This is a difficult film to rate. Should I give it stars based on its entertainment value or its historical accuracy? The DVD box has the blurb "The story of the most influential rock band you've never heard of". And that's just it. I know the Runaways. I was a big fan of theirs in my teens. I followed their rise and fall closely. And I know enough to tell my readers that the film is biased. It tells the story from Joan Jett's perspective.
After Cherie Currie left the band in 1977 there was a struggle for leadership of the group. Kim Fowley put Lita Ford in charge of the group as she was, in his opinion, the most mature. Joan Jett gained most of the attention after Currie's departure, since she took over as lead singer, and claimed that she was the boss. There were a lot of arguments about musical styles that eventually led to the group breaking up. The disputes about the control of the group are left out of the film. The film is based on Jett's recollections, and she's rewritten history the way she thinks it should be remembered. The film also omits the drink and drug excesses of the group during their prolonged stays in England. I can imagine that Ford was clenching her fists in anger the first time she saw the film.
But on the positive side, the film is entertaining. Kristen Stewart is excellent as Joan Jett. If you compare photos of her and Jett in her earlier years it's difficult to tell them apart. Dakota Fanning was a good choice to play Cherie Currie, but she's lacking the provocative sexuality that I remember so well from Currie. Or maybe it was deliberately toned down. The Runaways were a controversial group in their time. They were only 16 when they first achieved fame, and they created a Lolita image to gain notoriety. The late 70's were the days of punk, and it was "acceptable" to be shocking. Today audiences are more prude.
The film is worth watching, but remember that it doesn't tell the full story.
"After Cherie Currie left the band in 1977 there was a struggle for leadership of the group. Kim Fowley put Lita Ford in charge of the group as she was, in his opinion, the most mature."
ReplyDeleteDid you read this somewhere? If you could provide a reference I'd be grateful.
I did read this, but not recently. It's a memory from when I was a big fan of the Runaways, 30 years ago. Sigh, I'm getting old. The music magazine I read the most was "Melody Maker", which is probably where I read it. Towards the end of their career the Runaways were often the subject of articles in the tabloid press, focussing on their scandalous activities in houseboats on the River Thames. I only ever saw the Runaways live once, after Currie's departure from the group. 1978, I think. I forget whether it was before or after Kim Fowley stopped managing them. My personal opinion is that Fowley backed Lita Ford as the group's "leader" because she was the best looking group member after Currie left, not because of her talent.
ReplyDeleteTo outsiders it doesn't matter who was the band's "leader", but to the young girls in the band it was a big issue. A status symbol.
It's just that I have seen no other mention anywhere of Lita Ford being appointed leader by Kim Fowley. It seems ludicrous. Regardless, it's clear that Joan Jett was de facto leader on stage and off.
ReplyDeleteAs to the movie: a badly directed pastiche, but I enjoyed it anyway.
At the concert I attended there was no apparent "leader". Joan was the one who introduced the band, but she wasn't as extroverted then as she became in later years. There's a documentary about the Runaways called "Edgeplay" that I haven't seen yet. It might cast light on the issue. All I know is that Joan Jett refused to contribute to the documentary, presumably because there was no guarantee that the story would be told her way. I can say more when I've seen it.
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