Black Flag Movies
The lost subculture of America's rebellious, Reagan-era hardcore set is explored in filmmaker Paul Rachman's cinematic adaptation of Steven Blush's book. Disillusioned by politics, angered by greedy record labels, and bound together by a powerful antiestablishment sentiment, bands such as Minor Threat, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, and Bad Brains paved the way for such later bands as Nirvana and Pearl Jam by fearlessly questioning -- and frequently mocking -- the status quo, and proving that you don't need radio play to reach an audience. Whether working for a real change or simply attempting to shake things up in the music scene, these bands gave a voice to the legions of youthful fans who felt their opinions had been neglected in mainstream society. In this documentary, concert footage combines with interviews to offer a comprehensive look at the musical revolution that defined an era. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bad Brains, Black Flag, (more)
Director Don Letts' documentary Punk: Attitude examines the politics, fashion, and music of this pop culture trend. He interviews and shares performance footage from a variety of famous musical acts including "Black Flag, Jello Biafra, Legs McNeil, The Ramones, and proto-punks The Stooges and New York Dolls. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1985
American and British hard-core punk bands are featured live in this first of three videos with clips from Black Flay, Honor, the Sex Pistols and the Toxic Reasons. ~ All Movie Guide
Although Black Flag was unquestionably one of the greatest and most explosive live rock bands of all time, few of the band's shows were documented on video before its breakup in 1987. Although the band only managed two British tours during its existence, a professionally shot video surfaced in 2000 of a U.K. show from 1984 (at the Bier Keller in Bradford), entitled simply Live. Right around this time, the band let its admiration for such classic heavy metal bands as Black Sabbath seep into its punk/hardcore sound, as the lineup at this particular juncture of Black Flag's career featured founder Greg Ginn on guitar, vocalist Henry Rollins, bassist Kira Roessler, and ex-Descendents drummer Bill Stevenson. The roars through such Flag classics as "Nervous Breakdown," "Slip It In," "Black Coffee," "Jealous Again," "I Love You," "Fix Me," and the raging set closer, "Rat's Eyes." In addition to the fine musical performance, a humorous scene occurs early in the show, when an annoying fan keeps walking around and sitting on the stage during the performance, and is unknowingly spit on by Ginn! Any true fan of Black Flag will definitely enjoy the nearly hour-long Live. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1981
- R
The performers, attitudes, and music of late '70s, early '80s Los Angeles punk scene are documented in this film by director Penelope Spheeris. Not merely a compilation of concert footage, The Decline of Western Civilization compiles numerous viewpoints on the meanings of the punk movement, from journalists -- one of whom calls punk the folk music of the 1980s -- to club security guards, to the punks themselves. The center of the film, however, is the music, which is fast, loud, and abrasive and often played with purposeful ineptitude; the lyrics are intentionally controversial and shocking, often seeming to embrace violence, sexism, racism, and even Nazism, though usually in an ironic manner. The performances, by bands such as Black Flag, X, The Circle Jerks, and Fear, are mostly shot from within the audience, where the camera often becomes an unwitting participant in the crowd's slam dancing. Especially fascinating are the performances by The Germs, thanks to the antics of their violently self-destructive lead singer Darby Crash, who would later die of a drug overdose and gain a martyr status within the punk community. The film was followed several years later by a sequel focusing on the world of heavy metal. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, (more)
