Review: Slade in Flame
Blu-ray: Slade in Flame (1975)
By 1974 Slade were already famous in the UK, and the idea of them being in a ‘Beatlesque’ film was greeted with acceptance by the band, as long as it wasn’t slapstick. The band wanted it to be a ‘sort of behind-the-scenes, nitty-gritty look at the rock ‘n’ roll business’.
Written by Andrew Birkin (brother of Jane) Flame tells the story of the rise and fall of a fictional band, and Slade themselves have admitted that all the stories in the film are based on truth.
The film itself is sort of a musical, with the soundtrack written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea, and performed by the whole band.
It’s quite a surprise too, as By 1974 Slade were already famous in the UK, and the idea of them being in a ‘Beatlesque’ film was greeted with acceptance by the band, as long as it wasn’t slapstick. The band wanted it to be a ‘sort of behind-the-scenes, nitty-gritty look at the rock ‘n’ roll business’.
Written by Andrew Birkin (brother of Jane) Flame tells the story of the rise and fall of a fictional band, and Slade themselves have admitted that all the stories in the film are based on truth.
The film itself is sort of a musical, with the soundtrack written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea, and performed by the whole band.
It’s quite a surprise too, as Noddy Holder is a natural at acting and the film is a superb peek back into the early 70s, all that brown wallpaper and penny collars.
It seems that on release the film was met with some confusion from Slade fans, used to the loud, raucous rock and roll, cheeky chappies of Brum, they were faced with sharing girlfriends, alcohol, grimness, gangsters and a complete left turn musically.
The band felt that the amount of time they were out of the public eye making the film may have contributed to their chart decline, and that the grittiness of the movie may have done Slade more harm than good. It’s only now that Slade in Flame is seen as the groundbreaking film it is. It does have moments of levity, but the overall feel is 1970s bleakness.
Brilliant.
Special features
- Newly remastered and approved by director Richard Loncraine
- Newly recorded audio commentary with director Richard Loncraine and film critic Mark Kermode
- Make Way For Noddy (2025, 9 mins): actor Tom Conti discusses the making of Slade in Flame
- Noddy Holder Interview (2002, 54 mins): Noddy speaks to broadcaster Gary Crowley in the uncut, full-length version of an interview that later featured in The Making of Slade in Flame
- The Making of Slade in Flame (2007, 58 mins): featuring interviews with all four members of Slade, director Richard Loncraine and actor Tom Conti
- This Week: Men’s Fashions (1973, 5 mins): meet Tommy Nutter, the rebel tailor of Savile Row, as flamboyant fashions get thoroughly road tested in this glam 1970s fashion short
- Trailers
- Slade in Frame – a collection of promotional images from the film’s original release
- ***FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Graham Rinaldi, other essays by JT Rathbone and Barry Forshaw, notes on the special features and credits
Review by Tina from a disc kindly supplied by the BFI.
