Flame (1975/I)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Richard Loncraine

Writers:

Andrew Birkin (screenplay)
Dave Humphries (additional dialogue)

Release Date:

2004 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Drama

Plot:

Light the Rock n' Roll spark with a Flame in the guise of Dave, Noddy, Jim and Don and their showcase of the rise and demise of rock band Flame...

Plot Keywords:

Midlands | Independent Film

Cast

Don Powell	...	Charlie
Jim Lea	...	Paul
Noddy Holder	...	Stoker
Dave Hill	...	Barry
Tom Conti	...	Robert Seymour
Alan Lake	...	Jack Daniels
Johnny Shannon	...	Ron Harding
Kenneth Colley	...	Tony Devlin
Anthony Allen	...	Russell
Sara Clee	...	Angie
Nina Thomas	...	Julie
Michael Coles	...	Roy Priest
Rosko	...	Himself
Tommy Vance	...	Ricky Storm
John Dicks	...	Lenny

Also Known As:

Slade in Flame (International: English title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Goodtimes Enterprises

Not as good as I hoped, not as bad as I feared

The rating (7+ at the time of writing) on IMDB might lead you to expect an undiscovered classic. In fact, it is a modest low-budget effort which has stood the test of time pretty well.

The film concentrates on the more mundane aspects of the rock and roll lifestyle: the rehearsals, the on-stage jealousy, the back-stage bickering, having to deal with "the men in suits" who want to package the band like a packet of fish fingers. We also see lots of "it's grim oop north" staples, such as terraced houses, pigeon lofts, dirty canals and a steel foundry. Given the budget, this was a wiser move than attempting to capture Slade in all their foot-stomping grandeur at the height of their fame.

From a technical viewpoint, the sound is a bit iffy and the lighting in many scenes seems designed to conceal rather than illuminate. Tom Conti sleepwalks through his first big-screen role, but then his character (high powered marketing executive with no interest in pop music) is fairly one dimensional, anyway. Johnnie Shannon, however, as the low-life agent who dumps the band and then tries to get his hooks back into them when they make it big, is excellent as the thug with a friendly face.

Surprisingly, the members of Slade make a decent fist of the acting, and the soundtrack contain two bona fide classics among the more bog-standard 12-bar fare. Don Powell has a couple of decent slapstick moments, Noddy and Jim have some good confrontation chemistry going, and Dave Hill plays an annoying buck-toothed twot with a stupid haircut ...

Though it is probably no better than a decent episode of "Aud Wiedersehen, Pet", its saving graces are its gritty authenticity and the songs. I particularly enjoyed the machine gun assault on the pirate radio station in the Thames Estuary (Radio City) - it impressed my kids no end when I told them this actually happened in real life and it was later confirmed by Noddy Holder in the "extra features" interview.