Downright Filthy

The Inwood has an armory of Sex Pistols

Comments (0) By Jonanna Widner Thursday, Mar 29 2007

More About

At midnight Friday, the revolution begins. Well, at least the documentary of a revolution. Well, at least the documentary chronicling what could have been a revolution, had ego, drugs, booze and generally self-destructive behavior not brought the rebels down from the inside. The revolution in question is the British punk uprising, spewing anger at the classism of English society. The Madame LaFarge of this coup was Johnny Rotten (if you don't know who he is, don't bother reading the rest of this article), and his comrades-in-arms were the Sex Pistols. Their weapons of choice? Out-of-tune guitars, snarling petulance and the occasional well-aimed loogie. Julien Temple's excellent documentary, The Filth and the Fury, is more than just a nostalgic look at a musical era gone past—it actually explains the socio-political origins of punk, in sometimes visceral detail (such as its footage of the 1977 London garbage workers strike, when towering, rotting piles of rubbish filled the streets). Temple captures both the feel and the facts of a revolution filmed, but only slightly televised. See it midnight Friday and Saturday at the Inwood Theatre, 5458 W. Lovers Lane. Tickets are $8.50. Visit landmarktheatres.com.
Fri., March 30; Sat., March 31