D.O.A.: A Right Of Passage

My review will not focus on the merits of the film itself, but instead is aimed at those who have already seen this film (or may own a pirate copy) and are wondering whether it is worth it to stump up the money for this recent official release.Despite some cinematic showings in the 1980s, and it being a very rare early home video release, the film has been in legal limbo for decades, due to music clearance problems, and the fact that the Sex Pistols gig footage was filmed without permission. It was shown on the U.K's Channel Four circa 1990, but a poor quality print was used.Since then, there have been various pirate dvds floating about, and it has also been uploaded to YouTube on numerous occasions .I don't know whether any of these were taken from first generation sources, but for whatever reason, they always looked too dark, lacking in colour, and often had a lot of scratches & print damage.This new official dvd is by far the best version I've seen - a much brighter, sharper, and cleaner image than I've seen in any other version. Particularly striking is that there are strong colours in it (deep pinks, reds & greens) that I haven't seen in any other print. Apart from a few occasional dirt flecks & an occasional very light scratch, there is no damage to the print used here.Due to technical limitations, this film is never going to look as good as a modern high definition movie There are still some sequences that are a bit pale or grainy. However, so much of this film looks significantly better than any other version I've seen. The San Antonio footage in particular looks astounding in comparison to all other versions.In addition to the film itself, you also get a documentary (almost two hours long) consisting of interviews with those involved in the making of the film, and a 20 minute interview with music journalist Chris Salewicz (who helped with the shooting of the British segments). The story of the shooting of the film (& the illegal 'guerrilla film making' techniques) is compelling.My only complaint with this dvd is that there are no 'out takes' or previously unseen footage, but I suspect that anything that didn't make the final cut is probably lost for all time now.Due to music clearance problems, three pieces of music that were in the original version have been replaced. The two Iggy Pop tracks ('Nightclubbing' & 'Lust For Life') have been replaced with live versions, and the Augustus Pablo track (used on the end credits) has been replaced by a track by The Mystic Roots Band. I don't think the replaced Iggy Pop tracks work as well in the film as the original versions do.Overall, this is probably the best print of the film you're likely to see (&is so much better than some other versions) so I highly recommend it.

The media could not be loaded.  The documentary acts as a time capsule showing you a movement of a disgruntled generation through the punk movement. Primarily following the Sex Pistols and their controversial tour of America. Interspersed with the talking heads is footage of the band playing to the crowds, full songs where the lyrics appear on screen as the raw atmosphere dominates the screen. For someone who wasn't around for the punk movement this was a real insight into what was going on at this time.