Saw this at the Waverly on west 4th street on a Saturday 1:15pm showing during its original run. As a 13yr. Old it gave me an education in punk and narcissistic behaviour. A life changing film.

When the punk music scene began I was never a huge fan. It was only after time that I began to enjoy the music, at least some of it, and to appreciate what the genre was trying to accomplish. There was one thing about it that I noticed and that was the fact that it was only a major musical genre if you lived on either coast. Certainly there were band across the US that took to the style but the only areas where it was of major influence were New York, LA and England. Did it influence bands after? Perhaps but more so because of the press than because of actually seeing the bands perform.That being said D.O.A. is a documentary about one of the biggest bands of the genre, the Sex Pistols, and there short tour of the US in 1978 that ended with the band breaking up. At least that's what's at the center of the film. In addition to that it takes a look at the entire punk rock scene. Interviews with various punks at the time as well as those who just didn't think much of the scene are mingled in with performances by other top bands as well.Among those bands are The Dead Boys, Generation X (with Billy Idol), The Rich Kids, the X-Ray Spex, and Sham 69. All feature that hard edged, fast played, guitar driven sound that is synonymous with punk rock as well as lyrics that display an anger towards the world. The fact that so few of these bands have found their way to film, video or discs makes this film one that punk rock fans will want to pick up.While the movie is supposed to be about that ill-fated tour it jumped around far too much for me to enjoy. One moment we're watching the band get ready to tour, then they're performing, then we move on to a different band, then the interviews and then somewhere else. There is no cohesive timeframe being followed here. The film is more Cinma vrit than straight documentary and that adds to the confusion for more mainstream viewers. It's an observation rather than an attempt to tell the story of what happened.One of the most notable things included in the film is an interview with Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen in bed together. That piece has been used in numerous films about the couple. Its inclusion here, even though it took place after the band broke up, gives an insight into the band and the issues that drove them apart while at the same time not making note of the influence of Spungen towards that end. Interviews with the leader of the band Johnny Rotten aka John Lydon are nowhere to be seen here, perhaps because he wasn't interested.Fans of punk music will want to make sure that they include this disc in their collection. The amount of live performance footage by some of the biggest names in the genre makes that worth it in itself. But there is more for those fans to enjoy as well. Included in the extras are a 12 page booklet with liner notes written by John Holmstrom the founding editor of PUNK Magazine, "Dead On Arrival: The Punk Documentary That Almost Never Was" a feature length documentary about the making of the film, reversible artwork for the sleeve, a 2 sides poster, the original theatrical trailer, a limited edition retro "Video Store Style" slipcover for the first pressing of the disc and a rare Sex Pistols photo gallery.If you love punk music then you'll want to pick it up. If it's not your thing you might find the film a curiosity at best. Of note is that this is the first film as part of MVD's Rewind Collection, a series of films from the golden days of video stores with more to follow. It's nice to see some recognition for those films as well as the businesses that were there in the past offering more than just mainstream movies for fans on their shelves. Here's looking forward to the next release.

"Why, why, why why why?!" Discharge may have had something else in mind when penning the lyrics to that classic crust-punk tune, but it's a question that comes to my mind each and every time I think about Lech Kowalski's semi-lost semi-classic, "D.O.A.-A Right Of Passage." (That's the way the title was misspelled on my bootleg VHS copy.) Why oh WHY has this flick never had an official DVD release??! The director received the "film classic" treatment from Troma for one of his lesser works, "Gringo," AKA "Story of A Junkie," so why not THIS one? Yes,this includes a far longer version of the infamous "bed-terview" with Sid& Nancy than what was seen in "The Filth & The Fury." The film is well worth watching for these scenes alone. You get the feeling that these two are almost entirely unaware of the camera, and the far-reaching consequences of its presence. Also, that they've been lolling about on that bed for a very, VERY long time. (Still think junkies are 'glamorous?') Perhaps, like Penelope Spheeris' "The Decline," the interminable delay has something to do with securing the music rights from such a disparate and far-flung group of people. In the meantime, while we wait (and wait) for these two vital documents of my youth to have official releases, do you think maybe You-Tube could STOP removing clips of them for copyright violations??!

The film features not only punks and their performances, but also the reactionary times they played in. It's fascinating to see how threatened the powers-that-be felt, threatened by youth culture. (And it's too bad that the reactionary politicos of today are too secure to be threatened by any populist movement...)