I saw this film at the now defunct Birmingham Arts Lab in late 1979. It is a film that, like David Lynch's Eraserhead, defies description. It seems aimless, pointless and futile. But actually a lot goes on; it's just you don't realise it at the time. It features a man driving from London to Birmingham in a battered old Rover. En route he discovers himself in bizarre and surreal situations. The most bizarre is meeting Sting doing his Eddie Cochran impression. I must admit I like this film even though I don't fully understand its point or plot. What I like about it is that you find yourself transported into an English road movie with an Anglo-German soundtrack that at times is poetic, violent, tragic and awkward. It is the absolute antithesis of the plot-driven Hollywood movie. I suspect that much was improvised and it is all the better for that fact. It's a film to watch late night with the lights turned down. A film to just let flow over you; best not to analyse too much. A real gem of a movie. They really don't make them like this any more.
Review of Radio On
