What makes it different from others?

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

I've not seen this movie, but i remember it got trashed in reviews in the late 1970s when it was shown. i fully agree that it was exceptionally dumb (pardon the pun) of the filmmakers to make a music documentary without any sound. at least we have the footage. if they hadn't done this we might be saying 'if only there was some footage of the ramones in 1976.....' at least we have that. and i'm sure the filmmakers did not think that people would be griping about paying full price for it 35 years later i do recall the intention was to shoot with synchronised sound and the sound didn't get recorded or something - may be i'm wrong it has to go down as one of the great heroic failures of the music world along with the guy who shot 10 minutes or so of the Beatles last concert,but used all of his film on shooting footage of people building the stage in an empty stadium.

I have an old VHS copy of this, but now I'm definitely going to snatch it up on DVD. "The Blank Generation" (attention, previous reviewer: the title of the film comes from the Heartbreakers/Richard Hell song of the same name, which is played TWICE at the end; maybe you didn't enjoy this film much because you didn't know anything about the bands or the music they played) is loaded with atmosphere. It's a perfect snapshot of the CBGBs scene of the mid-to-late '70s. Yes, you could complain about the herky-jerky camera-work (I think they were going for an Andy Warhol sort of feel) or the fact that image and sound are out of sync with one another...but why would you? This is the only document of its kind, the only visual testament to the early genius of the Ramones, Television, Patti Smith, and Talking Heads. Even the obscurities (like the Harry Toledo song, 'Knots') are great! Amos Poe and Ivan Kral couldn't have captured the spirit of the New York "punk" era any more accurately; I always thought the vibe of the film was enhanced by its poor technical quality. Oh, one thing more: the bands *are* identified at the end of the film.

This is so disappointing - all of these punk rock stars right there at the edge of the New York music explosion, on film. Unfortunately, although they had a camera they did not have a microphone, and all of the music of the raw performances is now lost forever. What could've been one of the best music documentaries ever becomes a film school project.Worse, they decided to put demo recordings over the concert footage. This is completely unsatisfying, worse than just silence, which would've forced viewers to focus on the differences in performance and facial expressions. It's the worst sort of compromise.

Was there ever such a vibrant, exciting music scene as that of the punk/new wave CBGBs explosion?Amos Poe has made history by capturing some of the leading lights of the genre in their natural performing habitat well before they hit the big time. Filmed on wonderful, grainy 16mm silent film savour the sights of luminaries such as Talking Heads, Wayne County, Patti Smith, Blondie, Tuff Darts, New York Dolls and the Ramones complemented with dubbed live tracks/demos to provide the soundtrack.Ironic, that on any punk compilation a track from all of the above artists features, and yet here they are all in the same place and possibly all on the same night. A treat for all punk/CBGB fans - Poe has really captured the wonderfully inventive, innovative and spontaneous atmosphere of the era here.Thanks Amos.