Absolute Beginners (1986)

Directed by

Julien Temple

Genre

musical film, romance film, teen film, coming-of-age film

Country

Australia, United Kingdom

Runtime

1h 48m

Rated

PG-13

Rating

5.5 of 10 from 70 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In late 1950s London, a young photographer navigates romance and ambition amid the rise of pop culture and teenage rebellion. The film follows his attempts to win back his ex-girlfriend while confronting class and racial tensions in the city.

energeticstylishmelancholicnostalgicbittersweetupbeatcolorfulsatirical

What happens

Absolute Beginners is a 1986 British musical film adapted from Colin MacInnes' book about life in late 1950s London, directed by Julien Temple. The film stars Eddie O' Connell, Patsy Kensit, James Fox, Edward Tudor-Pole, Anita Morris, and David Bowie, with featured appearances by Sade Adu, Ray Davies, and Steven Berkoff. It was screened out of competition at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival. It received coverage in the British media but was panned by critics and became a box office failure, although modern reviews have been more favourable. Bowie's theme song was very popular in the UK, spending nine weeks on the charts and peaking at number two. The commercial failure of Absolute Beginners and two other films is blamed for the collapse of British film studio Goldcrest Films and for Virgin Films withdrawing from production. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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