Patsy Kensit Movie:

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		Used Price: $21.88
		MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
A commercial disaster upon its release in 1986, Absolute Beginners is an uneven but often stunning attempt at revitalizing the movie musical with postmodern sensibilities. Director Julien Temple was making his first foray into dramatic features after an impressive string of music videos and documentaries (including the first of two Temple-directed profiles of the Sex Pistols), and he upped the stakes by harnessing his visual ingenuity to a period piece exploring London's social transformation at the edge of the '60s--a fleeting moment in the pop zeitgeist that may as well have been the Cambrian Age to Temple's MTV-generation audience. This is post-World War II London turning the corner from economic austerity, giddy with jazz and early rock, yet to witness the Beatles and the Stones.

Adapted from Colin MacInnes's novel, the story follows Colin (Eddie O'Connell), a young Londoner looking to find his place in the world. A budding romance with the intoxicating Suzette (Patsy Kensit) as well as crises of conscience over social responsibility and financial gain are the plot threads in a story that arguably tackles too many Big Ideas, including adolescent identity, British racism (directed at West Indian immigrants) and class prejudice, and capitalism itself, embodied by David Bowie as unctious, superstar executive Vendice Partners.

In wrestling with such valiant ambitions, Temple and his young cast establish the film's musical soul in a canny synthesis of '80s English pop with postwar bop and the seeds of Mod culture. Onscreen performances by Fine Young Cannibals, Sade, and Kensit, a Bowie production number ("Motivation") that cribs from Busby Berkeley, and a wonderful sequence with the Kinks' Ray Davies as Arthur (a likely nod to his own band's 1969 rock opera) are all well realized. Less obviously, Temple salutes the period's forgotten jazz legacy through a score from the late Gil Evans, and in the jaw-dropping, bravura opening sequence, an extended single-camera journey through Soho set to Charles Mingus's joyous "Boogie Stop Shuffle" that is itself reason enough to see this brave musical. --Sam Sutherland

Absolute Beginners [Region 2] Reviews:
Absolute Beginners
2009-02-22 - A Must Have for any Bowie Fan, Plus a pretty good musical with a Sade cameo as a jazz singer.

Fabsolutely Abulous
2008-05-11 - Absolute Beginners was released in 1986, but it harkens back to those halcyon days of 1958, when England was shaking off its drab shades of grey, gray, and greyer, and embracing more vibrant colors and the power of youth. The Musical is based on the novel of the same name by Colin MacInnes. Colin is also the name of the photographer/narrator (Eddie O'Connell), who is the protagonist. As the film opens, he explains in voice-over his ambition to capture the ethereal blossoms on film before they wither or are rendered in plastic.

This film was an attempt to capture the ethereal blossoms, too, but too late--it was more of a rendering in plastic. Not that this musical is without charm, it is loaded with it--but it tries to tackle several serious issues but ends up biting off more than it can chew.

In some ways it is like West Side Story, with its theme of racial tension among youth gangs, but the music is a mish mash of various styles, all likeable enough, but failing to coalesce into a single unified vision, as it did with Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim. This film actually has Gil Evans, whose work with Miles Davis stands out, but here his talents are wasted. I imagine that is his arrangement of Charles Mingus' Boogie Stop Shuffle, and Better Git it in Your Soul, but they don't really add anything to the original. We also have a great dance number with Colin and the sinister Vendice Partners (David Bowie) tap-dancing on a giant type writer, and a charming ditty sung by Arthur, Collin's dad (Ray Davies). Did I mention the dance number where Suzette (Patsy Kensit) takes over the fashion runway, or where she sings in Chez Nobody a la Miss Peggy Lee's Fever, to the accompaniment of finger snaps? There is also a great party sequence featuring Slim Gaillard of Slim & Slam fame (Fast Foot Floogie with the Floy Floy) and another club sequence where Sade sings. In the party sequence Dido Lament, Gossip Columnist (Anita Morris) straps a cocktail shaker onto her high heel, hops on the bar, and mixes a martini with her leg while lounging on her back. I was not only shaken, but also stirred.

After West Side Story, I would compare the musical Absolute Beginners to Clockwork Orange, but that film used its music--Beethoven and other classical numbers--in a much more innovative way that supported the story, the action, and was the one redeeming quality of its teen age thug protagonist, Alexander De Large.

If this movie had been done with Paul Weller of The Jam, I think we would have had a much more interesting film experience. He was inspired by the book, Absolute Beginners, to write a song with that title. Even though he belongs more to the 80's, when the film was made, then the late 50's, the period it tries to capture, his music was retro, nostalgic for the days of The Who, and also the soul and R&B that would support the theme of racial tension.

