LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE FABULOUS STAINS (1982)
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Label: Fun City Editions
Region Code: Region-Free (4K UHD), A (Blu-ray)
Rating: R
Duration: 87 Minutes 37 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 or 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.85:1), 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Lou Adler
Cast: Diane Lane, Ray Winstone, Peter Donat, Laura Dern
Distributor Synopsis: The Stains, a fledgling punk band comprised of three teenage girls, rise, fall...and rise again in this "rock 'n roll parody" directed by music industry veteran Lou Adler (Up in Smoke). With nothing keeping them in their dying factory hometown, rebellious Corinne Burns (Diane Lane, Streets of Fire), her sister Tracy (Marin Kanter, The Loveless) and their cousin Jessica (Laura Dern, Wild at Heart) form the Stains and tour with fading glam rockers the Metal Corpses and working-class English punks the Looters. Through a combination of media manipulation and Corinne's brazen on-stage persona, the Stains become an unlikely overnight sensation. But the girls quickly learn that the business of music is insatiable, fans are fickle and fame is fleeting... Nancy Dowd's (Coming Home) trenchant script takes place in the same, fictional Rust Belt town that her Slap Shot is set in. Through its story occurs within an accelerated, "only in the movies" timeframe, Ladies and Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains is full of truths about the music business thanks to the contributions of many industry insiders on both sides of the camera. Barely released in 1982 and unavailable on home video for decades, the film has become a bona fide cult classic through late night cable airings and the "riot grrrl" movement it helped inspire. Newly-restored from its original 35mm camera negative, Ladies and Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains comes to 4K UHD for the first time anywhere in the world.
In the 80's punk rock classic Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1982), directed by Lou Adler (Up In Smoke!), smalltown teenager Corinne Burns (Diane Lane, The Outsiders) is a standard-issue, frustrated teen, who along with her sister Tracy (Laura Dern, Wild At Heart) and their cousin Jessica (Marin Kanter, The Loveless), have formed a punk band called The Stains. The band doesn't seem to be all that serious until they catch the Brit punk band The Looters playing alongside aging shock-rockers Metal Corpse at a local club. The promoter of the tour, Jamaican Lawnboy (Barry Ford), decides to bring the girl-band on the tour with the them, despite having never heard them. Despite the fact that the girl have little to no musical talent they gain some media exposure and become a bit of a pop-culture phenomena once Corrine unveils her new look, a striking black and white hair-do with a sheer see-through blouse, and that look catches on with teens who see footage of her through the local new reports. On the short-lived tour they experience the rigors of a touring band, band rivalries, and the instant hype generated by media coverage, and the fickle fortunes of fleeting fame.
I think I saw this on cable TV the first time, and I liked it a bunch, the story of an all girl band's rise and fall (and rise again) from a trio of no-talent teens, to a band that just accidentally happened to capture the teen-rebellion Zeitgeist without really trying. Watching it now the film is a bit of a mess, but the punk rock angst and purity of it bleeds through, and I still love it. The band The Looters are fronted by actor Ray Winstone (Scum), but interestingly the backing band consist of The Clash's Paul Simonon and The Sex Pistols alum Steve Jones and Paul Cook, and their big song in the film "Join The Professionals" is a tune originally by the Jones/Cook post Sex Pistols band The Professionals. Meanwhile the Kiss-inspired band Metal Corpse band features both Fee Waybill and Vince Welnick from shock-rockers The Tubes. The film also features an appearance from notorious L.A. punk rockers Black Randy and the Metro Squad, and just based on the punk bands associated with the film it's quite an interesting watch. Also interesting is the examination of how the media can latch onto something authentic and real but co-opt it while bringing it to a wider audience before it's properly ripened, commercializing it and snuffing it out before it can properly blossom.
Audio/Video: Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1981) makes it's worldwide region-free 4K Ultra HD debut in 2160p HD widescreen (1.85:1), newly-restored in 4K from its original 35mm camera negative. The restoration looks excellent, the source looks fantastic, grain levels are strong and nicely resolved, the HDR10 color space offers colors that are truer-looking with the neon lights and colored stage lighting during the performances are more vivid than ever, and black levels are strong, and FCE have restored the theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 versus Imprint's 1.78:1. The accompanying Blu-ray offers the same 4K restoration minus the HDR10 color space down sampled to 1080p HD, and looks terrific as well.
Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD 5.1 Surround or 2.0 Stereo with optional English subtitles. I preferred the uncompressed stereo track, dialogue is as well-defined as the source limitations will allow, and the punk rock soundtrack and performances have some nice punch to them. The accompanying Blu-ray offers the same audio options.
For it's worldwide 4K Ultra HD debut Fun Coty Editions offers both archival and newly produced extras. There are four commentary tracks, two archival and two new. Archival commentaries include an Audio Commentary by director Lou Adler, which is solid but sedate, and a more fun Audio Commentary by actresses Diane Lane and Laura Dern, who chat it up while remembering the shooting of the film. New commentaries start off with Audio commentary by Marc Edward Heuck, which is fast-paced and dense, Hueck is fully caffeinated, he speaks about the location of the opening scene, shot in Charlestown, PA aka Floodtown, getting deep into locations, the cast and their notable film appearances, pointing on elements from previous script versions, expanding and clarifying plot and story elements, True life inspirations that work their way into the film, noting the Sex Pistols last performance at the Winterland Ballroom, talking about the actors and musicians who appear in the band's, a lengthy passage on Red Stripe beer, the wardrobe, various edits and alternate titles, including All Washed Up and The Professionals, re-shoots, and it initial release rollout, critical reception, and how it was aired on Night Flight in '85 that brought it to national attention, how that or bootleg VHS copes were the only way to see it till the 2008 DVD, and comparisons between this and Breaking Glass, and screenwriter Nancy Dowd's unhappiness with certain changes in the film, particularly the happy ending.
