Absolute Beginners

with David Bowie, Patsy Kensit, Ray Davies
Directed by Julien Temple
(Goldcrest Films,1986)
by Reggie Kray

London swings like a pendulum… and boy, was that pendulum swingin’ in the late ’50s. This was the time to be a young cat or kitten, prowling the local dives, lookin’ for fresh kicks, the highest highs, and a new lease on life. Julien Temple must’ve read Colin MacInnes’ book of the same title and thought Damn, where was I during this shakedown? A veteran in the video-making field, Julien decided to go full-out and indulge in a glossy document of the time, a musical no less, and why not – it works. The film is an eye-dazzler, a grooving piece of nostalgia ranked up there with its American counterpart Grease. This flick takes us into the trenches of boy-meets-girl warfare, the finger-snapping, jazz-freak scene, and the fights for cultural turf that were part and parcel of British culture of the time. Among the cast, the King of Hipsters himself, David Bowie, shines as the (literal) symbol of success and corruption. Bowie couldn’t be cooler as the besuited smoothie persuading the young protagonist that it’s time for bigger and better things than hanging out in the clubs and snapping photos of the local riff-raff. Even Ray Davies appears, and who better to help evoke the flavor of the times? Slick visuals, hep tunes and all, Absolute Beginners is absolutely swingin’!