Product: Filth to Fury [VHS]
Rating: 4.0
Secret Monikers for Trashy Brits
Julien Temple and The Sex Pistol's anecdote to "Sid & Nancy."The documentary "The Filth and the Fury" amounts to personal points of view from the band members brought forefront, with actual recorded video footage over two decades old. Johnny Rotten blasts Malcolm McClaren, Steve and Paul blast Sid's awful bass playing skills, and everyone gangs up on Glen... sounds like the Pistols to me!The documentary is a sociocultural and historical perspective from the band members pertaining to everything from Great Britain's economic depression during the late 1970's, to individual opinions on the creative stagnation of musical creativity that plagued popular music during the period. Actual video footage acts as a band diary in revealing the complex issues each fool had to deal with.The interview with Sid Vicious is absolutely classic, the live action sequences of filthy, underground dive shows with the audience hanging on for the ride capture the pure essence which seems to have been lost in this modern day arena rock period. The indigence scene will always be a means of new and more creative sounds and it seems as though after watching this movie, you may have missed out on something good.The documentary is superfluously laced with ancient clips of an English version of Richard III at the beginning of the documentary, only to taper off towards the end. The documentary is full of scenes cutting and switching to events, while back-tracking to live interviews where band members are sitting in dark rooms to hide their aged faces... as more and more natural light fills their rooms, you begin to see the outlines of their faces. Of course there are other documentaries on the Sex Pistol that have live interviews with their current aged selves... there is one documentary entitled "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols," which has an up to date interview with Malcolm McClaren and the rest of the gang.With a background score almost entirely consisting of Pistol songs, excellent footage of riots in England, and the documentation of the band's self-destruction, right along with Nancy and Sid's self-destruction, the movie ends itself on gloomy circumstances where Mr. Rotten encourages people to see life his way.The movie is an absolutely wonderful watch, even if you never had the chance to enjoy The Sex Pistols or punk rock for the matter.