The director, Julien Temple, also directed The Great Rock & Roll Swindle, along with a lot of videos and music-related projects. There is a song here by Tenpole Tudor, as Ed the Ted, that doesn't really relate to the rest of the story, but like his song in Swindle, is charming nonetheless. Not being up on English teen culture as much as I thought I was, weren't there riots between Teds and Mods, or Mods and Rockers? Ringo Starr was asked if he was a Mod or a Rocker, and he said he was a Mocker. In this film there is a stand off between Mods and Trads. Modern Jazz versus Trad Jazz? Who knew the Brits took that so serious.

To me it was interesting to see James Fox in his role as Henley of Mayfair, Dressmaker to the Queen. I wondered what had happened to him. Fox dropped out of the acting profession for nine years (1970-79) after he filmed Performance (1970) with Mick Jagger. A combination of his father's recent death, the strain of filming and smoking the hallucinogen DMT with Mick Jagger led to a nervous breakdown. Fox subsequently joined a religious organization known as "The Navigators" which is similar to the Gideons and is closely associated with the ministry of Billy Graham. He published a book, "Comeback: An Actor's Direction", in 1983.

[On his 9-year break from acting]: People think Performance (1970) blew my mind... my mind was blown long before that.

Performance (1970) gave me doubts about my way of life. Before that I had been completely involved in the more bawdy side of the film business. But after that everything changed.

To sum it up: This movie is a musical adaptation of the book Absolute Beginners set in 1958. The themes are the emerging youth explosion, the baby boom, and its cultural ramifications. The creativity and energy of youth is co-opted, exploited, and used to sell useless products. The low rent ghetto, haven for artists and other demimondes, is torn down by greedy developers to make way for housing projects, and neo-fascist thugs are used to threaten and harass the inhabitants into moving. These are serious subjects, but then, the fights are all choreographed into dance numbers, making the whole thing seem very silly and trivial. But this is a musical, so what are you going to do? two, three, four, and jazz hands!

Absolute Beginners (Absolute Classics): The book upon which the musical is based.

Compact Snap: The Jam have a cool song based on the book, titled Absolute Beginners. I like to imagine this project done by Paul Weller, along with Gil Evans. Sound Affects. The Jam song in question is here, along with lots of other Jam gems.

A Clockwork Orange: Anthony Burgess was inspired to write the book after hearing about plans to "cure" violent youth with electric shock or other extreme therapy in the wake of the Mod/Ted riots. There is a scene where Collin visits home, only to find his room rented out to an uncouth lodger that is very similar. Other parallels also.

West Side Story: This musical set new standards and revolutionized the entire musical form. A classic masterpiece. Absolute Beginners wishes it was one-tenth of West Side Story.

Mingus Ah Um: There are two great numbers here that are used in the movie. The Mingus versions sound the best, but the movie looks better. Great dance numbers.

The Man Who Fell to Earth: This is the best translation of the "Cracked Actor" into the film medium. Bowie's best film performance.

Performance: This is the film that James Fox was in that, along with other factors, caused him to quit acting for nine years. Here, he plays a gangster on the lam, hiding out with a reclusive rock star (Mick Jagger). Great music by Ry Cooder and The Rolling Stones.

Great Rock N Roll Swindle: Julien Temple directed this recap of The Sex Pistols told from the point of view of manager Malcolm McLarren, taking all credit for the whole punk rock movement.

Comeback: An Actor's Direction: Book by James Fox about his acting hiatus. Probably out of print.

Velvet Goldmine: Just threw in one last random comparison of another rock musical that is vaguely similar. You can have ten, so this is the tenth. Absolute Beginners is much better than at least this one.





Dance. Song. Racism. What a heck of a town!
2007-10-27 - With my new desire to get back to the unknown, I decided to start at the beginning with a little musical that I heard nothing about, never once caught a tune from a song, nor would think most mainstream video stores will carry. "Absolute Beginners" was a MTV promotion that was initially destined to be one of the biggest box office films of the year. It was a film for the younger generation, a multi-time film that discussed the issues that teens were facing in Britain and how these troubled, constantly hitting each note, teen's problems can relate to the youth of tomorrow. It could have been dubbed the "Moulin Rouge" of the 80s, but it disappeared. It made its very shallow mark on the world, snuck under the radar, and can now be found collecting dust at either the musical section, the comedy section, or the politically obscure section of that seedy video store that doesn't need chain money to survive. Alas, that wasn't where I found it - but I found it, watched it, tried my hardest to sing along with it, stared into Bowie's eyes, but found myself faded by the end. Did it not survive the test of time? Is 1950s London too far removed from our current society? Is Bowie too creepy? I think "Absolute Beginners" falls somewhere into each of these questions as the perfect example of cinema that starts out with a bang, but withers to a mere sparkle by the end.

