Directed by:
Julien TempleCast:
John Lydon, Sid Vicious, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Glen Matlock, Malcolm McLaren, Siouxsie Sioux, Billy Idol (a.f.), Queen Elizabeth II (a.f.), Ricky Jay (more)Plots(1)
"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" sneers Johnny Rotten at the Sex Pistols' farewell performance. After seeing this picture you'll understand his disgust, but Julian Temple's sharp portrait of the ragged, raw band of working-class Brits won't leave you disappointed. The Sex Pistols left their legacy in a whirlwind 26-month reign, spitting out a caustic, confrontational brand of rock & roll that became the rallying cry for angry, disaffected youths in late 1970s England and defined the punk movement. Their story was first told two decades ago in the cynical The Great Rock and Roll Swindle, also directed by Temple but produced by the Sex Pistols' smarmy manager, Malcolm McLaren, who stage-managed the film into a self-promoting vanity project. For The Filth and the Fury, Temple turns to the four surviving band members to tell their own stories. His vibrant, vigorous direction captures the period of social unrest and alienated youth without turning into a history lesson, and shows the Pistols in all their insolent glory: spewing obscenities and gesturing lewdly to audiences and press alike, screaming out lyrics, overcoming musical limitations with pure passion and attitude. Rare, raw concert footage (including their final performance, which is appropriately enough the song "No Fun") and previously unseen interviews with the deceased Sid Vicious further energize the portrait. There's even footage of the smiling band cutting cake for kids at a fundraiser with nary a nasty gesture or sneering comment. Now there's a side of the Pistols you don't see everyday. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
John Lydon
UK
Best movies:
The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980) - a.f.
24 Hour Party People (2002)
Sons of Norway (2011)
Sid Vicious
UK
Best movies:
Steve Jones
UK
Best movies:
The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980)
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1982)
The Dog Problem (2006)
Paul Cook
UK
Best movies:
Glen Matlock
UK
Best movies:
The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980)
Sid and Nancy (1986)
Malcolm McLaren
UK
Best movies:
Siouxsie Sioux
UK
Best movies:
24 Hour Party People (2002)
Out of Bounds (1986)
Jubilee (1977)
Billy Idol (a.f.)
UK
Best movies:
The Doors (1991)
Heavy Metal 2000 (2000)
Trigger Happy (1996)
Queen Elizabeth II (a.f.)
UK
Best movies:
Dead Alive (1992) - a.f.
The Brain (1969)
A Private Function (1984)
Ricky Jay
USA
Best movies:
The Prestige (2006)
Magnolia (1999)
Boogie Nights (1997)
Benny Hill
UK
Best movies:
Freddie Mercury (a.f.)
Tanzania
Best movies:
Freddie Mercury - The Video Collection (2000) (video compilation)
Queen: Greatest Video Hits Volume One (2002) (music video)
Queen: A Night in Bohemia (1975) (concert)
David Johansen
USA
Best movies:
Light Years (1988)
Cats Don't Dance (1997)
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
Sting
UK
Best movies:
Sting: A Winter's Night... Live from Durham Cathedral (2009) (concert)
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Live 8 (2005) (concert)
Laurence Olivier (a.f.)
UK
Best movies:
Romeo and Juliet (1968)
Sleuth (1972)
Hamlet (1948)
Bryan Ferry (a.f.)
UK
Best movies:
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
Johnny Thunders (a.f.)
USA
Pamela Rooke
UK
Best movies:
The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980)
Jubilee (1977)
Sebastiane (1976)
Soo Catwoman
UK
Helen Wellington-Lloyd (a.f.)
South Africa
Best movies:
The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980)
Jubilee (1977)
The Tempest (1979)