On paper, Light of Day has everything going for it. One of the first films Michael J Fox made after Back to the Future, it’s a gritty tale of rock ‘n’ roll as a blue-collar pressure vent, aptly made by the director of Blue Collar, Paul Schrader. Its supporting cast has acting royalty in the form of Gena Rowlands, rock royalty in the form of Joan Jett, and a theme song by Bruce Springsteen.
And yet… after disappointing at the box office it disappeared so thoroughly it’s never released an English-language DVD release. This week on Pop Screen, Archaeon joins Graham to discuss why the film didn’t connect, whether it deserves better, and the small but enjoyable screen career of Joan Jett. We also talk about the very unexpected cameo from a future alternative rock icon and Oscar-winning composer, Springsteen’s long and tangled history with the film, and those old butter adverts where a little animated man plays the trombone. If you can’t see how the latter is connected to this film, I’m sorry, I just can’t help you.
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