Hard on the air

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Movie
German title Hard on the air
Original title Pump up the volume
Country of production Canada , USA
original language English
Publishing year 1990
length 105 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Allan Moyle
script Allan Moyle
production Rupert Harvey ,
Sandy Stern
music Cliff Martinez
camera Walt Lloyd
cut Larry Bock ,
Janice Hampton
occupation

Hart auf Air (original subtitle: Talk Hard. Steal the Air ) is a film about the high school student Mark, who anonymously expresses his thoughts on his pirate station .

action

Mark is an intelligent but shy teenager who struggles to make new friends after moving from the east coast to Arizona . So that he can keep in touch with his old friends, his parents give him a shortwave transmitter . However, he uses it to operate a pirate station. Here he calls himself "Happy Harry with the tough" and becomes the hero of the listeners, who are mostly his own schoolmates, because he knows their problems and fears and brings them up, as well as the social grievances from his point of view. He also engages in jokes that go below the belt, such as feigning compulsive masturbation . However, when one of his listeners takes his own life, the authorities also notice him and finally arrest him. But listeners to his program continue his idea with their own stations.

Background information

Christian Slater fell ill while filming because he could not stand smoking during most of his scenes.

Reviews

  • Cinema magazine described the film as a "provocative teen drama with a rich sound" .
  • “Entertaining teenage comedy prepared with a lot of 'cool' music, which fails because of its own ambitious claims.” - “ Lexicon of international film ” (CD-ROM edition), Systhema, Munich 1997

Awards

The film won the "Golden Space Needle Award" at the Seattle International Film Festival and the audience award at the Deauville Film Festival .

Soundtrack

The following songs are included on the official soundtrack CD:

No title Artist Duration
01 Everybody Knows ( Leonard Cohen ) Concrete blonde (4:42)
02 Why Can't I Fall in Love Ivan Neville (4:01)
03 Was standing! Liquid Jesus (4:22)
04 Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf) Pixies (3:00)
05 I've Got a Miniature Secret Camera Peter Murphy (4:26)
06 Kick out the jams Bad brains (3:03)
07 Freedom of Speech Above the law (4:15)
08 Heretic Soundgarden (3:48)
09 Titanium Exposé Sonic Youth (6:01)
10 Me and the Devil Blues Cowboy junkies (5:34)
11 Tale O 'the Twister Chagall Guevara (3:20)

Several songs by well-known artists did not appear on the CD even though they are featured in the film. These include "Dad, I'm In Jail" by Was (Not Was) , "Fast Lane" by Urban Dance Squad , "Weinerschnitzel" by Descendents , "Love Comes In Spurts" by Richard Hell and the Voidoids , "The Scenario" by Beastie Boys and "Talk Hard" by Stan Ridgway .

Web links