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Released by: MVD
Released on: 1/6/2004
Director: Julien Temple
Cast: Charlie Harper, Nicky Garratt, Paul Slack, Pete Davies, Eddie Tudorpole, John Snagge
Year: 1979
The Movie:
Directed by Julien Temple (The Great Rock N Roll Swindle, Earth Girls Are Easy), U.K. Subs - Punk Can Take It is a clever parody of the old World War II propaganda films that the allies were producing back in the 1940s. Instead of portraying Allied Forces defeating the evil Axis powers, it shows old school British punks prevailing over the establishment.
This is, essentially, a twenty-minute promo for The U.K. Subs and supposedly did play theatrically shortly after it was made in 1979 as an opener for the British film, Scum. Being a Subs promo, it should go without saying that the band is featured prominently in the film, and there are a few songs (all taken from the same performance) presented in their entirety amidst the mock news footage, which is narrated by the BBC's John Snagge.
In addition to various assorted punks, animated cartoon bits, and U.K. Subs performances though, this DVD also offers something no person in their right mind can resist - an appearance from the God among men known as Eddie Tudorpole. If you've seen The Great Rock N Roll Swindle then you no doubt remember him as the theater employee who broke into that rousing rendition of Who Killed Bambie? If you have good taste in music then you must be able to recall at least the chorus of his hit song, Wunderbar. If you've seen Temple's later musical effort Absolute Beginners, you'll remember him as the highlight of that film, the man who sang Ted Ain't Dead. Or maybe you're a Harry Potter fan and recognize him from his part in Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets? Perchance you have a hard on for that hunky Herculian star Kevin Sorbo? If that's the case, you're bound to remember seeing Mr. Tudorpole in the classic sword and sorcery film, Kull The Conqueror. As you can see, there is no denying the historical significance of magnificent thespian and enchanting vocalist - and as far as I can tell, this is his earliest on screen performance, predating The Great Rock N Roll Swindle by a year.
But, back to the real stars of the show, The U.K. Subs. Often overlooked and left standing in the shadow of British punk rock heavies like The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned, the Subs prove here that they can kick ass with the best of them as they rip through favorites like I Live In A Car with speed and skill. The play well, they sound great, and we fans are lucky to have this obscure gem on DVD to add to our collections as it's never been officially released since it was shown theatrically back in 1979.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Video quality is passable on this release. I doubt that the footage was in the best of shape to begin with given the relative scarcity of the title in the first place. Colors are a little flat and there is minor print damage throughout, and I suspect it might have been taken from a VHS source, but it's still very watchable. The only issue I had with the video was the fact that it's matted at roughly 1.85.1, when I'm guessing that it was shot and composed for a fullscreen presentation. I'm not positive on this though, I could be wrong, but that's the impression that I got as I was watching it.
Audio quality is acceptable for a film made under such low budget conditions. It's not going to wow you with audio effects or amazing channel separation but it's reasonably clean and distortion free and you shouldn't have any problems making out what's being said or enjoying the music.
There are two extra features on the disc - the first is a stills gallery showcasing the band live. There are some great shots in here and it's worth a look. The second is a segment in which Charlie Harper goes over some of the U.K. Subs memorabilia in his collection. It runs about fifteen minutes long and there are some pretty keen items to be seen here, ranging from early vinyl releases to CBGB's gig posters.
The Final Word:
OK, so the audio and video quality isn't pepper hot, the material here is great regardless and MVD has made it available at a very reasonable price! Fans of classic punk owe it to themselves to pick this one up pronto.