Bowie On Film

To say David Bowie has had quite a career would be a statement that only “absolute beginners” would make. Most entertainers who started when Bowie did in the 1960s, and plenty more from the following years, have come and gone. The fact that Bowie remains a cultural icon is miraculous, and someone as naturally cool as him deserves such glory. Though known more for his music than his acting, his contribution to film is quite astonishing and he has a whole film exhibition dedicated to his work.

His movies go back to the ’70s with playing a humanoid alien in The Man Who Fell To Earth and Just A Gigolo (guess what he does in that movie…), but his acting career peaked in the 1980s. Being said flashy ’80s, of course Bowie’s films were going to be over the top, and it’s safe to say that Bowie nor anyone else would have wanted it any other way. From playing a vampire in The Hunger, a WWII soldier in Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence and a corrupt corporate fat cat in Absolute Beginners, his roles varied. This trend continued in the following decades, with his weird cameo in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and as a reluctant scientist in the 1800s set The Prestige.

The fact all of his films are so different is something to behold. There are also documentaries about his achievements and how he’s inspired other artirts, such as Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. His music has appeared in countless films too, like being sung in Portuguese in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.

Both Bowie’s music and acting complement one another, and that’s essentially what Bowie On Film is all about, so “let’s dance”!

Bowie On Film
Federation Square, Melbourne
Thursday August 20 - Sunday September 20
acmi.net.au/bowie-on-film