Also new is the Audio commentary by Jake Fogelnest and Marc Edward Heuck, a spirited conversational track, they start by acknowledging how indie filmmaker Sara Jacobsen (Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore), a huge supporter of the film, was largely responsible for the film getting a VHS and DVD release after years of obscurity and bringing it back into the pop culture, how they first saw the film, its critical reception, screen tests and reshoots, some fun Black Randy stories, The track is not necessarily onscreen specific but is two guys who don't just love the film, but have intimate and detailed knowledge about it, and its a terrific listen.
Next, the 11-min "The Fabulous Stains, Behind the Music" - Archival making-of video featurette by Sarah Jacobson and Sam Green, its great to have the late Jacobson represented on the set via this excellent archival featurette, featuring screenwriter Nancy Dowd, the Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook, director Lou Adler, actors Diane Lane, Debbie Rochon and others. The 4-min 'The Professional' Alternate Title Sequence from 35mm workprint with Optional Audio commentary from Marc Edward Heuck and Jonathan Hertzberg offers a newly unearthed and unused title credit sequence for the film.
Also newly unearthed are 19-min of Deleted scenes from 35mm workprint (presented silent and with commentary from Marc Edward Heuck and Jonathan Hertzberg), these are available for the first time, offering deleted scenes and outtakes from 35mm workprint of the film, newly discovered in the Paramount Archive in 2024. Unfortunately with no sound elements, presented either silently with optional audio commentary by Mark Hueck and Jonathan Hertzberg, and with Heck's knowledge of the various script iterations is able to fill in some of what's transpiring in the scenes. There are also 16-min of Reel of dailies from the "Professionals" music video shoot with sound, a cool bit of footage included audible director cues as they lip sync to the full music track, a lot of insert shots of handclaps, frolicking in the pool,
Then into the 17-min "I Was Command Central, Man" Archival audio interview with Night Flight co-creator Stuart Shapiro, (2002, 17:11), audio-only interview presented as a featurette with images and video over it, discussing his early career distributing films, being one of the first to use radio spots to advertise films, and the impetus of Night Flight, the programming freedom he had at USA Network, discussion of the Paramount package of films he aired, including Mr. Rock n' Roll, Breaking Glass, Ladies and Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains, and others, and noting how many times Fabulous Stains probably aired. the last of the disc extras are a Photo Galley, Trailers for the film and Breaking Glass, plus a cool night Flight Ladies and Gentleman the Fabulous Stain Promo.
Not carried-over from the Imprint Blu-ray is the Audio Commentary by film critic/author Lee Gambin and musician/ journalist Allison Wolfe (Bratmobile), the 16-min I Don’t Put Out: Punk, Anger, X Feminism – video essay by film historian Kat Ellinger and the 17-min Lizard Music: The Late Night Culture of the Fabulous Stains – video essay by author Sara Marcus, the 26-min Audio Interview with actress Marin Kanter and the 11-min Keep On Rocking! – interview with actress Debbie Rochon who appeared in the film. So hang onto that release if you're an extras-junkie like myself.
The 2-disc 4K UHD/Blu-ray arrives in a full-height clear Scanavo keepcase with a Reversible Wrap with both legacy and newly-designed artwork by Scott Saslow and Marc Edward Heuck, and I love the homemade zine-inspired alternate artwork that looks like its written on lined notebook paper.
Inside the discs are housed on overlapping hubs, the discs look like vinyl 7" records, "professionals" b/w "waste of time", the 4K disc is the a-side, the Blu-ray is the b-side, I love the design, its pretty perfect, and is just one more reason I love FCE, this sort of wonderful attention to detail.
Special Features:
- Archival audio commentary by director Lou Adler
- Archival audio commentary by stars Diane Lane and Laura Dern
Newly recorded audio commentary by Marc Edward Heuck
- NEW! Audio commentary by Jake Fogelnest and Marc Edward Heuck
- NEW! Audio commentary by Marc Edward Heuck
- "The Fabulous Stains, Behind the Music" - Archival making-of video featurette by Sarah Jacobson and Sam Green (10:58)
- Alternate The Professional title sequence from 35mm workprint with Optional Audio commentary from Marc Edward Heuck and Jonathan Hertzberg (4:24)
- NEW! Deleted scenes from 35mm workprint (presented silent and with commentary from Marc Edward Heuck and Jonathan Hertzberg): Bathroom (0:53), TV News Broadcast #1 (2:06), Motel Room #1 (2:27), Bamboo Room and Motel Room #2, Parking Lot (0:51), TV News Broadcast #2 (0:44), Stu Interviews Corrine (0:54), Bill6 Looks for Corrine (0:57)
- NEW! Reel of dailies from the "Professionals" music video shoot (16:08)
- "I Was Command Central, Man" Archival audio interview with Night Flight co-creator Stuart Shapiro (2000)
- Image Gallery (14:11)
- Trailers: Ladies and Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains (2:40), Breaking Glass (2:56).
- Night Flight Ladies and Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains Promo (1:13)
- Double-sided wrap with legacy and newly-designed artwork by Scott Saslow and Marc Edward Heuck
Ladies and Gentleman, the Fabulous Stains (1982) is a punk rock cinema classic, and it gets a terrific 4k UHD release from Fun City Editions. It looks and sounds better than ever with a new 4K restoration, plus we get a wonderful array of archival and newly produced commentaries and unearthed bonus material from the Paramount Archive that makes this definitive release the one to own.
Screenshots Comparison:
Top: Imprint Films Blu-ray (2022)
Bottom: Fun City Editions Blu-ray (2026)
Extras:
Buy it!
#ad
