The Punk Rock Movie (1978)

Director:

Don Letts

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot:

Documentary on the London punk-rock scene, circa '78.

Plot Keywords:

Punk Rock | Sex Pistols | Punk | Punk Music | Reggae

Cast

Wayne County	...	Himself
Terence Dackombe	...	Himself
Billy Idol	...	Himself
Debbie Juvenile	...	Herself
John Lydon	...	Himself (as The Sex Pistols)
Steven Severin	...	Himself
Siouxsie Sioux	...	Herself
Joe Strummer	...	Himself
Johnny Thunders	...	Himself
Sid Vicious	...	Himself (as The Sex Pistols)

Also Known As:

The Punk Rock Movie from England (USA)

Runtime:

USA:86 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:MA | Singapore:M18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

The Roxy, Neal Street, Covent Garden, London, England, UK

Company:

Notting Hill

Trivia:

Most of the bands were filmed at the Roxy club in London, where Don Letts worked as a DJ. Letts filmed the bands very simply with a Super-8 camera, and also filmed on the tour bus and at shows with The Clash and The Slits. The Sex Pistols were filmed at Screen on the Green in London on 3 April 1977, Sid Vicious's first show with the band.

Movie Connections:

References The Harder They Come (1972)

Great historical document on the London 70's punk scene.

I was quite happy (and surprised) to pick this up for $3 at a Wal-Mart; granted, it was a "Goodtimes Home Video" recorded in EP mode, but still... Unlike some of the other early punk movies, this movie actually focuses on bands and their music. There are funny situations with the Sex Pistols (what punk movie doesn't have a funny Sex Pistols segment?), but that isn't the only thing it has to offer. Live performances by the Slits and Siouxsie and the Banshees are my favorite portions, with nothing else really being so dull that it isn't worth watching. Well, Billy Idol isn't that great, but it's interesting to see him pre-MTV, pre-stardom. The movie itself is pretty low quality; the film appears to be 8mm- when transferred, probably through a few video generations, to an EP tape, the quality is poor. I'm not sure how much blame should go to the "photographer" and how much should go to Goodtimes. I'm not sure I would recommend this movie to everyone; my former roommate was disenchanted with the Pistols' juvenile humor and with a segment with the band Eater wherein a pig's head is beaten with a hammer- but anyone interested in the history of punk is doing themselves a disservice by not watching this movie. (And anyone who considers themselves punk and aren't interested in punk's history... you don't know what you're missing.)