Absolute Beginners (film)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Absolute Beginners is a 1986 British musical film adapted from Colin MacInnes' book of the same name about life in late 1950s London. The film is directed by Julien Temple and stars Eddie O' Connell, Patsy Kensit (in one of her first mainstream roles), James Fox, Edward Tudor-Pole, Anita Morris and David Bowie, with featured appearances by Sade Adu, Ray Davies, and Steven Berkoff. The film was screened out of competition at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival.
Upon release, Absolute Beginners received immense coverage in the British media. At the time, the British film industry was perceived as being on the point of collapse (with the recent failure of the film Revolution). However, the film was panned by critics and became a box office bomb. Some of the criticisms included stylistic anachronisms, such as the mini-skirt and decidedly 1980s music from the likes of The Style Council and Sade, the bowdlerisation of Kensit's character (Crepe Suzette had been depicted as a promiscuous "negrophile" in the book), and the casting of Bowie, who made it a condition of his musical contribution. Although the film was not a success, Bowie's theme song was very popular in the UK and reached number two in the charts.
The commercial failure of Absolute Beginners and another film released about the same time, The Mission, led to the collapse of Goldcrest, a major British film studio.
Plot
The film takes place in 1958, a time in which pop culture is transforming from 1950s jazz and early rock to a new generation on the verge of the 1960s. London is post-World War II, but pre-Beatles/Stones. The storyline incorporates elements of the 1958 Notting Hill race riots.
Young photographer Colin falls in love with aspiring fashion designer Crepe Suzette but she's only interested in her career. Colin tries to win her affections by taking a crack at the big time himself. Meanwhile, racial tensions heat up in Colin's neighbourhood of London.
Cast
- Eddie O'Connell as Colin
- Patsy Kensit as Crepe Suzette
- James Fox as Henley Of Mayfair
- David Bowie as Vendice Partners
- Edward Tudor-Pole as Ed the Ted
- Anita Morris as Dido Lament
- Graham Fletcher-Cook as Wizard
- Tony Hippolyte as Mr. Cool
- Bruce Payne as Flikker
- Paul Rhys as Dean Swift
- Lionel Blair as Harry Charms
- Eve Ferret as Big Jill
- Ray Davies as Arthur
- Sade as Athene Duncannon
- Mandy Rice-Davies as Mum
- Julian Firth as The Misery Kid
- Alan Freeman as Call-Me-Cobber
- Steven Berkoff as The Fanatic
- Chris Pitt as Baby Boom
- Gary Beadle as Johnny Wonder
- Robbie Coltrane as Mario
- Carmen Ejogo as Carmen
- Ronald Fraser as Amberley Drove
- Joe McKenna as Fabulous Hoplite
- Irene Handl as Mrs. Larkin
- Peter-Hugo Daly as Vern
- Sylvia Syms as Cynthia Eve
- Slim Gaillard as Lloyd