In Stardust, Johnny Flynn is a tuneless insult to David Bowie’s memory
1/5
This flatly-acted, thinly-written biopic has none of the Thin White Duke’s songs, and none of his charisma, style or sensual appeal either
Cracked actor: Johnny Flynn is as unconvincing a David Bowie as you could ever hope to see
Dir: Gabriel Range. Cast: Johnny Flynn, Marc Maron, Jena Malone, Derek Moran, Anthony Flanagan. 15 cert, 109 mins.
An entire 17 minutes of Stardust has elapsed before the film guiltily shows its hand. It’s 1971, and the young David Bowie (Johnny Flynn) has flown to America to plug his latest album, The Man Who Sold the World, in the hope of giving his promising but stalled career a transatlantic boost.
Stardust review – Bowie movie is a real oddity
James City A.M. s film editor and a regular on both TV and radio discussing the latest movie releases
It’s five years since David Bowie passed away, leaving behind fifty-year legacy of creativity and inspiration. A movie biopic has been the dream of many a filmmaker since before Bowie died, with Danny Boyle recently attempting to make a musical. Bowie refused to allow the director to use the rights to his songs, scuppering the project. Bowie’s estate has likewise refused permission for this week’s release, Stardust, but unlike Boyle, director Gabriel Range has persevered.
Stardust confines itself to the months following the release of Bowie’s third album,
The Man Who Sold The World, in 1970, and his US promotional tour the following year. Forgoing the grander picture and his later hits (the film did not receive permission from the Bowie Estate to use any Bowie music),
Stardust offers a keyhole perspective on the period responsible for launching the cultural icon.
Stardust, 2021(Film still)
The three-week US tour might have been the catalyst for all that followed, but things don’t get off to a good start in
Stardust. No sooner has he touched down stateside, Bowie is told he lacks the necessary visa to perform. His superstar aspirations are further dashed when Ron Oberman (Marc Maron), the Mercury Records publicist organising the tour, greets Bowie at the airport and shows him to his ride . in the back of his waiting parent’s car. What unfolds feels at times like a road movie, with Oberman chauffeuring Bowie between disastrous morning radi
This is illustrated in the trailer when a journalist asks: “Who or what is David Bowie?”
It goes on to show off the first meeting between the Life on Mars singer and his US publicist, Ron Oberman.
During this fateful meeting, Oberman announces: “If you can’t be yourself then be someone else.”
David Bowie: Stardust details the journey of Ziggy Stardust (Image: VERTIGO)
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Throughout the film fans will see how Ziggy Stardust became the poster boy of Bowie’s artistry.
The film’s synopsis reads: “Meet David before Bowie. One of the greatest icons in music history; But who was the young man behind the many faces?
As we creep blinking out of our homes into a vaccine-enabled version of normality, some semblance of order should return to the world of arts and entertainment. In that spirit, and with the usual caveats, here are 21 reasons to look forward to 2021. Television Line Of Duty Filming on series six of the BBC’s blockbuster drama about a police anti-corruption was curtailed by the pandemic. It has now finished so it won’t be long before we’re once again gripped by questions both large (is Adrian Dunbar’s Superintendent Ted Hastings really H, the criminal mastermind the team have been chasing for years) and small (why does Martin Compston’s Cockney accent never slip?). This season’s star turn comes from Kelly Macdonald as DCI Joanne Davidson. Date: March.