David Bowie is
Directed by Hamish Hamilton
a Review by Anna Maria Stjärnell
This film is about the David Bowie exhibition created by London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. It’s currently on tour around the world, after a record-breaking run in London.
The curators of the exhibition, Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh host the film, which was shot on the final night of the exhibit in London.
There’s guest turns from Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, designer Kansai Yamamoto and others.
The exhibit follows Bowie from his start as ambitious David Jones trying to find his way in the sixties, inspired by Little Richard and Elvis among others, all the way through his rise to stardom and subsequent explorations of identity and personalities.
I attended the thing for real last summer, and it was packed with people, so full that it was hard to absorb all of the vast riches of information at hand. The film makes it much easier, though it’s lacking in the real things feel of course.
There are sketches and all his famous costumes, videos and all sorts of drawings.
The intro to Bowie’s writing technique was most illuminating in the film.
Throughout fans talk of what Bowie is and has been to all of us.
It ends with a periodic table of Bowie, with all his influences and those he influenced.
It’s a fascinating display much like its subject matter.
The film makes Bowie’s brilliance and enduring talent all the more obvious.
He is..a lot of things to a lot of people.
A star and a most elusive human being.
See the film or the exhibit if you can.
Watch the Trailer: