The Filth and the Fury is a documentary by Julien Temple that describes the life and times of the Sex Pistols. This is the second ‘rockumentary’ that Julien has released about the Pistols – the first one (also mentioned in another weblog post) was “The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle” which has been said (and I concur) to be basied towards the Sex Pistols’ managers (Malcom McLaren) point of view. This post dives super deep into detail about this ‘rockumentary’ – be afraid.

This doco, unlike Julian’s first attempt to document the life of the Pistols, actually tells the story from the surviving members of the group. I feel that this film did a great job in portraying the Pistols in a way that they would want to be remembered. This was created with interviews encompassing the entire (surviving) members of the band, through live footage shot whilst playing, archival footage from the day and segments that just never made it into “The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle”.

The story within the film is very anti-McLaren and very much a history of the Pistols told (predominantly) from the view point of Johnny Rotten (John Lydon). I feel this was done in an effort to tell the story from the band that played the gigs and lived the life, which consciously or sub-consciously (on behave of the director, Julian Temple) personalises the lives led. And by protraying the film in such light it effectivly reminds us of the pleasures that were associated with the Pistols at the time.

One thing that has been totally dismissed from the film altogether is McLaren’s involvement. Obviously the idea was to down play his role, but to say that he had no part in the Pistols means you’re only telling half a story. I mean he also ignores Vivienne Westwood and Jamie Reid’s involvement – and it was Reids artwork on the Pistols album that helped make it so attractive. I believe that these two characters have been excluded from the film because the come from the McLaren side of the fence.

“Ever get the feeling that you’ve been cheated?”