Some films are fantasies because they take place in worlds wildly different from our own. Rock 'n' Roll High School is a fantasy because of a few simple, key changes that it makes to this world. The captain of the football team is a dorky reject, the punky delinquent girl who cuts class is the most desirable, and the Ramones, with all their Noo Yawk rawness, are the most popular band around. In fact, Joey Ramone, with his gangly Bird Bird awkwardness, is a heartthrob.

While you could make the case that the Ramones (Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Marky) are the greatest rock band ever to blow out an amp, not many consider them sex symbols. The genius of Rock 'n' Roll High School is that it puts them in the center of a burning-down-the-school anarchist comedy modeled on early rock and roll movies like Blackboard Jungle and Rock Around The Clock. The plot is simple enough: Evylyn Togar (Mary Woronov) wants, as the new principal of Vince Lombardi High, to impose strict new rules on the rowdy student body. Riff Randel (PJ Soles) wants to see the Ramones in concert so she can give them the songs she's written for them, including the title song. The conflict between the authority figure and the rebel turns the school into a battleground where no one is safe from flying food or paper airplanes. In the grand finale the Ramones show up to play PJ's song and literally blow the roof off the joint.

Since Rock 'n' Roll High School is a New Concorde production, it bears the unmistakable stamp of producer Roger Corman, who never met a budget he didn't cut. Still, the thing that makes Rock 'n' Roll High School such a classic is the insane energy of the thing. Between Soles, Woronov, Paul Bartel as music teacher Mr. McGree, Clint Howard as smooth operator Eaglebauer, and the Ramones themselves, Rock and Roll High School becomes a frenzied, cartoonish lesson in pure mayhem. There are innumerable musical sequences, including a hilarious day-dream that finds each Ramone member playing his instrument somewhere in Riff's bedroom, and highly choreographed gags (an amazing remote controlled paper airplane sequence boggles the mind). The semi-climax (there are a few) finds the entire school rocking out at a Ramones gig which practically plays at length. There's nothing worse than a music movie that stiffs you on the tunes. Rock 'n' Roll High School, however, is more than generous. The Ramones burn through lots of their classic songs like "Blitzkrieg Bop", "Sheena is a Punk Rocker", and "Pinhead". Plenty of other music from Alice Cooper, Chuck Berry, Velvet Underground, and more make sure that the soundtrack is rarely quiet. The joke is that this music is way better than you'd probably hear playing among the mainstream population at any high school. Rock 'n' Roll High School reimagines the teenage experience as if teens were born with good taste.

Since Joey passed away earlier this year, Rock and Roll High School has also become a tribute. His weird acting and bizarre on-stage style always made him uniquely compelling. In concert he was a god, one foot up on the monitor, the mic stand firmly in his grip, with his ever present leather jacket and sunglasses. Thankfully Rock 'n' Roll High School includes a lot of Joey, both on and off the stage. It serves as a reminder of his great energy and the new disc is a nice tribute.

VIDEO:
The non-anamorphic widescreen video looks nice. There are occasional bits of dirt and a few reel changes have tears but nothing that distracts from the presentation. The colors pop, the image is sharp and, while it doesn't look like it was made yesterday, it looks fine.

AUDIO:
The Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is also good. The music jumps out of your speakers with energy and punch. The dialog is clear and the track is simple, but good.

EXTRAS:
There are really a boatload of extras. The biggest is a commentary track from director Allan Arkush, writer Richard Whitley, and producer Michael Finnell. Since the commentary was recorded a few years back for the laserdisc, however, they don't mention Joey and Paul Bartel's recent deaths, but overall it is a very entertaining track. The participants crack wise about Roger Corman's thrifty ways (they point out a joke about New Concorde mere seconds into the movie that I definitely didn't pick up on my own), as well as the struggle to get the film made. One of my favorite parts was the discussion of all the bands discussed as possible stars for the film, including Todd Rundgren, Van Halen, and Cheap Trick. Clearly the film would never have reached the cult classic status with any of those bands in it. The whole joke seems to be that these four mooks from Queens would be heartthrobs in the heartland. With Diamond Dave at the mic the movie wouldn't have been effective at all.

There's also a short interview with Roger Corman conducted by Leonard Maltin (he loves appearing on DVDs!) which is a great chance to see this spendthrift in action. He's loathe to insult one of his own films and actually tries to say that the terrible 1990 sequel, Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever, which starred Corey Feldman (!), is a good movie.

Another big feature is a selection of additional Ramones material. One extra that's not too useful is an isolated version of the Ramones concert from the film. More interesting, however, is a selection of audio only outtakes from the staged show. The band played live but studio versions of the songs were used in the final sound mix. These are the live cuts and the have that Ramones live energy. They aren't recorded too well and sound kind of quiet, but they're a great addition to this terrific disc.

Bios, radio ads, and trailers for Rock 'n' Roll High School as well as other New Concorde productions like Eat My Dust! are also included. An intro from director Arkush, originally written for the laserdisc, is also included along with an updated dedication to Joey Ramone.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
There is no question: Rock 'n' Roll High School is a great movie. It has camp appeal, great music, attitude, and can be watched over and over. New Concorde's DVD really does it justice.