Blank Generation (1980)

Just perfect...

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Or shall I say it "punks" instead? This is a super cool rockin' and rolling and punkin' love triangle set in the big apple in 1978 and exuding the life and times of Andy Warhol's hit factory. Written and directed by German cult cinema veteran Ulli Lommel (check out his other gem "Cocaine Cowboys", also co-starring Andy Warhol, with Jack Palance as manager of a cocaine smuggling rock band). Packed with cool punk rock songs by the Voidoids, a late 70s punk elite from Lower Manhattan and shot at the famous rock venue CBGB's, where Blondie and the Ramones and Pattie Smith rocked along side the Voidoids, it is every bit a rock'n roll classic. And Carole Bouquet, that intriguing French beauty in the lead, what a treat, man, this girl is so sexy and cool she virtually smashes the screen. Shot in a classic camera style, this timeless movie will give you pleasure and make your DVD or cinema going experience 100% worth the while. A total stunner!

I saw this film back in 1978 when it first came out and I liked it immediately. Now, 32 years later, I think it's a MASTERPIECE. The music was composed by Elliot Goldenthal, who received the Oscar a few years back and has become one of Hollywood;s top composers. Ed Lachmann, who is actually not credited, did the camera work. It's sublime. Carole Bouquet, who was a virtual unknown when this movie was made, has risen to super stardom. And the punk rock music is awesome. The main locale is Manhattan's CBGB's which no longer exists, but used to be the venue for the Ramones and Blondie.Andy Warhol is in is an hilarious, he also produced this film for Ulli Lommel (it's Lommel's first US film BTW). It's a cool and engaging love story and looks like it was made yesterday. If ever there was a cult masterpiece, THIS IS IT!!!!!

For archival value alone, this is a great document of one of the originators of US punk, Richard Hell. But like most New York downtown hipster footage from that era, as a film it's pretty lame. Badly acted but with some interested ideas and commentary on the news media. Part of this is justified by theorizing about punk as romantic decadence, throwing out the notion of quality for the sake of "keeping it real". Well, twenty five years on, a lot of the punk "honesty" is just plain boring. Basically, get this movie for the live clips of the Voidoids playing in CBGB's, and forget the rest. Even Andy Warhol can't save this one. What I want to know is, how much of this movie was based on the relationship between Hell and Lizzy Mercier?

..."Blank Generation" is at least worth a look if you enjoy Richard Hell's music. I love his stuff, personally, so the few live performances in the film are definite highlights. Other than that, it's a pretty boring love/hate story between Hell and French ex-Bond Girl Carole Bouquet (sp? oh well...).Hell is no actor, and neither is anyone else in the movie. In fact, all the acting flat out sucks. One scene which actually shows a little promise is the one between Billy (Hell) and Nada (Bouquet) as they drive along in his car trying to decide what to do on a dreary New York Friday afternoon. After Billy changes his mind three or four times, Nada freaks out and throws him out of the car. That's about it. Even that scene is more comic than anything -- so if that was the intention, great, but if the director was trying to coax some drama out of the script there, well, he failed. Even Hell is almost cracking a smile during the scene.Still... the live performances ("Liars Beware," "Blank Generation" and "Love Comes in Spurts") are hot stuff. Too bad there are only three live numbers in "Blank Generation", and a little snippet of Hell "recording" "New Pleasures" is sort of goofy, but cool. So unless you're a big Hell fan, or want to see the barely five minute long Andy Warhol interview sequence, skip it.