AroView: A feminist punk music drama that was never dignified with a proper release either in the US or internationally following a dispute between director Lou Adler and writer Nancy Dowd (credited as Rob Morton!). Shot in 1980, but shelved without an ending before one was unceremoniously tacked on, it was promptly buried before finding a belated cult audience on cable TV.
The resulting film cuts a few technical and narrative corners, but is redeemed by Diane Lane’s sensational performance as recalcitrant teenager Corrine ‘Third Degree’ Burns. Following her mother’s death, she finds a channel for her anger and pure expression in the punk scene, and it’s not long before her all-girl band The Stains (featuring Laura Dern) are a media sensation with a large copycat fanbase. But their success is all too much for Ray Winstone as the cynical Johnny Rotten-style frontman of a touring British punk band that has taken a shine to her, so it’s all bound to end in tears.
A takedown of fame, fads and commercial exploitation in the music business that is serious, goofy and hilarious all at once, but most interesting as a rare punk-drama artefact and riotous challenge to a patriarchy that puts grrls to the front.
Cast
Diane Lane, Ray Winstone, Laura Dern, Christine Lahti, Peter Donat, Marin Kanter, Janet Wright, Fee Waybill, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Paul Simonon
Director
Language
English
Closed Captions [CC]
English
Country
USA
Studio
Paramount Pictures
