An ironic title considering the film's subject's current reputation, Remember Me This Way is an hour long documentary on British Glam Rock star Gary Glitter, filmed at the height of his fame. The bulk of the film follows a rather anodyne version of Pennebaker's Don't Look Back template: the star is shown doing publicity interviews, hosting parties, rehearsing, recording, intercut with footage of his manager trying to get him the best deal over the telephone. Nothing much of interest is revealed, unless you are fascinated by how often Glitter's clothes get removed during gigs or that his speaking voice is rather posh. Glitter speaks of himself as rather a heart-throb for his fans, which just goes to show how much these thing are in the eye of the beholder. It is a shame, and perhaps telling, that there are no interviews with the fans themselves.
This being the mid-70s, there's an odd bit of undeveloped mockumentary where Glitter is seen filming a (fake) Hollywood feature, a scene where he karate-kicks his way through a group of villains. Quite why this is in the film is anyone's guess – perhaps Glitter's people hoped that someone would put up the money for a genuine Gary feature. Nobody did, which is understandable seeing how Glitter acts in this segment.
The best bit of the film is the last 15 minutes, with concert footage from the Rainbow Theatre. Whatever you say about Glitter (and most of it won't be nice), he was a fine showman in his time and his concerts had a manic edge and rhythmic punch about them which were compelling. It is quite understandable from this footage why he was such a big star, as he sure knew how to entertain a crowd.
It is a quirk of fate that this film will probably never be reissued on DVD, given its star is now a convicted child sex abuser. This is a shame, as it doesn't invalidate the value of this film as a record of a highly successful UK pop artist at the height of his fame. Inconsequential though most of it is, it is pretty well edited and, as I say, the concert footage is magnificent.
Trivia fans might like to know that this was released as a second feature on a double bill with the Canadian kids film Brother of the Wind, both films being advertised as "for all the family to come and see".
This being the mid-70s, there's an odd bit of undeveloped mockumentary where Glitter is seen filming a (fake) Hollywood feature, a scene where he karate-kicks his way through a group of villains. Quite why this is in the film is anyone's guess – perhaps Glitter's people hoped that someone would put up the money for a genuine Gary feature. Nobody did, which is understandable seeing how Glitter acts in this segment.
The best bit of the film is the last 15 minutes, with concert footage from the Rainbow Theatre. Whatever you say about Glitter (and most of it won't be nice), he was a fine showman in his time and his concerts had a manic edge and rhythmic punch about them which were compelling. It is quite understandable from this footage why he was such a big star, as he sure knew how to entertain a crowd.
It is a quirk of fate that this film will probably never be reissued on DVD, given its star is now a convicted child sex abuser. This is a shame, as it doesn't invalidate the value of this film as a record of a highly successful UK pop artist at the height of his fame. Inconsequential though most of it is, it is pretty well edited and, as I say, the concert footage is magnificent.
Trivia fans might like to know that this was released as a second feature on a double bill with the Canadian kids film Brother of the Wind, both films being advertised as "for all the family to come and see".
