From a poll we ran in May 1996, it seems that Christian's most popular film is Pump Up The Volume

This is no surprise to me as Christian makes this film. His Hard Harry/Mark Hunter dual role is played with ease.

Sadly, it appeared in the early 1990's (just before Nirvana and grunge became the symbols of teenage angst) -- it feels more like a 1980's film. Oh well, its good all the same! I've placed some pictures below. I'd like to hear/read your comments on Pump Up The Volume. How did it change your life? If you have any comments, please email them in! Thanks Avril Hodge

first time i saw this movie it changed me from a slack arse teenager in to a full on teenage rager...i wanted to make my own pirate radio station..and i did, i have my own weekly radio show on 5UV radio in adelaide australia..."it changed my life.."

>oh yeah, christian is a babe, so that added to my obsession with this already cool movie

marlaina

I was checking out your webpage on the movie and I saw where you asked that if it changed your life in anyway to email you so I'm taking that up to tell you how it changed my life.

I saw the movie a little while after it came out in on video and ever since I saw it I wanted to do the same thing that he does in the movie. I have been trying to get catalogs and/or magazines to order some of the equipment I'll need to do so. I share the same views as he does and I know that alot of other people do and if I could get my ideas out on the air then just maybe I could help change things. The power of the air is such an awesome thing, no wonder that there is agencies like the FCC and various others that try to keep people off of it.

Well I just wanted to let someone know how I feel about this, if you have any links or info on how to obtain such materials that I would need to get on the air then I would greatly appreciate it. Take it easy and talk hard!

Pump up the Volume is an emphatically dramatic and powerful film. I first saw it in the theater about a year before I entered high school. It was the first movie that affected me enough to think about it outside the theater (and I thought about it for literally 3 days straight). While I learned a lot from it and considered it to be the most poignant movie for high school aged kids ever, I have recently realized that I was more affected by it than I should have been.

identified with Mark Hunter immensely and patterned myself after that character. I would even imitate his walk and speech as much as possible. Looking back on the experience, I realize I spent a lot time waxing shy because the movie glorified it. I wish I had been strong enough not to be impressed by that.

I just want to relay that as a warning I suppose. The movie contains a great amount of positive material and redeeming messages, but be careful not to get caught up in the depressing atmosphere. I think the film is trying to say that being shy is not the best way to conduct your life. I spent many years adoring the wrong aspect of the movie. In recent years, I've started to experience life on my own terms, not shying away from people who I found offensive or incomprehensible. You don't have to distrust your parents to separate yourself from them. Adults are generally not bent on destroying teenagers' lives. Most of them are attempting to cultivate traits in young people that will define their lives in the future (much like Mark's Engish teacher).

Recently, I have found that Pump up the Volume does not have the same meaning for me now that it did in 1990. I will, however, always remember it as an exceptional movie and one that I would recommend to almost anyone.

Christian Slater as Hard Harry.

Christian Slater as Mark Hunter

Christian Slater as Mark Hunter

Broken Arrow co-star, Samantha Mathis also co-starred in PUTV.