Last week, Magnolia Pictures and Rhino Home Video released "END OF THE CENTURY: THE STORY OF THE RAMONES" on DVD, a portrait of the seminal New York punk rock band. Considered by many the gods of rock 'n' roll's fundamentalist fringe, the Ramones are a band whose influence reaches over several generations of musicians and fans alike. End of The Century aims to be both a celebration of their music and a document of the group's road to acclaim, pitted with emotional power struggles and substance abuse.

It was a rocky road for the pseudo-brothers: the financial success that always seemed around the corner continually faded in the distance, as British bands they inspired were crowned the "originators of punk" by the mainstream music press. The film's title refers to their 1980 album of the same name, produced by Phil Spector, an endeavor that strained the already tenuous relations between band members. Poor record sales crushed dreams of rock financial glory and turned gigging into their primary means of employment. All the frustration they felt against an industry that gave up on them divided them further as they seemingly turned their anger against each other.

Captured by New York-based filmmakers Michael Gramaglia and Jim Fields, End of The Century moves from the band's CBGB and London heydays, the decade-long silence between Joey and Johnny caused by a dispute over a girl, through to the deaths of Joey and Dee Dee Ramone and their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 2002. Together with unseen live and studio footage, extensive interviews with ex-band mates, family, friends and figures from New York City's punk scene, End of The Century not only documents an important chapter in music history, but also chronicles the bonds of childhood friendship and their gradual breakdown.