Search - Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains on DVD

Ladies And Gentlemen The Fabulous Stains
Actors: Diane Lane, Ray Winstone, Laura Dern, Peter Donat, Barry Ford
Director: Lou Adler
Genres: Indie & Art House, Comedy, Drama, Music Video & Concerts

R 2008 1hr 28min

Some movies just stumble towards cult, mythic status; Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains is one of those magnificent accidents. Besides in-fighting, the few previews shown to the public were unanimously panned, Par... more »amount was at a loss as to how to market it, and the movie had never been available on DVD (or VHS, for that matter). This has just compounded its status as a "lost" film, with the few people who have seen it being evangelical in their gossip about this pseudo punk 'n' roll documentary. Now that it's here, was it worth the wait? Does it hold up over time? You bet it does. Orphaned girls (Diane Lane, Marin Kanter) along with their cousin (Laura Dern) channel their frustration into a band, The Stains. After a few gigs, the media picks up what they consider a novelty. This leads to a tour with The Looters--idealistic punks from London--and the Metal Corpses (headed by Fee Waybil of the Tubes in a perfectly oblivious performance). Head Looter takes head Stain under his wing, only to become disillusioned as he watches the American media, and by extension American teens, chose popularity over talent (as he sees it). Despite their differing views about how the movie should be handled, both the message of girl empowerment (screenwriter Nancy Dowd) and the idea that all great ideas become co-opted and watered-down (director Lou Adler) resonate throughout the film. The performances, while not uniformly great, work so well within the context of the documentary style that they have their own charm. And Diane Lane, as Stain leader Corinne "Third Degree" Burns, is simply outstanding, simmering with angst that bursts out at all the right points. A young Ray Winstone turns in a fine performance as the lead singer of the Looters, showing both contempt and sensitivity towards the fledgling Stains. Adding to its cult credentials, the rest of the Looters are played by Steve Jones and Paul Cook (Sex Pistols) and Paul Simenon (The Clash). With audio commentaries by not only director Adler, but stars Lane and Dern, this movie is not only great for any fans of Times Square and Rock 'n' Roll High School, but it's a great addition to any library of music films in general. --Robert Arambel

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Movie Details

Actors: Diane Lane, Ray Winstone, Laura Dern, Peter Donat, Barry Ford
Director: Lou Adler
Creator: Bruce Surtees
Genres: Indie & Art House, Comedy, Drama, Music Video & Concerts
Sub-Genres: Indie & Art House, Comedy, Drama, Music Video & Concerts
Studio: Rhino Entertainment
Format: DVD - Color,Widescreen
DVD Release Date: 09/16/2008
Original Release Date: 01/01/1982
Theatrical Release Date: 00/00/1982
Release Year: 2008
Run Time: 1hr 28min
Screens: Color,Widescreen
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 19
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Languages: English

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Member Movie Reviews

Meg B. (Megatron)
Reviewed on 7/4/2009...

Before she was making bland romantic comedies for middle age women Diane Lane was the fierce and firey 15 year old lead singer of an all girl punk band flirting with fame in this underground 80's cult classic that inspired multitudes of young ladies.