The Future Is Unwritten
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The Future Is Unwritten

2007, Performing Arts  -   9 Comments
5.75
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Ratings: 5.75/10 from 4 users.

When the Clash was labeled "The Only Band That Matters," it may have been record company hype, but when I was a teenager, there was probably no band that mattered more to me. The idealism, the earnest anger, the democratic, sometimes clumsy way of mixing styles and sounds — I am almost as susceptible to it now as I was at 15.

This is all by way of disclosure: It's likely that I would have been stirred and moved by "Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten," even if it were the straightforward, VH1-ready rock star biography it might, at first, appear to be. The film, however, is much more than a biography of the Clash's guitarist and lead singer: It's history, criticism, philosophy and politics, played fast and loud.

Directed by Julien Temple, an able and tireless chronicler of the pop life, "Joe Strummer" assembles clips and interviews into a fast-moving timeline. Mr. Strummer's voice, captured from radio broadcasts and old conversations, provides narration and companionship. That his presence is limited to audio and archival material provides a sad and subtle reminder of his absence, of the void left by his sudden death at 50, from a heart attack, in 2002.

Like Mr. Temple's two movies about the Sex Pistols — the eyewitness "Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" (1980) and the revisionist "Filth and the Fury" (2000) - "Joe Strummer" is not so much a portrait as a collage. Sometimes the images are conventionally documentary, serving as literal illustrations of the story. But just as often they provide a kind of free-associative context, reminding us that an individual's life is made up not only of experiences and events but also of ideas, dreams and possibilities. So while we are treated to marvelous and rare footage of the Clash in rehearsal and Mr. Strummer's previous bands in performance, we also sample news video and snippets of the cartoon version of "Animal Farm."

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dmxi
dmxi
12 years ago

@TDF(the golden one),humble deliverer of information for the desperate:could you take up documentaries concerning joy division ,smiths & the manchester music scene in generall ? i wish you godspeed & health...d.

denisthemenace
denisthemenace
12 years ago

f*** you SME you selfish B*****ds

Colleen
Colleen
13 years ago

Hey, Vlatko. Thanks for all the awesomeness that you do! There is a really good doc. called The Devil and Daniel Johnston. Maybe you could find it for us all! Thanks!

JustUs
JustUs
13 years ago

Are you taking over ... Or are you taking orders? ... Best Clash lyric ever.

brusk
brusk
13 years ago

Great doc!!5 stars!!

MarkReynolds
MarkReynolds
13 years ago

yes there is a huge part after the clash

ChrisRevocateur
ChrisRevocateur
13 years ago

I think the post clash years part is missing. It goes from end of the clash, to Joe's death, and I could have swore there was a part about the rest of his music career and everything.

pacha34
pacha34
13 years ago

A lot of memories and a big part of my life right there

mirtilo
mirtilo
14 years ago

best documentary in the world!!