D.O.A. is a 1980 documentary film directed by Lech Kowalski (his premiere film as a director) about the origin of punk rock. Given the subtitle A Rite of Passage, this movie takes interview and concert footage of some of punk rock's earliest bands of the late seventies scene. Features live performances by the Sex Pistols, The Dead Boys, Generation X (with Billy Idol), The Rich Kids, the X-Ray Spex, and Sham 69, with additional music from The Clash, Iggy Pop, and Augustus Pablo.^[1][2]

Plot

When the Sex Pistols blew through America in 1978, film director Lech Kowalski followed them with handheld cameras through the clubs and bars of their seven-city Southern tour. Mixing this with footage of other contemporary bands, trends in the fashion capitals, and punks of all shapes and colors, Kowalski created a grainy, stained snapshot of a movement at its peak,^[3] showing how certain authority figures saw the movement as a threat.^[2]

It features interview footage (including the famous interview of Sid and Nancy in bed), and behind the scenes shots from the first North American Sex Pistols tour (1978), and some Terry and the Idiots footage as well. The Sex Pistols show in Texas does a good job of demonstrating how people tend to lash out against things that they don't understand or are afraid of.^[2] The seven-city Southern tour was, after all, the only time they toured the States with the Sid Vicious lineup, and they'd implode immediately after its finish.^[4]

The majority of the material is Sex Pistols stuff, fitting as this was based around their tour more or less, but there are a lot of other great 'old school' performances on here too, including a live song by The Dead Boys and some footage of Billy Idol and Generation X.^[2][3][4]

This old indy documentary was not made under the best conditions because it was shot mostly in bars and clubs on 16mm film, but does a good job of capturing the early years of punk from both in front of and behind the stage.^[2]

The 1973 American television series Kojak, starring Telly Savalas, is mentioned during an interview, and the poster for this film is featured prominently in one scene of the 1981 film Neighbors. D.O.A. also featured in The Filth and the Fury, a 2000 rockumentary film about the Sex Pistols directed by Julien Temple, and in the 2002 television series Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The 1970s.^[4]

Cast (in alphabetical order)

• Stiv Bators as himself (The Dead Boys)
• Terry Chimes as himself (The Clash)
• The Clash as themselves
• Paul Cook as himself (Sex Pistols)
• The Dead Boys as themselves
• Generation X as themselves
• Jonathan Guinness as himself
• Topper Headon as himself (The Clash)
• Billy Idol as himself (Generation X)
• Tony James as himself (Generation X)
• Mick Jones as himself (The Clash)
• Steve Jones as himself (Sex Pistols)
• John Lydon as himself (Johnny Rotten)
• Glen Matlock as himself (The Rich Kids)
• Gene October as himself (Generation X)
• Augustus Pablo as himself
• Bernard Brooke Partridge as himself - Council Member
• Rich Kids as themselves
• Heidi Robinson as herself - Tour Manager
• Sex Pistols as themselves
• Sham 69 as themselves
• Paul Simonon as himself (The Clash)
• Nancy Spungen as herself
• Joe Strummer as himself (The Clash)
• Terry Sylvester as himself
• Terry and the Idiots as themselves
• Sid Vicious as himself
• Mary Whitehouse as herself - Anti-Smut Crusader
• X-Ray Spex as themselves

Songs performed

The musical performances/tracks contained in the documentary are as follows:

1. "Nightclubbing" Written by Iggy Pop and David Bowie; performed by Iggy Pop
2. "Anarchy in the U.K." Written by Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and John Lydon; performed by the Sex Pistols
3. "Oh Bondage Up Yours" Written by Poly Styrene; performed by X-Ray Spex
4. "God Save the Queen" Written by Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and John Lydon; performed by the Sex Pistols
5. "Pretty Vacant" Written by Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and John Lydon; performed by The Rich Kids
6. "Liar" Written by Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and John Lydon; performed by the Sex Pistols
7. "Police and Thieves" Written by Lee "Scratch" Perry and Junior Murvin; performed by The Clash (CBS Records)
8. "Kiss Me Deadly" Written and performed by Generation X (Chrysalis Records)
9. "I Wanna Be Me" Written by Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and John Lydon; performed by the Sex Pistols
10. "Lust for Life" Written by Iggy Pop and David Bowie; performed by Iggy Pop
11. "I Wanna Be a Dead Boy" Performed by The Dead Boys (Sire Records); recorded live by Joe Sutherland
12. "Pretty Vacant" Written by Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and John Lydon; performed by the Sex Pistols
13. "No Fun" ? Sex Pistols
14. "New York" Written by Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and John Lydon; performed by the Sex Pistols
15. "Rip Off" Performed by Sham 69; recorded live at Roundhouse Studio
16. "Borstal Breakout" Performed by Sham 69; recorded live at Roundhouse Studio
17. "Holidays in the Sun" ? Sex Pistols
18. "Holidays in the Sun" Written by Written by Paul Cook, Steve Jones, John Lydon and Sid Vicious; performed by The Sex Pistols
19. "E.M.I." Written by Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and John Lydon; performed by the Sex Pistols
20. "Bodies" Written by Written by Paul Cook, Steve Jones, John Lydon and Sid Vicious; performed by the Sex Pistols
21. "A. P. Special" Written and performed by Augustus Pablo

DVD release

The DVD format was released on March 5, 2003 in its original full-frame aspect ratio, and contains the films original Dolby Digital Mono audio.^[2]

In addition to the films theatrical trailer and a still gallery containing promo art, photos, and the permission note Sid Vicious gave to Kowalski allowing him to use his image in the film, there are the Johnny Thunders' Sad Vacation segment, a video capturing Thunder's doing an acoustic song in remembrance of Sid Vicious, and a brief interview with Thunders in which he talks about Sid Vicious.^[2]

References

External links

• ''D.O.A.: A Right of Passage'' Review by Richie Unterberger at Allmovie
• ''D.O.A.'' Review at Channel 4 Film
• ''D.O.A.'' at TV Guide
• ''Survival Instincts'' by Ed Halter at The Village Voice

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