Today’s entry in our ongoing exploration of punks on film is brought to you by our good friend Eric D. Leach from The Cult Movie Reviews, where you can find Eric waxing nostalgic about all manners of classic and contemporary horror films. Find that HERE…

When Basement Screams offered me the opportunity to review a punk orientated movie I chose Alex Cox and his wonderful, no holds barred 1986 biopic film Sid & Nancy, based on two of the most unlikely but important iconic punk figures of the mid era of the 1970′s music scene, it was a ‘no brainer’ really. There are ample reasons for appreciating this fine piece of movie glory on many structured levels besides what the films obvious title infers in its biographical context. This film is not just a feature based on two famous but extremely damaged characters, (Nancy Spungen in particular) but what this gem offers us in the first part of Alex Cox direction is a fantastic recapturing atmosphere of a very specific, important and retrospective moment of historical musical provenance and how and what the ‘punk’ scene ultimately came to epitomise for both the right reasoning but sadly and more oftly for the wrong reasons which in the main and particularly in the case of The Sex Pistols seemed inevitable. Those interested in the punk phenomenon who were either not born, too young, or cared little at the time (after the event) for what many would in later years appreciate for being part of a very important cultural uprising. Sadly those who wanted to gain in financial terms e.g. Malcolm McLaren who often used aggressive manipulation methods as a marketing ploy and the use of nurturing self publicising exercises that deliberately courted controversial media coverage that included numerous record labels throwing silly money at the band in order to entice them to sign for them, glaring example being (EMI). Cox in this early reminisce deals with two major points of memorable significance which included the now famous live early evening Thames television broadcast of the Today Programme that became known by the press in particular as ‘The Filth and the Fury’ incident which saw Pistols lead guitarist Steve Jones use abusive language in a pre-watershed verbal tirade during Bill Grundy’s (condescending and provocative) interview of the band and their entourage that included amongst its brethren one Siouxsie Sioux, she of the Banshees. Then there was the very famous barge on the Thames incident during the 1977 Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II June 7th celebrations which ended in the high-profile arrest of guests, band members, and Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren by the London constabulary, all incidents well documented here by Cox who does well to segregate the film into well proportioned retellings of the tale and the different strands that made the bands story so unique and excitable for the time. What makes the direction of Cox so plush and vibrant is how he deals with the band issues as well as using important juxtapositions to integrate the main focal point before eventually concentrating in greater detail on Vicious and Spungen and their descent into eventual oblivion. Before the movie moves into drug addiction and violence, Alex Cox starts at the beginning by highlighting the events that started it all and early on provides answers to why The Sex Pistols became public enemy number one and gained the punk rock movement it’s often negative stereotypical notoriety. Continue reading →