Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Jason Daniel Baker Dodgy spiv record promoter Danny (Daniels) appoints himself manager for spunky but homely and not particularly talented New Wave singer Kate (O'Connor), fires her band and recruits a new one dubbing them 'Breaking Glass'. Immediately a spark ignites and Kate's position is improved as she finally has a band worthy of backing her. But that is far from all that is needed.Harried by drunken club goers, skinheads, police, striking workers and the excesses of the music industry they find their niche. Having sold out to a record company they are gradually played against each other by music executives and a sly producer (Finch). Danny is induced to quit. Gradually the rest of Kate's band quits or are fired and her music becomes more commercial but completely insincere.This examination of life in the recording industry from gruelling bottom to lonely top is very satisfying in a lot of ways. The inside dope on how record companies manipulate chart position is particularly amusing.

Nikolai Braswell (nikolai082700) It's almost impossible for me to be objective about this film. I first saw it in 1981 as a 12 year old drummer with stars in my eyes. I immediately begged my dad to get me the soundtrack on vinyl and was off memorizing the entire album. It is, by far, one of my favorite movies of all time. The story is decent, the acting is good, and the music is absolutely in tune with the period. The depiction of the music industry with it's main players often exploiting every new trend, sound and artist until it and they are completely exhausted is spot-on. What truly makes this film is the music. Each track is a perfect reflection of Kate's (Hazel O'Connor) journey and is pretty darn catchy to boot. (You'll be humming "Big Brother" for days.) I highly recommend this film, as have others in the forum, for anyone aspiring to be a musician for a living. It is a brilliant parable of having and maintaining control of your art and destiny.

Ambbrit I have watched this movie and although it is dated and low budget there is much more to this movie than "A low budget post punk Star is born!" There is the main story about a rebellious anti-establishment singer "Kate" played by Hazel O Connor who in order to "make it" has to give up control of her music and is forced on to the record company "bandwagon". This results in her losing the bands manager "Danny" (brilliantly played by Phil Daniels)who feels he is losing control of the band! But more than this, the movie is an accurate reflection of the post-punk anti-establishment feeling in England which I lived through at the time. The lyrics of Hazel's songs depict this and still have something to say today regarding Government and establishment control! However, the greatest irony is the climax of the movie where Kate (Hazel O Connor) is singing the song "Eighth day" as a protest against the establishment when she herself is having to "fit in to the establishment" to perform the song. Well worth another look!

JmesBond Very much a political commentary on the disenfranchisement of youth and accurately summing up the feelings of the under 20s at that time, if not the reality.The film was made just after the nation had suffered 'The Winter of Discontent' the final humiliation of the disastrous socialist government that had destroyed the aspirations and job prospects of a generation. This also led to the famous election of the far-right Thatcher government at the same time, but, they had not been in office for long enough to affect the approach of the film.I saw the film at the time it was first shown, and being a punk and having a father that was a trade union leader at the time, much of what was portrayed in the film was familiar to me.Although the film was very much trying to be a 'grim Northern realism' film for the 80s (and set in the south at that!), it was pure fantasy - things were never that bad, and it's easy to get depressed about situations that are portrayed as every-day occurrences that either never happened or were rare. The scenes of race riots are particularly overstated.The music of the film, however, is it's strongest area. It is absolutely of its time, and completely representative. It is so classic that "In the beginning..." was being played in a country pub that I was in only last week (9/99) nearly 20 years later. What followed was 'New Wave' with 'Duran Duran' and others - what a disaster!Given the slow degradation of the main character over the duration of the film, it is interesting to see what happened the the actress who played her (Hazel O'Connor) in real life. Life imitating art?