No mere VH1-style Behind the Music show, The Future is Unwritten "is much more than a biography of the Clash's guitarist and lead singer: It's history, criticism, philosophy and politics, played fast and loud." (NY Times) The Clash burst onto the punk scene in the late 70's, and influenced generations of rockers with powerfully political (and musically diverse) songs like London Calling, Lost in the Supermarket, Rock the Casbah and Should I Stay or Should I Go? By the mid-1980's they'd imploded, victim of the usual root causes: drugs, egos, the loss of direction. Until his untimely death of a heart attack at the age of 50, Strummer flitted around, eventually finding musical happiness in Mescaleros. Filmmaker Julien Temple, whose earlier films focused on the Sex Pistols (Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, Filth and the Fury), brings a depth of knowledge to the film and elevates it: "It's history, criticism, philosophy and politics, played fast and loud." (NY Times) "The most powerful documentary I've seen all year, and one of the two or three best films ever made about an artist or musician." (Salon.com) More at www.joestrummerthemovie.com
2007, color, 2 hours 3 minutes, Ireland/UK