Flipside of Sex Pistols story

The Filth and the Fury becomes a fascinating insight into a time, a business, a naivete that ultimately ended in tragedy, an insight into why this band became such a force.

Julien Temple made his filmmaking debut in 1979 with The Great Rock `n` Roll Swindle, the story of the Sex Pistols from the point of view of their manager the notorious Malcolm McLaren. Now twenty years later Temple looks at the other side of the story in The Filth and the Fury with the help of group members John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock. He also includes archival interviews with Sid Vicious... Rather than being a no-talent hoax on audiences which was McLaren`s vision, the band sees itself as emerging from working class resentment; a scream for individuality at the entrenched divisions in British society...Mildly irritating at first because the contemporary interviews with the band members are shot in silhouette and their voices in the narrative are not identified, The Filth and the Fury becomes a fascinating insight into a time, a business, a naivete that ultimately ended in tragedy, an insight into why this band became such a force... well, there was no-one better to tell this story than Julien Temple who`s currently in Australia as a guest of the Sydney Film Festival... David`s Comments:The Sex Pistols from their own point of view, as opposed to Julien Temple`s previous film on the subject, THE GREAT ROCK `N` ROLL SWINDLE, which was pretty much from Malcolm McLaren`s point of view. Interesting, especially when Temple visualises the influences on these working-class rebels (Olivier as Richard III - really? - I can hardly imagine the Pistols going to see it) - but I`m afraid I loathe the music and the cult of ugliness inspired by these young guns.