Ladies and Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains (1982) Blu-ray

This film is very hard to find, and it was well worth the effort. I originally watched this on a cable movie channel back in the 1980s. I appreciated the message it sends to young women affected by feminism and bad family life. A lady doesn't win by sending mixed messages to her audience. A lady doesn't yell at an audience that she doesn't "put out" while wearing a see-through blouse over a bare chest, bikini bottoms, fishnet stockings, and pixie boots. Young ladies also don't call themselves "skunks" while thinking that what comes out of their tail ends does not stink. I appreciated the solid ending of this film, where the band members dressed modestly while improving their talents and scoring a gold record and a video on what was supposed to be a major music channel. Speaking of talent, a then 15-year-old Diane Lane's nascent talents were not lost here. Her ability to carry the lead role through this deliberately slow-paced movie depicting the trashy, seedy lives of touring punk rockers was astounding given her age. Her appearance was stunning albeit immodest. Had the movie been digitally remastered to 4K, the costuming and scenery would have given blatant details, however, given that this is a cult film with a very limited audience, the call for 4K digital remastering might be too much to ask for yet. Unlike his previous "Rocky Horror Picture Show," Lou Adler made this deliberately slow with a powerful ending rather than start with a bang and end with a raspberry. The message not to dupe or deceive or trick your audience at the end was also powerful, as the girls got the message to use their brains and not their booties to convey their messages. Of course, Marin Kanter and Laura Dern get some credit here as well. Unfortunately, Miss Kanter didn't get the roles that Laura and Diane got in space operas and superhero flicks respectively, though she makes a good showing here. All in all, though this is not a family movie, parents should show this to their teenage daughters to prove what good, intelligent, modest young ladies can present as opposed to what bitchy, brash, unruly skunks can become. The end shows somewhat of a redemption as the girls step up their game and turn down the flame.

This film is a real cult favourite and Showtown has done a GREAT job on this one. Oscar nominee Diane Lane is phenomenal in the lead role (as always) and she is surrounded by young actors who were at the beginnings of their career (like Lane, Laura Dern, Ray Winstone etc). There are also musicians (members of The Sex Pistol, The Clash, and The Tubes) also among the amazing cast. It's a great little seen film that has generated a now legendary cult following. Another great disc with fab picture and sound and the extras (including an endearing interview with star Diane Lane) are all fabulous. Great job Showtown. Very impressed!!!