Available on DVD for the first time in the UK, Chris Petit's Radio On is one of the most striking feature debuts in British cinema - a haunting blend of edgy mystery story and existential road movie, crammed with eerie evocations of English landscape... and weather. Following a young London DJ (David Beames) on the road to Bristol to investigate the mysterious death of his brother, Radio On offers a unigue, compelling and even mythic vision of a late 1970s England, stalled between failed hopes of cultural and social change and the imminent upheavals of Thatcherism. Stunningly photographed by luminous monochrome, by Martin Schafer, and driven by a startling new wave soundtrack (Bowie, Kraftwerk, Lene Lovich, Ian Drury, Wreckless Eric) - and an early screen performance by Sting - Radio On is ripe for rediscovery.
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