Review of The Filth and the Fury (2000) by Gabo T — 19 Dec 2011

Julien Temple really is the master of this type of documentary. His style is not just to focus on the subject put also to paint a picture of the actually time period they were active in. This helps paint a vivid picture of the band and their motivations, including which events caused them to take certain often awkward paths.

All surviving members provide fascinating accounts of key events in the band's timeline including the infamous Bill Grundy interview, their sacking by several record companies including EMI and the national hysteria caused by their on stage antics and the release of God Save the Queen.

Temple's archive interviews with Bassist Sid Vicious are particular interesting, and show the fragile state of a young man thrown into the spotlight way before they were ready. Rotten in particular is still tortured by Sid's downfall and his insights paint Vicious' girlfriend as the Yoko Ono of Punk.

Malcolm McLaren also receives scathing criticism from all 4 surviving members, so it is still unclear how much of the band's formation and success he was actually responsible for.

Although heavily biased in the band's favour, this documentary is highly recommended for all people curious about one of the most iconic and influential bands to have ever existed. The quality of the archive footage and the one on one interviews with all surviving members make this one an easy thumbs up.