sometimes we really do get everything we dreamed of when we were 13

[rm]

I am sitting in a cafe in the UK, with my boots rudely up on the extra chair and over the speakers is David Bowie's theme-song for Absolute Beginners.

Which, by the way, I still think is an utterly brilliant film that happened entirely at the wrong moment for anyone to care.

This message brought to you by I Am a Child of the 80s and I Love Musicals.

Seriously, are you actually going to try to argue against David Bowie tap dancing on a giant typewriter? Or a gossip columnist character named Dido Lament? Or choreographed scenes of street party/chaos that then later actually get visually referenced in the awesome Gigolo Joe portion of A.I. (another movie everyone hates that I think is pretty impressive and totally relevant to lots of stuff)?

I'm not saying the mere existence of this film isn't nearly inexplicable. Trust me, I know its existence boggles the mind (although, being about teen culture and race issues, it makes an interesting companion piece to the original Hairspray).

I'm just saying that despite/because of its oddness of genre and combination of themes that it is actually a COMPLETELY AWESOME movie musical that was released in a period in which the genre was pretty much non-existent despite the advent of the music video's vague (and unsuccessful) attempts to push it back into existence (Giorgio Moroder's re-assembly of Metropolis with modern music was also a part of this sort of thing (as was, arguably, Electric Dreams, which I'll admit still charms the crap outta me, even if it's still too 80s for you -- of course, I'm also a big fan of the piece of music used to illustrate the film's central conceit), which people also didn't really like, but which I still love like burning).

Comments

[byzantienne.livejournal.com]

It is somewhat criminal that I haven't actually watched that. Considering my Bowie obsession.

I should fix this.

[rm.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD. You must. It's really odd, but it's fun, and parts of it are truly brilliant. I should blame it for more of my creative impulses than I do.

[byzantienne.livejournal.com]

I will have to go find a copy!

[nehmet.livejournal.com]

Oh God, Electric Dreams! I love you for loving it, and for calling it to mind for me on a gloomy grey morning.

[azn-jack-fiend.livejournal.com]

I've seen it! Not a big musical person though, so I've only seen it once. "Just a Gigolo" is my favorite obscure Bowie movie.

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

blink?? whats this? what movie?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Really?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090585/

Ignore the crap reviews on IMDB, it is absolutely awesome.

[4hour-ramona.livejournal.com]

i read the book after seeing the movie and even though macinnes' tone was far different than that of the film, i heard bowie and patsy kensit and eddie o'connell throughout.

[axeslade.livejournal.com]

Same here. I keep forgetting to give it a go.

[systris.livejournal.com]

i loved Absolute Beginners, awesome film, got it on dvd the minute i knew it was available.

[kshandra]

That makes three of us. (Particularly considering how much I love the title song....)

Edited for icon mis-fire.

[kadairk.livejournal.com]

You are making me want to give this film another shot. I suspect I was too young when I saw it. But I do so love them theme song.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

I remember seeing it when it came out, it struck me as very good, but very odd. I have no idea how I would respond to it today, I should definitely give it a look.

[coyotegoth.livejournal.com]

choreographed scenes of street party/chaos that then later actually get visually referenced in the awesome Gigolo Joe portion of A.I.

I know its existence boggles the mind (although, being about teen culture and race issues, it makes an interesting companion piece to the original Hairspray).

These are fascinating thoughts, which make me want to rerent it (and incidentally and apropos of nothing else in this sentence,man, do I wish Electric Dreams was generally available in a Region 1 DVD), perhaps on a double bill with Pennies From Heaven ( a movie which probably needed Bob Fosse, but still had LOTS of amazing stuff going on).

[hab318princess.livejournal.com]

can't comment on that particular film but I loved Labyrinth...

[pyrzqxgl.livejournal.com]

I just requested it from the library.

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

I actually really liked A.I. save for the very end, which I thought was unnecessary. (In the sub when everything goes dark? Perfect.)

[norda.livejournal.com]

I had to think if anyone else in the entire Universe besides me loved ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS, it would be you. ::::grin::::

I was a college student in the Eighties, and those were as much formative years for me as anything in childhood.