Director: Michael WinterbottomIt’s hard to make a film about rock and roll that works without seeming overly nostalgic, sanitized or fake. Only a few films have succeeded in this goal such as Almost Famous and the more recent borage of musical biopics including Ray and Walk the Line; however it’s even more challenging to make a film about punk rock. Steve Coogan’s masterful portrayal of Tony Wilson, the Cambridge educated, Granada TV journalist who finds his life changed after seeing the Sex Pistols perform in 1976, is utterly fascinating in Michael Winterbottom’s lurid, wild, funny, shocking, and no-holds-barred postmodern true story about the punk boom in Manchester, England. The film benefits not only from the astute direction and acting but also by Frank Cottrell Boyce’s pitch-perfect script that, like the best of the music of the genre, celebrates the rebellion and desire not to sell out as we watch Wilson struggle with super-fame and all of the joys and pain that go with his delusions of grandeur when he, along with friends, creates the label Factory Records, signs Joy Division, A Certain Ratio and the Happy Mondays before ultimately opening Manchester’s version of Studio 54, the Hacienda. Nominated for numerous awards including the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival for Winterbottom, 24 Hour Party People also received an accolade from the British Independent Film Awards for Best Achievement in Production. Note: Music lovers will want to check out the soundtrack including iTunes selections below.
Music featured in 24 Hour Party People
“24 Hour Party People” by Happy Mondays
“Janie Jones” by The Clash
“Blue Monday” by New Order
“The Passenger” by Iggy Pop
“Here to Stay” by New Order
“Digital” by Joy Division
“Loose Fit” by Happy Mondays
“World In Motion” by New Order
“Kinky Afro” by Happy Mondays
“Transmission” by Joy Division
“WFL (Wrote For Luck)” by Happy Mondays
“In The City” by The Jam
“Sunshine and Love” by Happy Mondays
“Go” by Moby
“Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division
“Solid Air” by John Martyn
“Hallelujah (Club Mix)” by Happy Mondays
“Atmosphere” by Joy Division
“Tart Tart” by Happy Mondays
“Anarchy in the U.K.” by The Sex Pistols
“She’s Lost Control” by Joy Division
“No Fun” by The Sex Pistols
“No More Heroes” by The Stranglers
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