(MVD Visual)
www.richardhell.com
In the 1970s New York City's Lower East Side was a shithole. Underground artists and clubs were able to thrive in the burnt out neighborhood, and punk rock dominated the scheme. By 1980, while New York was still a shithole, punk rock was starting to lose its dominance. Artists had started to sell out, and punk rock was starting to fade; it was under this influence that the film Blank Generation was made.
Blank Generation isn't exactly the best film. The main focus of the plot is a love story between Richard Hell (playing a punk rocker named "Billy") and Carole Bouquet (playing a French journalist, Nada). This plot falls sort of flat; the actors are unconvincing. However, this doesn't mean that the entire film flops. Hell's relationship with his manager and emerging fame offers a lot of interesting interactions. He sells the rights to his music for $5000; he storms off the stage not simply because the audience expects it of him. Bouquet ends up successfully conversing Andy Warhol (played by himself) after his numerous antics to avoid the interview including sending his assistant to play violin in his place and just sit motionless for several minutes. It's little scenes like these that capture the cultural zeitgeist of this period in punk rock. Hell's character simply sells out so quickly and so easily.
The other part of the film that succeeds without question are the performances from Richard Hell and The Voidoids. At times, it almost seems that the plot is just a flimsy excuse to string together these glimpses of Hell's live performances. As a result, Blank Generation ends up being a little better at capturing a moment in time as opposed to actually making a good film.
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