By Ian Bonham

On Monday the 11^th January 2016 I, like many others, awoke to the sad, sad news that David Bowie had passed away. Since then the radio has been full of his songs, and what a catalogue they have to choose from. Indeed, I have had a few hours dipping back into some of the lesser-known albums of his which I have and just enjoying the genius that Bowie was as a musician.

I will be honest though; Bowie has been around all my life, on the radio, on TV, and on the big screen. The world felt a little emptier as I tried to get my head around the fact that he had come to an end.

To that end, I decided to re-watch my favourite Bowie movies because, although there will be thousands of lines written about him as a musician (rightly so!), he also had an eclectic and fascinating career in film. I have looked at four of his films here which I greatly enjoy and have written a little about each one for you. Hopefully you will have a read and take a look at one of them if you have not already seen them, and can discover another aspect of a great artist.

The Man Who Fell To Earth – 1976 (18)

Since “2001: A Space Odyssey” in 1968, cinema was sort of looking for another grand sci-fi epic. Eight years later that arrived in “The Man Who Fell to Earth”, Bowie's cinematic debut. An essentially simple story (based upon a much more complex novel), it follows Bowie as Thomas Jerome Newton, a humanoid alien who leaves his family and his home world. His world is suffering from drought and he comes to Earth in search of water to save his people. Using advanced technology from his home world, he builds a patent portfolio and forms a huge international company which will fund his trip home.

Bowie is spectacular in his first screen outing which came to cinemas in his 'Thin White Duke' period of music. This is even referenced obliquely in the script at one point. Although this is a British movie, his soft, English voice really marks out his character’s 'alienness' amidst a cast of Americans. His movement is also cleverly studied; he carries himself in a way that makes him seem just a little apart from those around him. It also struck me that Bowie had an influence on the film's production design as his character clearly likes Japanese culture, which we know was true of Bowie himself.

Re-watching a movie from the 70's is for me a lovely experience. I was only two years old when this film came out, and it's fascinating to go back and see what my parents could have been watching at the time (although in all likeliness they were dealing with the birth of my sister and far too busy to visit the cinema!). It is amazing to see how they were so relaxed about both female and male full frontal nudity, scenes of sex, and more (in cinema I mean, not my parents). It did not surprise me that this movie has an 18 certificate, or an 'X' for readers of a certain vintage. The film has a visual style that does feel very much inspired by “2001: A Space Odyssey”, and the sound track is just to die for.

The film's reflections on problems such as global warming, immigration, drug abuse, and secret government-sanctioned imprisonment make it feel surprisingly relevant today when you watch it.

Labyrinth – 1986 (U)

Bowie had continued to appear in movies since his breakthrough in 1976, but 10 short years later we find him taking on a role that made him a icon to a whole new generation, myself included. Labyrinth is a Jim Henson & Lucasfilm co-production, and finding those two names in the same sentence should be enough to send shivers down your spine. Add to that mix Bowie both acting and on music duties and you were bound to end up with something quite memorable.

Another simple tale, Labyrinth is a very dark, Gothic movie and watching it again I find I am surprised at the 'U' certificate as some of the content really pushes it. The story is about a selfish teenage girl (we've all been there) played by a young Jennifer Connelly who when left babysitting by her 'evil' step-mother, wishes her baby brother away to the Goblin King (Bowie). Filled with regret she goes on a quest through the Labyrinth to get to the Goblin King's Castle and reclaim her brother. She has a time limit to achieve this, and on the way is helped and hindered by a gaggle of strange creatures. It's worth noting that Henson credits author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, most knows for his book “Where the Wild Things Are”, for inspiring the visual style of “Labyrinth”. Of course, “Where the Wild Things Are” became a movie in its own right in 2009, directed by Spike Jonze, and is also well worth a watch.

Jim Henson's team here are on spectacular form, creating a world of weird and wonderful creatures. It feels like a release valve for them, after years of making cute and cuddly Muppets. Amongst the army of puppeteers required to bring this film to life, we can spot the names Kenny Baker and Frank Oz, who of course Star Wars fans will recognise as R2-D2 and Yoda respectively. The film's attention to visual detail is just what you would expect from Henson and Lucas, opening with a computer generated owl that still looks passable today. However, the visual effects do drop in quality quite remarkably through the duration of the movie until we get to the Escher-inspired climax. At that point it really does feel like someone shouted “Hey! I've found where we put the FX budget”.

The movie's soundtrack was pure 80's Bowie, with lots of synth. It does just work though. If this film had been made today you would be expecting to see Danny Elfman's name crop up somewhere, but Bowie does a great job here. Him performing 'Magic Dance' surrounded by a gang of mutant Muppets to this day gets me grinning from ear to ear.

