Decidedly, England inspires the authors of series. After The Crownand its story of Queen Elizabeth II, here is that of the Sex Pistols, the punk group whose record considered sacrilegious was banned from sale in 1977.
Pistol, it is the new series broadcast on Disney + which tells the story of this group which is shaking up British society. Its members hate the fashionable rock of the time. Guitarist Steve Jones is spotted by political activist Malcolm McLaren who runs a small store called Sex in London. He dreams of dynamiting society.
To tell this story, director Danny Boyle was inspired by the guitarist’s autobiography. Danny Boyle explains: “I’m exactly his age, come from a similar background, and loved the punk movement sparked by the Sex Pistols.”
If Danny Boyle wants to tell the story of the Sex Pistols, it’s because he lived in the 70s during which the Sex Pistols awakened a whole sleeping youth. Danny Boyle recalls:
“It was terrible. You were young. And then boom, you were old! And there was nothing in between. People started looking like their dads, almost immediately. What the Sex Pistols did, it They blew up that bridge. They had nothing positive to bring to replace it. They just blew it up. They said, no, you don’t have to become that.”
Young actors play Sid Vicious, Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Johnny Rotten. The series, filmed with the grain of the cameras of the time, mixes the archives of the 70s. Johnny Rotten wanted to prohibit the use of the band’s music. So everything is played live in the series by the actors.
Anson Boon plays Johnny Rotten but he couldn’t meet him:
“No. He chose not to participate in the series, it’s a shame. But luckily he wrote three books, the first in particular is rich in information. There is one thing in particular about him that I really wanted to have is his look, his famous look, which fascinated Danny Boyle and which Danny wanted to transcribe precisely. The way he looked at the public, and almost challenged them. And I think he challenged the establishment when he did. was doing, which was really cool.”
A linear, plastically pretty series. At the limit too much, for a story that tore England apart. Pistolsix episodes on Disney+ starting Wednesday.