Sid and Nancy (1986)

Director:

Alex Cox

Writers:

Alex Cox (screenplay) and
Abbe Wool (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 November 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Love kills

Plot:

Morbid biographical story of Sid Vicious, bassist with British punk group the Sex Pistols, and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen...

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Sex Pistols | Sid Vicious | Nancy Spungen | Band

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 wins

Cast

Gary Oldman	...	Sid Vicious
Chloe Webb	...	Nancy Spungen
David Hayman	...	Malcolm
Debby Bishop	...	Phoebe
Andrew Schofield	...	John
Xander Berkeley	...	Bowery Snax
Perry Benson	...	Paul
Tony London	...	Steve
Sandy Baron	...	Hotelier - U.S.A.
Sy Richardson	...	Methadone Caseworker
Edward Tudor-Pole	...	Hotelier - U.K.
Biff Yeager	...	Detective
Courtney Love	...	Gretchen
Rusty Blitz	...	Reporter
John Spaceley	...	Chelsea Resident

Also Known As:

Sid and Nancy: Love Kills

Runtime:

112 min | Australia:110 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Canada:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Chelsea Hotel - 222 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Initial Pictures

Trivia:

'Tim Roth' turned down the role of Johnny Rotten (John Lydon) as he felt the film depicted history that was too recent.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In one of the early pub scenes, the opening band for the Pistols is supposedly X-ray Spex, belting out one of their best-known hits: "Oh, Bondage, Up Yours!" However, the lead singer Poly Styrene is depicted as rail thin, with long straight hair and no braces on her teeth; most surprisingly, she is portrayed as being white. In real life, Poly (Marion Eliott) is of Anglo-Somali parentage; and in 1977 she was not model thin, plus she had short curly hair and braces. Also during this scene the lyrics "Oh Bondage Up Yours" are being incorrectly sung as "Oh Mondays No More"

Quotes:

Nancy: Who's Dick Dent?
Brenda Winczor: He's just some wanky journalist who don't appreciate The Sex Pistols.

Movie Connections:

References A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Soundtrack:

Junk

please read the book, too...

The book was entitled "And I don't want to live this life". It is primarily about Nancy Spungen, prior to meeting Sid Vicious, disenfranchised, bored young people; Vicious is more from the wrong side of the tracks. Spungen's biography describes how she had attended the University of Colorado, tried to make something of her life, then met Vicious, and transiently lived in London for awhile.

While the movie was good, it tends to glamorize the rebel ideals (just a bit) There is really no glamor in dying of an OD at the Chelsea Hotel. Chloe Webb and Gary Oldman are believable (for some odd reason I imagined Coutney Love in this role).

If you are really interested in the story without glamorized visuals read the book.You will get several perspectives from the family. It is not a moral majority issue, but does open one's horizons to the fact that actions had consequences, in this story. 8/10.