DVD : American Hardcore
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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Sony
EAN: 0043396170940
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Label: Sony Pictures
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Region Code: 99
Release Date: February 20, 2007
Running Time: 100 minutes
Sales Rank: 12317
Studio: Sony Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: 2005
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Fueled by a ferocious soundtrack, director Paul Rachman's American Hardcore gives fans an all-access pass to the rise and fall of the U.S. punk scene, an explosive musical and cultural phenomenon that shaped everything from the grunge movement to the emo and pop/punk music currently riding the charts. Set against the conservative early '80s political landscape, American Hardcore chronicles the homegrown hardcore scene that was a swift kick in the head to corporate rock and mainstream complacency, as disaffected teens adopted the same collective credo - harder, faster, louder. From downtown warehouses to suburban bedrooms, the scene spread from city to city like wildfire, uniting bored, angry outcasts into an authentic underground revolution. A raw blast of politics, passion, and rage, American Hardcore features never-before-seen live footage from Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, MDC, SSD, DOA, DRI, The Adolescents, 7 Seconds and many more, plus exclusive interviews with punk icons like Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, Keith Morris and H.R. (Paul Hudson).
Amazon.com:
The history of hardcore punk--the tougher, faster, and more politically minded stepchild of the '70s punk movement that arose in the '80s--is examined in exuberant detail in Paul Rachman's documentary American Hardcore. Rachman's cameras careen across the landscape of the U.S. to trace the movement's beginnings in cities like Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York, and cherrypicks interviews with the musicians that helped shape its sound and impact, including Henry Rollins and Greg Ginn of Black Flag, H.R. (frontman for the highly influential, all-African American outfit Bad Brains), Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat (and now Fugazi), and many others. Hardcore's violent reaction against the Reagan administration and the complacent mindset of middle-class America is also detailed in countless performance footage clips and poster-art reproductions, which do much to dismiss the popular opinion of hardcore as nothing more than mindless hooliganism. Some fans may find the omission of certain bands a considerable oversight (San Francisco's lethally satirical Dead Kennedys are not mentioned only in passing), but for most punk devotees, American Hardcore will be vital and essential viewing. The DVD includes several deleted scenes and bonus performances, commentary by Rachman and writer Steven Blush (whose book of the same name provided the inspiration for the film), and a gallery of photos from photographer Edward Colver, who covered the hardcore scene in detail during its heyday. -- Paul Gaita
Stills from American Hardcore (click for larger image)
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
This is a good documentary; well researched and put together. Unfortunately, the film-maker pretty much skipped over the Dead Kennedys. To me, this is almost inexcusable.
That being said, I would still recommend the DVD to anyone who was part of the scene in the early 80's or anyone who wants to know what it was all about.
Rating:  -
An ok attempt at explaining what really happened during this era. Most of the concert footage was pretty unsatisfying for someone who was there. Bad Brains were depicted well and Keith Morris is always entertaining. The movie title references years 1980-1986 but I am not really sure why the only Gang Green concert footage was from 1987. There was no mention of Dead Kennedys, Social Distortion or Misfits which seemed strange.
Rating:  -
American Hardcore is not a definitive history of hardcore music or punk rock. It's a documentary about a connected group of hardcore music scenes in cities across the USA. The documentary isn't only about the music but more about the culture of hardcore and the world inside and outside of the scene.
While there are some shortcomings to American Hardcore, all of them fade away once you start making your way through the special features. I will list both positives and negatives as I see them. But overall I still feel this movie is an important historical work.
To me, I think the filmmakers chose select musicians based largely upon a subjective definition of "hardcore" as a smaller part of the punk scene. As such, it is true that some groups were excluded. Yet it should be noted that there are other movies on the much larger punk scene. Legal issues surrounding certain groups also played a part in some of them being excluded. I think the criticism about the missing or lightly covered bands, while valid, has been over-emphasized.
When you watch this movie from start to finish as a sociological documentary on the hard-core culture, you will come away with a very good feel for the many different and diverse sub-cultures within the scene. That in and of itself is a great accomplishment.
One of the things we learn is the role of gay and minority musicians within the scene. This helps to eliminate the misconceptions ... Read More
Rating: -
Good documentary, but leaving out Dead Kennedys and the Misfits is like doing a documentary on hippie culture and leaving out, I don't know, Jimi Hendrix and the Greatful Dead. I find mistakes that are this obvious really annoying. You wonder what the makers of the film were thinking. Another oddity is some bands getting as much attention as Minor Threat, or Black Flag. It's democratic giving everyone some time to tell their story and that's in the spirit of that scene, but there are some bands that were the primary influences and really got sh** going.
In anycase, AMERICAN HARDCORE serves as an incomplete and warped history, but it's an entertaining one. It is definitely still worth taking a look at if you have an interest in punk rock, for sure. I don't know how much someone with a basic familiarity with this culture will actually learn, but you'll enjoy seeing all these guys reminisce. Clearly the hardcore scene was one of the most vital and important culural movements of the last 30 years. I had to laugh at the comments made at the end about punk being dead. Tell that to some people I've known over the years! But, honestly I always had the sense that even they had to know the wave had peaked a long time ago.
Rating:  -
I am not a fan of Hardcore music, but this documentary sure makes me wish I was part of the club.
The general message is: the peak of Hardcore was a moment in time where suburban kids created a musical movement that can never be duplicated.
What's great to see is the camaraderie that existed between the bands and the underground nature of their followings.
The great juxtaposition is the violence of the music, up against the endearing feelings it created between the people involved.
The then and now look at the hardcore scene as presented through various interviews with different musicians is masterfully done.
Even if you don't like the music, give this one a watch.
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starring: Dez Cadena, Dave Smalley, Alex Gonzalez (IX), Alvin Robertson, Vic Bondi
directed by: Paul Rachman
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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Sony
EAN: 0043396170940
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Label: Sony Pictures
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Region Code: 99
Release Date: February 20, 2007
Running Time: 100 minutes
Sales Rank: 12317
Studio: Sony Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: 2005
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