Product: Filth to Fury [VHS]
Rating: 3.0
The Sex Pistols' anarchist ways will never be forgotten...
The Filth and the Fury, a documentary about the Sex Pistols, is a whirlwind of anarchy in the UK, punk culture, and dirty rebellion. Hours of footage and interviews are chaotically compiled by director Julien Temple into one story about the turbulent two year career of the band that defined punk style in the late seventies. Although somewhat hard to follow due to the hundreds of images quickly thrown at its audience, this film is ultimately a poignant portrayal of the true story of the legendary Sex Pistols.Out to set the record straight after manager Malcolm McLaren apparently bastardized the image of the Pistols in his film Sid and Nancy, Johnny Rotten and the surviving members of the band tell their version of things, the way they really happened (according to Rotten). Even including old interviews with the late Sid Vicious, the documentary thoroughly covers the sentiments of all the band members, however long or short their time spent with the band happened to be. Interestingly though, Rotten and the others chose to hide their faces during their interviews; perhaps this was to be sure that they presented themselves as they were, not as they are today, preserving the image they worked so hard to maintain in the seventies. Their story was told in a very frank way, allowing the audience to see into the very souls of the Sex Pistols members.This film was at best moving, at worst repetitive. Rotten felt he had to prove, very effectively, what the Pistols were all about, which he is able to accomplish, but as a result we see too many images over and over again, and hear the single "Anarchy in the UK" played repeatedly, to the point where it seems the band's image is being shoved down our throats. Still, we can't help but feel bad for the poor blokes as we watch them get dropped from record companies, and violently degraded by media figures everywhere. When Rotten says, "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" at the Sex Pistols' last show, we can't help but feel bad for the band that just tried to exert their right to be punk, anarchist individuals in the face of almost complete intolerance and constant discrimination. Ever get the feeling you've been cheated? They most definitely have.