His acting is also a brilliant, scenery chewing, camped up performance. He appears to be having an absolute blast, and just revelling in the silliness of it all, but he can deliver the creepy when needs be.

Obviously, when discussing Labyrinth there is an elephant in the room when it comes to the costume department, and lets just say I'm not expecting a 3D converted re-release any time soon. Anyone that saw “The Man Who Fell to Earth” however will have seen it all before anyway.

The Last Temptation of Christ – 1988 (18) Later reduced to 15 in 2000

Although only a small part, I have included this one as it is exactly the sort of role Bowie would attach himself to. Hugely controversial on release, and banned in several countries, I am sure you are not going to need a précis of the story. However, as the film notes at the beginning their story is not based on the Gospels, but on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis bearing the same name. He is quoted at the start from the novel as saying: "My principal anguish and source of all my joys and sorrows from my youth onward has been the incessant, merciless battle between the spirit and the flesh" - this is something the film studies very closely. A subject Bowie would have been drawn to very quickly, and the opportunity to work with director Martin Scorsese will have also been a huge factor in going for the role.

Scorsese features quite a lot in my list of 'All time favourite movies', and “Last Temptation” is one of those films I have to admit. He delivers another visually gorgeous film here, making full use of a very basic colour palette to take us right into the deserts of the period. It was all shot over in Morocco by the way, so not far from us. Backing up Scorsese's visuals is a beautiful 'World Music' period Peter Gabriel, another musician who I have a lot of time for. Combining a huge range of instruments and international vocals, Gabriel delivers massive thumping tunes and gentle orchestral pieces totally complementing what we are seeing on the screen at any time. An impressive cast are lead here by Willem Dafoe and Harvey Keitel.

Bowie comes in very late in the 2 hour 44 minute run time, playing Pontius Pilate. Christ has been brought before Pilate for questioning, before being condemned to crucifixion. Bowie again shows his really impressive acting skills, as here there is very little movement to be had. However, he managed to convey an incredible range of emotion just in his eyes. There is a real pity and sadness as he questions Christ, but then he switches to a stern and harsh administrator as he passes judgement. 

A small part in a huge movie, but powerful none the less.

The Prestige – 2006 (12A)

Bowie's last silver screen appearance was in “The Prestige”, and I could argue that it's one of his best. Basically: Bowie appearing in a movie written and directed by Christopher Nolan? The box office might as well just have my wallet. In this one he is in a smaller role again, but basically steals the show from leads Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman.

The movie tells the story of two Victorian stage magicians who are competing to have the best illusion the world has ever seen. Eventually Alfred Borden (Nolan) creates an illusion so impressive, Robert Angier (Jackman) become obsessed with learning the secret so he can replicate it and perform it better. This quest leads him to Nikola Tesla (Bowie). You might think of the CM's car when you think of Tesla, but he is actually the man who came up with AC current, the flavour of electric we get from a wall socket.

Bowie plays Telsa remarkably well. He affects a Serbian accent that is very convincing, and carries himself as you imagine a Victorian gentleman scientist would. Tesla here is a plot device (obviously) and creates a machine that uses his AC electric to allow Angier to perform the greatest illusion in the world. Does it work? Watch the movie!

Nolan is on his usual fine form here, writing a great script, and directing a beautiful-looking picture. He wrings every drop out of his leads Bale and Jackman, to really bring passion into the characters’ rivalry. Michael Cain also plays an important role, and I like to imagine Bowie and Caine sharing a coffee while watching the young whippersnappers shooting a scene and tutting to themselves quietly.

Watching this one again in this movie marathon, I felt slightly melancholy knowing it was the last time we would ever see Bowie on the big screen, but believe me when I say that he went out on a high...

So there we have it. Four great Bowie movies as I see it. That one should be his first and one should be his last just goes to show how he was pretty consistent in film. Of course these are just my personal favourites, but he has appeared in many other things in his wonderful, fun, varied career. I often got the impression that he was just picking roles that really interested him, and that’s Ok. To have the recognised talent to be in a position to do that speaks volumes about the man.

David Bowie's music has been such a huge part of my life, and so have his movies. Even if I go back to 1982 he was in “The Snowman” for goodness’ sakes!

At the beginning of this article before I re-watched these films, I said the world felt a little emptier. I was completely wrong. David Bowie gave us so much, the world doesn't feel emptier.

It feels a whole damned lot richer.

Mr Bowie, Thank You.

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