barry
Tom Conti	...	Robert Seymour
Alan Lake	...	Jack Daniels
Johnny Shannon	...	Ron Harding
Kenneth Colley	...	Tony Devlin
Anthony Allen	...	Russell
Sara Clee	...	Angie
Nina Thomas	...	Julie
Michael Coles	...	Roy Priest
Rosko	...	Himself
Tommy Vance	...	Ricky Storm
John Dicks	...	Lenny

Storyline

Light the Rock n' Roll spark with a Flame in the guise of Dave, Noddy, Jim and Don and their showcase of the rise and demise of rock band Flame. Set in the hardships of North England's seventies working class society and music scene. This build-up from rags to riches is a parody of realism and grit, with double-dealings and harsh unforgiving dog eat dog mentalities, and the golden rule; if you play with matches then you're going to get burnt, in the flames of the music industry.

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Plot Keywords:

working class | rock 'n' roll | england | rock group | cultural difference | 

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Taglines:

In the cut throat world of the music business you're either a success or dead.

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Genres:

Musical | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Slade in Flame

Filming Locations:

Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Goodtimes Enterprises, Spouberry, VPS-Goodtimes

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The production team distributed Flame T-shirts, flags and banners to the Slade Fan Club members attending filming of the free gig at the Rainbow Theatre on September 4th 1974. Fans were pre-warned not to display any of the real band's memorabilia and encouraged to bring homemade Flame costumes and signs. A planned second Rainbow concert a few weeks later on 21st October fell through due to budget constraints.

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Quotes

Jack Daniels: [shouts over the din of a poor drum solo audition] Not your actual Gene Krupa is he?
Barry: Who's she?
Jack Daniels: Before your time.

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the film black and white stills of each actor are shown with their name.

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Connections

Featured in It's Slade (1999)

User Reviews

Spinal Tap, but for real

This is a real slice of 70's. (Slade in) Flame tells the story of a semi mythical band that crawls out of the midlands of England and makes it into the myth of Rock and Roll. I found the album back in my salad days, and finally found the movie on DVD in my washed up years. There are pluses and minuses, as with any real slice of life film. On the plus side, the story of a band that makes it and self destructs really summarizes the mythos of the era, and realistically and sympathetically portrays the pressures and glories of fame. On the negative side, the accents are so thick you really wish there were subtitles. Notionally in English, it's in REAL English, and as an American, it might as well be Swahili.

The flick is full of authentic and believable characters. The small time manager, the pirate DJ, and the hippy dippy groupies all make the film seem as real as your own life. If you've seen Spinal Tap, you'll see more than a handful of scenes - a singer trapped in a coffin, high class and moneyed fops dealing with the low class entertainers, and the horrors of ridiculous costumes and friends knifing friends. If you like Uriah Heep, UFO, or any band who played a festival at Wolverhampton, this id worth the accents. If you think rock and roll is too loud, pass. But this is rock at its most basic. Loud, dirty, and important for the most unimportant reasons possible.