Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

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IkarisOne
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Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

Post by IkarisOne »

I was thinking tonight about all the times I saw the Clash and was a bit puzzled because there was a hole in my memory. I knew there was one awesome experience where all the Quintree nutters were in attendance and we all got hammered, but I couldn't place it. Then I remembered it was the revival showing of Rude Boy somewhere around this time of year in 1980 at the Strand in Quincy. I'd seen it in the spring at the Nickelodeon and then a horrible cut in '84 where all the live footage was excised. But that night was truly awesome- in some ways it made a deeper subconscious impression than the Orpheum show that March. Maybe because I was so wasted. It reminds me of a time that the Harvard Sq Theater showed Dance Craze and DOA together- that was awesome as well, especially the Police and Thieves sequence, which they should have released as a video. I remember seeing Rock n Roll High School and The Girl Can't Help it at the Neponset Drive Ins around 84 as well. That was great too.

Where did you see Rude Boy and who were you with?

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Re: Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

Post by dd_ »

I saw it in the summer of 1980 at a local repertory cinema with some buddies. It was the first time we ever saw The Clash live in any form so it was quite exhilarating. We were also very wasted since at the time you could light up right in theater :mrgreen:

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Re: Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

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dd_ wrote:I saw it in the summer of 1980 at a local repertory cinema with some buddies. It was the first time we ever saw The Clash live in any form so it was quite exhilarating. We were also very wasted since at the time you could light up right in theater :mrgreen:

Awesome- where was this?

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Re: Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

Post by 101Walterton »

When I was a kid my Dad ran an amatuer cinema. When Rude Boy came out I hadn't seen The Clash live so I persuaded him to screen it. My mates and I treated it like a live show I can remember being totally blown away by the live stuff which none of us had seen before. To top it off I got the film poster :mrgreen:

IkarisOne
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Re: Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

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101Walterton wrote:When I was a kid my Dad ran an amatuer cinema. When Rude Boy came out I hadn't seen The Clash live so I persuaded him to screen it. My mates and I treated it like a live show I can remember being totally blown away by the live stuff which none of us had seen before. To top it off I got the film poster :mrgreen:
Seeing them on screen like that had a bizarre effect. I just wish they showed the whole version since they cut some good live footage.

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Re: Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

Post by Inder »

With Clashmania in full swing, it'd be cool to see some indie houses run Rude Boy again.

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Re: Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

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Inder wrote:With Clashmania in full swing, it'd be cool to see some indie houses run Rude Boy again.
Good call. There are brief glimpses of greatness in the movie (beyond all the Clash performances) that show what it could have been.

Interesting thread, CK.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

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Re: Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

Post by dd_ »

IkarisOne wrote:
dd_ wrote:I saw it in the summer of 1980 at a local repertory cinema with some buddies. It was the first time we ever saw The Clash live in any form so it was quite exhilarating. We were also very wasted since at the time you could light up right in theater :mrgreen:

Awesome- where was this?
In my hometown: Ottawa, Canada. Thinking about a little more, I don't remember one word being uttered during the film as we hung on to every note and word.

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Re: Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

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I don't get out much but do bands make much use of concert films in clubs or such anymore? Shortly after Joe died there was a big shindig in the Village where they played punkcasts recording of his St Anne's gig. It was a great event.

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Re: Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

Post by BostonBeaneater »

I first saw this on a bad VHS copy around 1989 or so. We were told by the older kids to fast forward to the live parts. I'm sure we got high first.

I didn't sit and watch the movie in it's entirety until a few years late. It has it's failings and drones on a bit too long but it really does give a good snapshot of England at that point and time.
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Re: Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

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I remember renting the video in probably '85 or so. I can recall setting a tape recorder up in my sitting room to tape the live stuff. I still have the tape somewhere, you can hear dogs barking, cars starting, and neighbours arguing in the background.

It's an awful film.
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Re: Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

Post by Rat Patrol »

I'm surprised indie cinemas in the Boston area haven't bothered to show it yet. The college audience here would lap that up.

They ought to show it at Harvard Square Theater since The Clash actually played that venue on the Pearl Harbor tour in '79, but it's got partial ownership by Loews now and Harvard Square is such a touristy wasteland you'd be lucky to get more than whitebread Pixar movies. Coolidge Corner theater--grand old and still thoroughly quirky-indie place with old-timey theater furnishings--would be a superb place for it. Especially on a midnight showing where the crowd would bring its own methamphetamine sulfate to set the mood.

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Re: Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

Post by Silent Majority »

Heston wrote:I remember renting the video in probably '85 or so. I can recall setting a tape recorder up in my sitting room to tape the live stuff. I still have the tape somewhere, you can hear dogs barking, cars starting, and neighbours arguing in the background.

It's an awful film.
It's just that Ray Gange is entirely unwatchable. Raising your eyebrows at the mention of Adolf Hitler, are you, Ray? Carefully showing us your Bob Marley t-shirt in the middle of Police and Thieves, is that what you're doing? Running away from an angry Mick Jones when you're trying to fix the wiring, Ray? Yuck.
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IkarisOne
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Re: Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

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BostonBeaneater wrote:I first saw this on a bad VHS copy around 1989 or so. We were told by the older kids to fast forward to the live parts. I'm sure we got high first.

I didn't sit and watch the movie in it's entirety until a few years late. It has it's failings and drones on a bit too long but it really does give a good snapshot of England at that point and time.
I gotta say that that night at the Strand all anyone cared about was the concert footage, and the theater played it at deafening volume. The other scenes were like seasoning. It's weird to remember that night- must be the time of year. The Strand was a dump, but it was once the big fancy movie house. I just remember the joint was packed, and the whole event felt like a concert. Kids went nuts when Police & Thieves kicked in, especially since a lot of them had never seen the band live.

The other scenes made more sense in the directors cut. It shows you the environment the music existed within, which is crucial IMO.

I also remember everyone being blown away by the P&T sequence in DOA- go watch it. It's amazing. No Clash in it but amazing.
Last edited by IkarisOne on 02 Nov 2009, 11:58am, edited 1 time in total.

Heston
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Re: Who saw Rude Boy in the cinema?

Post by Heston »

Silent Majority wrote:
Heston wrote:I remember renting the video in probably '85 or so. I can recall setting a tape recorder up in my sitting room to tape the live stuff. I still have the tape somewhere, you can hear dogs barking, cars starting, and neighbours arguing in the background.

It's an awful film.
It's just that Ray Gange is entirely unwatchable. Raising your eyebrows at the mention of Adolf Hitler, are you, Ray? Carefully showing us your Bob Marley t-shirt in the middle of Police and Thieves, is that what you're doing? Running away from an angry Mick Jones when you're trying to fix the wiring, Ray? Yuck.
It's not just Ray and the boring documentary footage that make this film so bad. The Clash's sartorial choices leave a lot be desired, and other than IFTL, I don't think the "live" songs are that good at all.
Last edited by Heston on 02 Nov 2009, 9:05pm, edited 1 time in total.
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