The Filth And The Fury [DVD] [2000]

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Customer reviews

review by: jamiekitson1 date: 2009-03-13 rating:
A Rollercoaster ride
This terrific movie features archive film of the Sex Pistols narrated with recent interview snippets. Chiefly through Johnny Lydon's (Johnny Rotten) surgically incisive condemnation of 1970's Britain, the viewer is taken immediately into the domain of an angry, betrayed generation of disenfranchised young people. Subjectively, I'm not a great fan of their music but it's impossible not to be unnerved by the rage it expresses. It is a feature of this movie that such anger exists here alongside the utter hilarity of the Pistols' uproarious appearance on Bill Grundy's 1976 tv show. This side-splitting episode is made funnier still by the retrospective narration, even more foul-mouthed than the notorious original. While Lydon captures the decay of 70's UK well he is less strong on understanding the reasons or being clear on a remedy; 'The Establishment' and 'the old way' are ambiguous, soft targets. He says nothing of the inevitable socio-economic damage caused by fighting two world wars and consequently losing a global empire. Moreover, he seems oblivious to the way that the ruling elite was for decades undermined and subjected to industrial blackmail by militant trade union extremists. Arguably, it was 'the old way' (ie, leaving the running of the country to public school toffs armed with Oxbridge degrees) that turned things around. But that's not to say that capturing the anger of those caught up in the mess isn't worthwhile - the music of this band is the most visceral I have ever heard. And Lydon is very moving when describing the demise of late bassist Sid Vicious. I found it almost quaint to see that, despite their righteousness, the band broke up for the same reasons that bands generally break up - ego, money, writer's block. One star docked not because I disagree with Lydon's politics but because the Pistols are blacked out in the recent interviews. I'm sure there's a reason for this but it's lost on me. Worth watching for the emotional rollercoaster at the heart of the film and for the timelessly funny Grundy footage.

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