Blank Generation (USA, 1979) 90 min color DIR: Ulli Lommel. PROD: Roger Deutsch. SCR: Richard Hell, Ulli Lommel, Robert Madero. MUSIC: Elliot Goldenthal, Richard Hell. DOP: Atze Glanert. CAST: Carole Bouquet, Richard Hell, Suzanna Love, Andy Warhol. (Anchor Bay)
The Blank Generation was already used as a film title, for Ivan Kral and Amos Poe’s 1976 documentary, whose concert footage of such punk-new wave acts as Blondie, Talking Heads, Patti Smith and The Ramones, instantly made this a classic of its era. The term “Blank Generation” was a concise description of the day’s youth and was also the title of a 1977 album by Richard Hell and the Voidoids, who also appear in this similarly titled “punk era” artifact. Their performance footage lends some historical importance to a film that is otherwise slick, empty rubbish.
Hell plays a sulky musician who has an on-again off-again romance with an ice queen videographer (Carole Bouquet), who’s too busy travelling the jet set to devote herself completely to him. Meanwhile he moans about whether or not to sell his music rights for her love. Another problem is that this film looks too good! Well okay, it visually resembles a widescreen made-for-TV movie, but it should be grittier- shot on a film stock with a low ASA. I’m not sure how much theatrical play this film enjoyed, but it seemed to be a big deal when Anchor Bay resurrected this obscure title for home video. This was a time when people still hadn’t completely crossed over from VHS to DVD; Anchor Bay was one of the boutique companies who had released films in their original aspect ratios, and with bonus extras, even to tape! Their video box for this film also touts a cameo by Andy Warhol, playing himself. (Director Ulli Lommel had worked with Warhol in the late 1970s, and had hired him for some film appearances, including another snoozer, Cocaine Cowboys.) The subplot of some studio hotshot attempting to land an interview with the Brillo king becomes a red herring, as he just sits in a chair and babbles away about something or other. Big deal. On the other hand, the Warhol subplot could tenuously summarize the movie’s pervasive tone of people’s aspirations ending up in disappointment. But, beware any movie as vapid as this which credits four screenwriters. The only time this film has any sign of life is when Richard and the boys are onstage (at CBGB’s, no less!).
Otherwise this dreary, lifeless “drama” is worthless, except maybe for some nerds like me who would salivate over all the cool retro video gear that the actors use. Director Lommel, a former protege of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, was largely a two-trick pony, who made two genuinely good films (The Boogeyman; Brainwaves), while in collaboration with his then-wife, actress Suzanna Love, before spending his final three decades making a lot of direct-to-video dreck. Perhaps Ms. Love was a muse to his creativity, because anything else I’ve seen outside of their liaison just seems so pretentious and comatose. (Even his earlier “acclaimed” feature, 1973’s Tenderness of the Wolves, to my eyes appears lacklustre.) Still, “this” Blank Generation will be essential viewing to punk cinema completists for the Richard Hell footage. (They’ve probably already seen this anyway, so whoopee doo!)
Updated from a review originally published in Vol. #1, Issue #5.
Greg Woods
Greg Woods has been a film enthusiast since his teens, and began his writing "career" at the same time- prolific in capsule reviews of everything he had watched, first on index cards, then those hardcover dollar store black journals, then an old Mac IIsi. He founded The Eclectic Screening Room in 2001, as a portal to share his film love with the world, and find some like-minded enthusiasts along the way. In addition to having worked in the film industry for over two decades, he has been a co-programmer of films at Trash Palace, and a programmer/co-founder of the Toronto Film Noir Syndicate. He has also written for Broken Pencil, CU-Confidential, Micro-Film, and is currently working on his first novel. His secret desire is for someone to interview him for a podcast or a DVD extra.