Sid and Nancy (1986)

Sid and Nancy (1986)

Sid and Nancy movie storyline. Morbid biographical story of Sid Vicious, bassist with British punk group the Sex Pistols, and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. When the Sex Pistols break up after their fateful US tour, Vicious attempts a solo career while in the grip of heroin addiction. One morning, Nancy is found stabbed to death and Sid is arrested for her murder.

Sid and Nancy (also known as Sid and Nancy: Love Kills) is a 1986 British biopic directed by Alex Cox and co-written with Abbe Wool. The film portrays the life of Sid Vicious (Gary Oldman), bassist of the seminal punk rock band the Sex Pistols, and his relationship with girlfriend Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb). Despite failing to recoup its production budget at the box office, the film was received favourably by most critics and has attained cult classic status.

Sid and Nancy (1986)

About the Story

The film opens on 12 October 1978, with several police officers dragging Sid Vicious (Gary Oldman) out of the Hotel Chelsea following the death of his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb). Sid is soon driven to a police station and upon arrival is asked to describe what happened. Police officers become frustrated when Sid is visibly troubled and unable to speak.

A little more than a year earlier, in 1977, close friends and band members Sid and Johnny Rotten (Andrew Schofield) meet Nancy, a heroin-addicted groupie who had come to London to bed the Sex Pistols. Sid dismisses her at first, as her sexual intentions are obvious, but begins dating her after feeling sympathy for the rejection she faces from fellow punk stars and after she sells him heroin; it is implied that she introduces him to the drug.

Sid and Nancy (1986) - Courtney Love

The two fall deeply in love, but their self-destructive, drug-fueled relationship frays Sid’s relationship with the rest of the band, which eventually breaks up on 17 January 1978, in the midst of a disastrous American tour which features Sid strung out of his mind, often drunk or on meth, and physically violent. Although several of his friends and acquaintances warn him of Nancy’s devastating effect on his life, Sid stubbornly ignores these warnings.

Sid, now living in New York, attempts to start a solo career with Nancy as his manager, only to be dismissed as a has-been. By now, both he and Nancy are heavily addicted to heroin, and Nancy has spiraled into a deep depression. Sid loses interest in Nancy sexually and wants out of a suicide pact he made with her.

Their love affair ends tragically one night when, during an argument in which Sid announces his plans to stop using heroin and return to England to re-start his life, a suicidal Nancy begs him to kill her. She attacks him and they fight in a drug-induced haze, leading to him stabbing her, although whether or not it was intentional is left to interpretation.

Sid and Nancy Movie Poster (1986)

Sid and Nancy (1986)

Directed by: Alex Cox
Starring: Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman, Courtney Love, Sandy Baron, Debby Bishop, Andrew Schofield, Rusty Blitz, Edward Tudor-Pole
Screenplay by: Alex Cox, Abbe Wool
Production Design by: Lynda Burbank, J. Rae Fox, Andrew McAlpine
Cinematography by: Roger Deakins
Film Editing by: David Martin
Costume Design by: Catherine Cook
Set Decoration by: Marcie Begleiter, Joanne Woollard
Art Direction by: J. Rae Fox
Music by: Dan Wool
Distributed by: The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release Date: November 7, 1986

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