Product: Filth to Fury [VHS]
Rating: 5.0
An Honest Documentary Peering into the Souls of the Pistols
Rarely have I viewed such an honestly documented interview with any band available on video. The Sex Pistols' singer, Johnny Rotten (now Lydon) is well known for his notorious intolerance of the music establishment, the class system and authority in general (with perhaps, a little more emphasis on the British monarchy). He's in his 50's now, and I was very interested, almost startled, to listen to his views on music, the hypocrisy of the media, and his deeply loyal friendship to Sid Vicious, which was expressed in a rare expression of emotion. He has since become a television personality, appearing on talk shows and at media events in both the United States and the UK. I found him especially witty and fiercly truthful, which was a standout in this film for me, as I'm just not used to such soulful honesty in what has become a music industry cesspool of spoiled brats, addicts, and sexually confused "popstars". Lydon calls it like it is, and I really admired everything he had to say. The other high point of the film is the unusually large amount of footage attributed to Sid Vicious. We see him "smacked up" most of the time, but there are several spots (with his crazy girlfriend noticably absent) when he lucidly explains his own frustrations up to the point in time he was being interviewed. All but Sid are hidden in the shadows of strategically positioned studio lighting, which aids in giving the surviving members a sense of immortality, yet raising up their fallen band mate out of the shadows for all to clearly see in living color, and most of the time, it ain't pretty. There are important video clips of the performers during the punk madness of their heydey in the late '70's that I've not seen before, and this was really special for me. I highly recommend this DVD to anyone who enjoys the historical relevance of documentaries, such as this one, where a point in time is stopped for all to see - sometimes not glorious or flattering - yet, at other times, soulful and honest. Listening to a more mature group of Pistols; especially the witty articulation of Lydon's anecdotes and recollections, makes for an immensely enjoyable and interesting look into the souls of this seminal punk rock band.