RELEASE DATE : 20th September 2007-10-12
RUNNING TIME: 125 minutes
Rating: PG+15
INTERVIEWEES include: Mick Jones, Johnny Depp, Flea, Martin Scorcese, Alasdair Gillies, Matt Dillon, Steve Buscemi, Jim Jarmusch
DIRECTOR: Julien Temple
DISTRIBUTOR: DENDY FILMS
SYNOPSIS: Joe Strummer was the front man for ‘The Clash’from 1977 onwards. Four years after his death, his influence reaches out around the world perhaps more strongly than ever.
Drawing on both a shared punk history, and eventually a close personal friendship which developed over the final years of Joe’s life. Julien Temple’s film is a celebration of Joe Strummer before during and after The Clash. In the 70’s and 80’s The Clash revolutionised rock’n’roll and changed peoples attitudes forever. Structured around the idea of Strummer’s ‘LONDON CALLING’ show which went out to 40 million listeners on BBC radio between 1998- 2002 and the lengendary Strummerville Campfires, it is Joe and the people closest to him.
REVIEW:
Julien Temple was the first to film the newly formed band THE CLASH in 1976 . Then after a 20 years Joe turned up a the gate of Juliens house in Somerset and a friendship was born.
Temple’s personal friendship with Strummer stamps a bias on Joe’s life which is unmistakable and while this might detract from the story, the director never allows it to revealing a warts and all story of a man whose social conscious was also interlaced with his own faults and transgressions. Joes faults make his social conscience all the more remarkable. Most of us go through our lives complaining about how hardly done by we are, but Temple depicts a man that continued to overcome obstacle after obstacle as he tried to educate the global community. His 1980 triple album ‘SANDINISTA’ warned of a conflict that the media still hadn’t properly acknowledged.
A wandering narrative through Strummer's days of his childhood, in India, South America and London, home movies, family photos and interviews with notable fans such as Bono, Martin Scorsese Temple has resisted the urge to paint a saintly figure. The influences of Strummer’s music and his efforts with the BBC and his Stummerville Campfires is obvious. Interviews today’s social activist provide us with an insite into the effect Strummer had on his generation and the generations that will follow.
Those who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s and attended live CLASH concerts or any one of the many Campfires, may find this film a little lacklustre, but for those of us who never had that chance this is a great way to catch a glimpse of what we missed out on.
The film nicely researched and shot simply and matter of factly provide the audience with a interesting portrait of one man’s challenge to argue with the world about to fight for peoples basic rights to disagree, quarrel and even ‘clash’ with the conservative and predictable ideals of society
RANKING 7/10
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