Review of Breaking Glass (1980) by Paul F — 01 Sep 2011

It's ages since I watched this film. I had a recollection from the last time I did so that it didn't make a lot of sense and wasn't that good. On reflection, having watched it just now again, it makes a lot more sense and is better than I remember. I think my main problem with it is that I could never quite accept Hazel O'Connor as the punk chick she plays in it; and the music is just a bit too weedy to sound like punk circa 1978. I guess this is partly to do with the film's marketing, which tries to present this sort of image when it would have been better to go with more of an early new wave /electronic crossover vibe and set it nearer the date it was made, 1980.

Despite it appearing to be a rags to riches to rags in the music biz type of story, it's really a bit of a romance on the side too. Eighth Day is a very good song and the film maximises its impact by holding back on playing it until needed. And of course, any film based on punk is worth seeing, even if it just provides an excuse to go on about how it's totally missed the point of the music/attitude/fashion, etc.

It's normally quite fun to watch a film when you know some of the places where it was filmed too. This one was mainly made in central London. It was interesting to see the footage shot inside the Music Machine, which later became the Camden Palace, which later became Koko. It didn't look a lot difference to how it looks now; it was just as rubbish then. (It's not my favourite venue for seeing bands in; and all that hideously ugly, vivid red Baroque nude women bollocks all over the place just looks so terribly vulgar don't you know.) It was good to see an old Tube train too, with wooden panels and old fashioned straps to hang onto.

Recommended for people who like music based dramas, or want to see how tatty London looked all those years ago.

No cats and no decapitations.

Top badass moment? Has to be Danny arguing with a pub owner and a bouncer, demanding a Ã,£30 payment for the band's appearance. When he got nowhere he clobbered the bouncer with an electric guitar and ran off. Trashing your kit is always rock 'n' roll and therefore always badass, even if smashing up it is a bit stupid and you're not even in the band anyway. Hitting a bouncer is probably not the brightest thing to do either.