Radio On (1979)

"A Very Different, Very British Art House Road Movie"

Nowadays director Christopher Petit is best known as a documentary film-maker but back in 1979 he was a film critic about to make the move into feature films. This would lead to his 1982 adaption of P D James' AN UNSUITABLE JOB FOR A WOMAN and 1984's FLIGHT TO BERLIN, which was one of the early 'Film on Four' productions that premiered on the then-new Channel 4. First off, though, he made the fascinating RADIO ON in black and white, which is now getting a Blu-ray release through the BFI, who also originally made it in a co-production deal with a West German film company.

Robert (David Beames) lives above an art house cinema (showing Oshima's EMPIRE OF PASSION) in London and works as a DJ. When he learns of his brother's death he travels to Bristol to find out what happened, meeting a variety of characters both on the way and at his destination. These include Sting as an Eddie Cochran-obsessed garage attendant and Sandy Ratcliffe (best known for appearing in Eastenders and for playing the piano naked in Robert Fuest's THE FINAL PROGRAMME) as his brother's girlfriend. 

RADIO ON is very much a meditative odyssey through late 1970s Britain, its emphasis on both image and sound design not unlike that employed by David Lynch. The sound is frequently supplied by the songs of innovative musicians of the period including David Bowie, Kraftwerk, Wreckless Eric and Lene Lovich. Don't expect any big revelations or anything much resembling a plot because that's not the point. Instead it's more about what Britain was like then, both in terms of landscape and attitudes, both of which feel an age away now for those of us who were around at the time. The Bristol Robert ends up in little resembles the Bristol of today. 

The BFI's Blu-ray also includes, as extras, a new, nearly hour-long interview with the director by Vic Pratt, a detailed 54 minute analysis of the film by Jason Wood, a 2008 interview with Chris Petit by Keith Griffiths, a RADIO ON August 1998 'remix' of the soundtrack by Wire's Bruce Gilbert, Viv Albertine's short film COPING WITH CUPID, two public information films, L FOR LOGIC and THE MOTORWAY FILE, plus a trailer and image gallery.

Christopher Petit's RADIO ON is out on Blu-ray from the BFI on Monday 17th May 2021