American Hardcore
by Paul Rachman
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DVD details
Actor: Alex Gonzalez (IX), Alvin Robertson, Dave Smalley, Dez Cadena, Vic BondiDirector: Paul Rachman
Brand: Unknown
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 100 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-02-20
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures
DVD Reviews of American Hardcore
DVD Review: AMERICAN HARDCORE
Summary: 4 Stars
It is important to know the past; to know the roots. I believe that the events documented in this film are just as important as any battle, or war, or historical event. This is history from a gutter point of view. This is the losing side. Get straight to the point. No more lies. Educate yourself and watch American Hardcore.DVD Review: Revisionist but worthwhile
Summary: 4 Stars
This documentary does a laudable job surveying the impressive landscape of 'harcore' punk rock from the late '70s to the mid '80s. It contains some rare and exciting live clips and interviews--some contemporary, most present-day, that in themselves make the documentary worth watching. The narration takes viewers from scene to scene, coast to coast, showing how different bands influenced one another and the how the overall scene exploded against the backdrop of the ultraconservative Reagan era. While many important acts (the Dead Kennedys, JFA, Reagan Youth) are omitted, the filmmakers nevertheless do an excellent job of 'coverage;' that is, they acknowledge the breath of the scene and demonstrate its varied articulations on a regional basis, which is undoubtedly the movie's overall strength. The early footage of Poison Idea, Gang Green, and Bad Brains, for me (and I suspect many people from the era) made the film invaluably entertaining.
While the film does an excellent job discussing the origins and florescence of the hardcore scene, the interpretation of hardcore's demise suffers from a revisionist subtext that simply misrepresents the issue. Specifically, the authors downplay the role of moronic, violent, Nazi skinheads, whose fascist agenda--which largely attempted to define how punks ought to think and act--killed the 'anything goes' punk rock culture. They instead attribute punk rock's demise to the short attention span of fans and, when pressed to address the issue of violence, reference Circle One and other LA 'gangs.' Bringing attention to these largely Hispanic crews, in my opinion, is an awfully smug attempt to justify the neo-fascist skinhead violence of the era, which is barely mentioned. It's also likely, and unfortunate, that younger viewers will follow this misleading interpretation.
To be fair, I don't believe revisionism was intended by the filmmakers. Rather, I think they simply remember things the way they present them here. In this sense, the film is a study in itself at just how difficult it is to document the largely indefinable phenomenon of punk rock. It occurred to me when watching that these bands all inadvertently contributed to punk rock's demise precisely by attempting to do what the video does: that is, to define it (thus, the phrase 'hardcore' punk rock as opposed to the traditional description). The effort to make punk rock into a standardized sound and scene invited the morons and thus killed the freethinking spirit of the original scene.
Despite its revisionism, this film goes a long way toward capturing the energy and excitement of the hardcore scene. Anyone interested in punk rock should see this. Nevertheless, if you want to learn about punk rock, no book or film will ever replace the (not so) simple act of doing. Go start your own band.
DVD Review: I was there!
Summary: 3 Stars
In a theater watching this movie with my band and the pile of VHS tapes (lots of Target Videos) by the TV of the band house at the time was far more in depth and informative than this flick. This is pretty much The Bad Brains/Black Flag story with other bands squeezed in here and there. If you are already into hardcore music then nothing new is presented here. It was cool however seeing all those band logos stretched wide on a massive screen. The omission of the Dead Kennedys was glaring, but maybe they were too intelligent for what this film is trying to present hardcore as.
One thing thats bothersome is that the movie claims hardcore ended in the mid-80s when it never really ended. You can't tell me that when there are thousands of hardcore bands playing today with thousands of shows all over America in basements, VFW halls, warehouses, house parties, and even ole fashioned venues. And yes its still actual hardcore. This movie is without a doubt for those who thought punk started with The Ramones and ended with The Sex Pistols and know little more. If you are "in the %$#@" as a vet would say this is just another slap in the face as one of the few documents of hardcore very accessible to the public (no doubt its probably shown IFC or Sundance) that cofirms then denies its existence. Its almost infuriating.
Other than that you have interviews you've heard a thousand times or haven't, SST Records still criminally under-represented by its owner, HR too cracked out to make sense and lots of VHS footage any fan has already seen clumped together in an uneven mess. If you've no idea about the original wave of hardcore bands then I guess this is for you.
DVD Review: Excellent study and history with one GLARING omission
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a good documentary; well researched and put together. Unfortunately, the film-maker pretty much skipped over the Dead Kennedys. To me, this is almost inexcusable.
That being said, I would still recommend the DVD to anyone who was part of the scene in the early 80's or anyone who wants to know what it was all about.
DVD Review: ok
Summary: 2 Stars
An ok attempt at explaining what really happened during this era. Most of the concert footage was pretty unsatisfying for someone who was there. Bad Brains were depicted well and Keith Morris is always entertaining. The movie title references years 1980-1986 but I am not really sure why the only Gang Green concert footage was from 1987. There was no mention of Dead Kennedys, Social Distortion or Misfits which seemed strange.
Description of American Hardcore
Fueled by a ferocious soundtrack, director Paul Rachman's American Hardcore gives fans an all-access pass to the rise and fall of the U.S. punk scene, an explosive musical and cultural phenomenon that shaped everything from the grunge movement to the emo and pop/punk music currently riding the charts. Set against the conservative early '80s political landscape, American Hardcore chronicles the homegrown hardcore scene that was a swift kick in the head to corporate rock and mainstream complacency, as disaffected teens adopted the same collective credo - harder, faster, louder. From downtown warehouses to suburban bedrooms, the scene spread from city to city like wildfire, uniting bored, angry outcasts into an authentic underground revolution. A raw blast of politics, passion, and rage, American Hardcore features never-before-seen live footage from Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, MDC, SSD, DOA, DRI, The Adolescents, 7 Seconds and many more, plus exclusive interviews with punk icons like Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, Keith Morris and H.R. (Paul Hudson).The history of hardcore punk--the tougher, faster, and more politically minded stepchild of the '70s punk movement that arose in the '80s--is examined in exuberant detail in Paul Rachman's documentary American Hardcore. Rachman's cameras careen across the landscape of the U.S. to trace the movement's beginnings in cities like Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York, and cherrypicks interviews with the musicians that helped shape its sound and impact, including Henry Rollins and Greg Ginn of Black Flag, H.R. (frontman for the highly influential, all-African American outfit Bad Brains), Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat (and now Fugazi), and many others. Hardcore's violent reaction against the Reagan administration and the complacent mindset of middle-class America is also detailed in countless performance footage clips and poster-art reproductions, which do much to dismiss the popular opinion of hardcore as nothing more than mindless hooliganism. Some fans may find the omission of certain bands a considerable oversight (San Francisco's lethally satirical Dead Kennedys are not mentioned only in passing), but for most punk devotees, American Hardcore will be vital and essential viewing. The DVD includes several deleted scenes and bonus performances, commentary by Rachman and writer Steven Blush (whose book of the same name provided the inspiration for the film), and a gallery of photos from photographer Edward Colver, who covered the hardcore scene in detail during its heyday. -- Paul Gaita
Stills from American Hardcore (click for larger image)
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