Rating: 
Summary: Glitter era curio
Review: "Slade in Flame" is one of those legendary "lost" movies that you read about for years until it attains "Holy Grail" status in your mind, and then when you finally see it, you shrug and say "Oh. Er, well, OK, then..." Produced by ex-Animals guitarist Chas Chandler and released in 1974 (the height of the glitter rock era) to cash in on the (mostly UK-based) success of the band, the film actually holds up surprisingly well some 30 years on. I am a Slade fan, but frankly I had girded my loins for the possibility of another "KISS Meets The Phantom" fiasco. The film works as a realistic portrait of a working-class meat-and-potatoes band of "blokes" (the fictional "Flames") getting chewed up in the pop star-making machinery of of the late-60's British rock scene. In fact it is the cynicism and grittiness of the story that surprises the viewer. Some of the bleaker themes echo the (superior) David Essex drama "Stardust" (someone PLEASE release that one on DVD!!), which also hit the theatres in 1974. The band members, first time actors all, give passable performances (not like it was a stretch!). You may recognize a few faces amongst the mostly non-professional cast, in particular, "legit" thespian Tom Conti (in his first film role, according to Noddy Holder in the bonus interview). Let's not forget the music-there are a half dozen or so performances sprinkled throughout, with the movie's main theme song a standout. Picture and sound quality are not ideal, but I will give credit to the releasing company's reps for owning up with thier apologia on this site. One caveat: the thick accents and sometimes oversaturated audio was tough going for this "yank"...I only understood about half the dialog! Maybe subtitles on the next reissue?
Rating: 
Summary: So Far, So Good!
Review: Finally available in the US in DVD format! Boy, does this one bring back memories! Admittedly, at the time of its release, Slade In Flame wasn't exactly what I was expecting from Slade. The sudden departure from the hallmark sound that had made them a fixture at the top of the UK charts was surprising, to say the least. The stomp and shout backgrounds were replaced by a horn section and a piano, and while Noddy's raw vocals are still quite prominent, it was clear that the group was making a conscious effort to put some creative distance between the new album and those that came before it.
But like all of Slade's material, it took no time for Slade In Flame to grow on me, and I found myself wishing that I could get my hands on the film. I had to wait almost 30 years, but it was worth it! The boys do a fine job of portraying an average backcountry band that makes it big only to self destruct upon attaining the success they once desired. Seedy managers, band rivalries, internal strife between band members, as well as conflict with their girlfriends, all comes across quite convincingly, especially when you consider that none of the members of the group were trained actors at the time. The heavy Midlands accents in the film may be a little difficult for us Yanks who are more accustomed to the slower, less idiomatic London accent, but in my opinion, it doesn't take too long to get used to it.
The highlight of this DVD release is the lengthy interview with Noddy Holder, which was done in 2002. You can tell that Noddy loves to talk about those days, and he does it with candor, humor and wisdom. Definitely my DVD find of the month. Possibly the year!
Rating: 
Summary: "8 Mile" is "Flame's" Love Child.
Review: Having only heard Slade's standards "Cum On Feel the Noize," and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now," someone had taken a real gamble giving "Flame" to me as a Solstice gift. But she knew about my taste for, in her words: "A load of ugly f*ckers from the seventies who play good, loud music." I gave it a viewing once, then twice, then three times...
My verdict: "Flame" is good, raunchy fun. I got a good laugh watching the prologue featuring the group as a middling wedding band. I became entranced with the opening track, the wistful "How Does it Feel?" By the time the wedding band got in a row with rival band The Undertakers, I was sold.
I'm not at all surprised that "Flame" and Eminem's "8 Mile" follow the same "fortune, glory and ill-gotten gains" formula. What surprises me is that two films dealing with two disparate genres, two different neighborhoods, and two different subcultures took said formula and became gritty, offbeat masterpieces. Noddy's "Stoker" and Em's "B. Rabbit" are both rough, gritty and driven characters with endearing character quirks. Jim Lea, the Mehki Pfieffer of this earlier film is the perfect foil for Noddy as the partner in crime who occasionally butts heads with his mate. And the shootout at the Thames Estuary pirate radio station is every bit as surprising and hilarious as when "Cheddar Bob" shot himself in the bollocks in the Eminem vehicle.
Enough comparisons, on with the story. After the wedding band ditches their slobby frontman Jack Daniels (Alan Lake) in favor of ex-Undertaker Stoker, and in turn get ditched by their shifty Gangland manager Ron Harding (Johnny Shannon), they are quickly snapped up by two stuffy corporate opportunists played with cold deviousness by British All-Star Tom Conti and Kenneth Colley (known to Star Wars fans far and wide as Admiral Piett!) Conti and Piett-- erm, Colley repackage the quartet as "Flame", who spends their 15 minutes of fame conquering the UK. Just as they plan to invade the States, Gangster Ron and Jack Daniels (paging Wink from 8 Mile!) conspire to wrangle their share of the profits, and the phenomenon. What ensues is a duel of words and muscle between Blue Collar Gangsters and White Collar Suits as "Flame" crash, burn, and prepare to fizzle out.
The members of Slade hold their own alongside Conti and Admiral-- ah, Colley, most especially Noddy and Jim. Don Powell's charming performance as the shy, down-to-earth drummer is made all the more poignant due to the fact that he suffered from memory retention lapses in real life. Dave Hill is the resident comic relief as he looks up women's skirts and bolts Noddy/Stoker into his casket during the Undertaker gig. For all the world Dave Hill looks like a bucktoothed Davy Jones.
It's astonishing to see how many of the performers - along with the writer and director - saw their careers take flight after this obscure, yet surprisingly well executed film.
