Morning:
8°c
Derek Malcolm's rating
No ordinary Joe
By
Derek Malcolm
17 May 2007
Hot on the heels of Stephen Kijak's impressive hagiography of Scott Walker comes Julien Temple's film about Joe Strummer, another music idol who rose to the heights as punk hero then retreated from fame and fortune - the whole point of punk being to attack that kind of lifestyle.
The main virtue of Temple's film is not so much the imaginative way it is put together - his usual eccentricity is perhaps appropriate here, since rock stars hardly live orthodox lives - it is rather the long and successful effort he put into researching the life of the Clash singer.
The result could have been shorter, but the clues to Strummer's slightly split personality are documented well and, though the film ends as a panegyric, it captures the time well and suggests a flawed idol who could generate as much hostility as hero-worship.
Temple wants to show us that this middle-class man was not just the frontman of the Clash but also an actor, film-maker, artist, thinker and poet whose music took account of worldwide influences and whose lyrics were often eerily prophetic.
Despite making two films about the Sex Pistols - the competing punk wing - Temple became a friend of Strummer. He understood him better than most of his admirers.
That's why the movie takes hold - even if it is irritating that there are no captions under the many participants whom most of us couldn't possibly recognise unless we'd been round those Strummerville campfires we see so often.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (2)
Joe strummer is laid bare, warts and all, in this amazing film by Juilan Temple. Strummer's life is charted through early footage of him growing up as a boy, to living in squats, to being the frontman of the punk band the clash and beyond.
The film shows unseen footage. People talk about Strummer round camp fires, which includes the filmmaker Scorsese, Bono, and Johnny Depp. This film shows Strummer had so much to give from the depths of his soul and showed he was a man of the people.
- Steve Kingett, Leyton, 25/05/2007 10:12
Report abuse
It is an extraordinary documentary. Taking on from The Filth and the Fury (2000), the film is amazing in terms of editing, original source material, mixing of new and vintage animation, the avoidance to surrender to a “logical” historical-chronological sequence and to identify interviewees, and overall in its compelling way to present the life and work of one of the most important figures of contemporary pop culture. The voice of Strummer comes back from the grave to tell his own story, and fans, friends, collaborators and band members tell their story surrounded by fire and night. The film is a life lesson in itself: it reminds us how anaesthesized we are and how the only way to resist absolute alienation is through art and a commitment to it. Strummer as presented by Temple is almost a too-literal translation of Jack Kerouac’s famous dictum: “the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time”. Profoundly moving and inspiring, it is an essential documentary in order to understand not only the importance of The Clash or the history of punk music and culture, but the history of contemporary Britain itself. By juxtaposing vintage sequences from 1984 and Animal Farm, Temple achieves a sharp and mordant critique of the state of affairs in this country since the 1960s through the portrait of a great creative force. Whether you are a Joe Strummer fan or not, it is an ethical imperative to watch it.
- Ernesto Priego, London, 21/05/2007 12:53
Report abuse
