Blu Ray Review: D.O.A.: A Rite Of Passage (MVD Visual)

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Back when I was a teenager I first listened to punk.   The one thing that struck me about punk that I've never really felt with any other style of music that I've listened to is that I became a student of it, despite the fact that the very notion seemed to go against everything punk stood for.    I read books which are now not just great pieces of punk history but are essential in the library of music history.

In the same way that I feel people should read a book like Please Kill Me, I believe they should see the film "D.O.A.: A Rite Of Passage".   But what is this movie exactly?  It will tell you in brief descriptions that it is a look at the final days of the Sex Pistols.   While this is true and there is a decent amount of concert footage from the Sex Pistols tour of the United States (which was seven shows in seven days and their final tour as a band) there are other aspects to this story.

For one thing, there is concert footage of other bands such as Sham 69, Dead Boys and, well, you can read the back of the case.   If you are new to punk music (and we all were at one time, so don't judge) this is a good way to expose yourself to some of the artists involved.   It is a great historical piece in that aspect.   But it isn't just live concert footage.   They talk to people involved so it's kind of like a documentary but they aren't just people in the band or involved in music.   They are fans.   One politician who really hates punks.

Perhaps one of the strangest parts of this film though is the random parts they show with no real reason, just to accompany the music.   At one point a woman is dancing in front of a car, she begins to undress and touch herself.   At another point, there are just scenes of people attacking each other.  One person is shown punching a cop and getting dragged into the police van, a strange spectacle as these days you would likely be shot before you could get a swing in.

Prior to this, "D.O.A." has not been given this type of release.   Blu-Ray and DVD are included.   A slip cover, double sided poster (one side is pictured here by me the other is of the cover art) and a booklet as well.   You can read all of the features for yourself but this is one of the finest treatments a film such as thing could receive.   This is not just a top notch film in general, but it is also the defining film when it comes to punk.