A minor greivance: Good as I am with picking up British accents (A damn sight better than most Yanks,) it would have helped to have some caption option on the DVD to keep up with the North England accents.
As for extras, the DVD boasts a lovely 50 minute interview with "sing-guh" Noddy Holder, circa 2002. With his wild grey curls, the aged Noddy looks like a cross between "Doctor Who's" Tom Baker and Gareth Thomas from "Blake's 7!" ;-)
I proudly place this music gem in my DVD library next to "24 Hour Party People," "Hedwig," and "Pink Floyd - The Wall."
Rating:
Summary: A must-see rock film!
Review: I did notice the change in aspect ratio after the title sequence, but I didn't find it that distracting. The picture quality itself is fine, and the film is about as good as a rock film can get. It reminds me sort of like a rock version of The Harder They Come--untrained actors, location scenes rather than studio sets, dialogue you have to listen closely to to understand. And most of all, they are both unvarnished looks at the seamy side of fame and the entertainment business. Slade doesn't resort to crime, but plenty of shady activity surrounds them as the reach the toppermost of the poppermost, only to find it isn't exactly what they want out of life. In the midst of the pre-punk glam seventies, this demystification of the rock world must have been a real slap in the face for audiences. It remains a bracingly enjoyable film today. Don't miss it!
Rating:
Summary: Get Down and Get With It!
Review: I've loved Slade since they tried to make a comeback in North America in the early 80s with songs like Run Ruaway and My Oh My. Going back more recently to hear more of their catalogue has been a treat, and this movie especially has been a great find. This is fairly standart 70s fare:it moves slowly, it's not very dense and there's not much action. But there is something about the movie that is very compelling. The story, for one, is solid and the performances by all the band memebers are actually pretty fair, which really surprised me. There's the soundtrack as well, which is of course top notch.
I'd also like to note for anyone looking to buy this DVD. The copy offered as I write this is from SHOUT FACTORY (Double check before you order), and whatever may have been offered by others in the past, this one is indeed presented in widescreen format. I can't say what the ratio is exactly, but if it's not 2.35:1 it's bloody close. The picture has some dirt on it, but looks fairly crisp and bright. The packaging looks very smart.
It's really nice to have a long interview with Noddy Holder, you can hear the power in his voice even when he's just sitting around talking, and of the members of the group he does the best job on screen.
Also nice to see Bill Conti again. It's been so long since I last saw his face that I can't even remember what he was in!
All in all, a good treat for a slade fan!
Rating: 
Summary: Hmmmm
Review: I've only watched this film once and I don't have any Slade in my collection but based on the "Hard Days Night" reference in the original review I expected a higher quality film. The pacing in this film is pretty bad. The video is dark in many spots and the audio is horrible. It's interesting to watch but I think you had to be there the first time to understand the "greatness" of this film.
Rating:
Summary: If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well.
Review: Sadly, the company producing this DVD put no effort into making this film worth watching. The beginning and end credits are "widescreen" and still cut off the edges. The rest of the film is full frame, showing you less than 1/2 of the picture. Absoluitely dreadful. On the plus side, the special features include a nice long interview with Noddy Holder on the making of the film, and THAT is the only reason to make this purchase. Here's hoping the film with be re-released by a more quality conscious company in the future.
Rating:
Summary: If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well.
Review: Sadly, the company producing this DVD put no effort into making this film worth watching. The beginning and end credits are "widescreen" and still cut off the edges. The rest of the film is full frame, showing you less than 1/2 of the picture. Absoluitely dreadful. On the plus side, the special features include a nice long interview with Noddy Holder on the making of the film, and THAT is the only reason to make this purchase. Here's hoping the film with be re-released by a more quality conscious company in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Flame are gonna be big stars.......
Review: Slade. A group that was HUGE in England in the 70's and all we really heard of them here in the states were the covers by Quiet Riot and "Keep Your Hands Off of My Power Supply" LP years later. Imports were way too costly then and I was just a teenager. So they remained a mystery to me like all the other U.K. glam rockers who failed to raise any interest or hits over here (T. Rex, Quatro, Mud, Wizzard, etc..). When I heard this movie was seeing the light of day in the U.S. thanks to some words by Classic Rock magazine (another Import), I had to check it out. As others have pointed out, this is not "A Hard Day's Night" or anything happy or silly that The Beatles have put out at the time. This story is of the other side of the Rock 'n' Roll business, the "dark" side. It does make one want to give up on the "R 'n' R dream" though. It is not a movie that you will watch again and again but is worthy of a once through. The music is good. Trademark Slade sound. One of the extras on the dvd is an interview with the lead singer/guitarist of Slade, Nodddy Holder in which he discusses all to do with the bands popularity and the reason for the choice of story for this film. Interesting to listen to him, definitely a bonus to the disc. The movie is average, watching musicians try to be actors and it does show. The 4 stars are for the courage to go against the grain and make this type of movie instead of acting like a bunch of clowns. The movie represents more a solid 3 though....
Rating:
Summary: Good film, crappy DVD
Review: This is a very good rock film, featuring a band who sadly had little success in America, even though they were immensely popular in the U.K. and Europe.Unfortunately, Sony did a really poor job with this DVD. The print they used is generally in good condition. However, the film was shot in Panavision (2.35:1 aspect ratio), but on the DVD only the credits are the full widescreen. The rest of the film is only slightly letterboxed, so that characters are routinely cut off the sides and the whole film has an "off-kilter" feel to it. On top that, Sony (in it's apparent never-ending desire to keep those dreaded black bars as small as possible) has made the height of the image slightly too tall, so that every edit (cut) in the film appears as a quick white line at the top of the picture. It's VERY distracting in the many dark scenes in the movie. Don't the people at Sony who do the work on these DVD releases have ANY quality control or take ANY pride in their product?
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