"Absolute Beginners" opens with a huge number that takes us through the non-gritty streets of London which involve theft nightly, prostitutes on every corner, dance throughout, booze like rivers, and the swankiest ties on nearly every individual. Sounds like a place we would all hate to be ... right? Director Julien Temple keeps the mood light and flashy throughout most of the songs as we attempt to learn something about a plethora of our main characters. The one we follow most is Colin played by Eddie O'Connell who follows his dreams of being a photographer while shooting his favorite girl, Suzette (played by Patsy Kensit). These two have chemistry, and while Suzette looks like a pre-rehab Lohan, to me they worked. There was a huge spark between them, the chemistry was like lava, and I believed that these two could take me down a road I had never traveled. I was ready - but then, something happened. Temple takes us out of the nightlife, takes us out of the city we grew up with at the beginning, and completely reverses the roles without any dedication to the first. Suzette runs away, Colin becomes a pervert, and Bowie ... well ... I am not quite sure what his role is but he sings amazingly well while climbing a mountain - I can tell you that much. Temple gives us this flashy city, this opportunity to see those that inhabit it, but leaves us hanging high and dry when it is time to pull the trigger. We learn about Colin, mainly, but nobody else. I could probably watch this film again and still be equally confused as to whom is angry at whom, and what importance fashion had to that era. Also, were they teens really - they all seemed like they were pushing their late 20s, but maybe it was my TV.

Character development thrown right out the door, Temple tries to overcompensate by giving us bigger, more lavish songs using even more characters that we know nothing about. One of my favorite songs in the film uses this thought as a prime example. Temple uses a split house to show us the lives of Colin's parents (of which I didn't know it was them until after the film) and a song which screams apathy. Great song, too many characters, not enough time, suddenly dragged into another scene of missing coherency, and it just falls apart in your hands. Then, if that wasn't enough, we are rocking our heads to the beat of some great songs, rubbing our noggin' trying to understand where our characters are or are going, and Temple throws in hatred, anger, and politics into the final act. While I was hoping that this film would have a dedicated theme, I didn't think racism would be on the top of the bill. Suddenly, friends are missing, people are angry, and there is some random guy running around fighting Colin because he lives in poverty and has a friend of a different race? Somebody help me out here. It seemed completely rushed and overwhelming - nearly to the point of wanting to turn the film off. To me, the ending of "Absolute Beginners" was nowhere near the excitement from the opening number. That first part set the pace, and Temple could not keep up.

Overall, I must say that Temple can direct a music video, but I don't think he was quite prepared for the feature film. I don't think this film will ever make it into full "cult" status, and will probably remain unremembered or in the dollar bin for years to come. It is a fun film to watch initially, but when we get to that final part, it just explodes from the inside. I wanted some cutting edge work, but instead what I found was a freaky Bowie coupled with characters I cared nothing for. I could see how this film could relate to the youth of the 80s, but by the end it just felt forced. I think everyone in this production should have taken a moment and listened to "Motivation" by the ever-freaky Bowie in this film, it may have helped solidify this feature into better cult status. I am glad that I watched this film once, but that is all that my small brain can take. I loved the way that Temple caught me from the beginning, but he couldn't control his characters (way too many), and the songs didn't seem to match the final moments of the film. It came out of nowhere, and it was unwelcomed. If this was a film about racism, it needed to be from the beginning. "Absolute Beginners" was a welcomed adventure, but I don't think I will be dusting this film off in the future.

Grade: ** out of *****

Great movie; DVD not so great.
2007-06-05 - One of the things I loved about this movie was the set design and costumes, all in spectacular colors. However, the color in this MGM-released DVD wobbles from vivid to washed-out and back to vivid, often during the same scene. Pretty disappointing -- what I might expect from a 2nd-generation VHS copy, but not a DVD.

Absolute entertainment
2007-01-05 - This year I had the opportunity to read both Absolute Beginners and City of Spades, both by Colin MacInnes. Both deal with racial tension in London. I was surprized to find this DVD where the novel Absolute Beginners had been made into a film. I was even more surprized when I watched this ambitious, slightly flawed, but creative brave product.

Eddie O'Connell and Patshy Kensit are beautiful as Colin the 19 year old photographer, and Crepe Suzette, his dress designer girlfriend. Both have superb dance numbers.

The art direction was exceptional with some of the most creative sets to be seen in years on the screen. It appeared that Kenny Scharf and Rodney Allen Greenblatt had designed all the club interiors in the film. The costumes were over the top. The choreography was exceptional since it had to convey the chaos and violence of race riots in dance form. It reminded me of the gang fight scenes in West Side Story, only more violent and less stylized.

David Bowie plays both a dramatic role and sings one of the songs in this musical. Sade however takes the prize with "Killer Blow" sung in a nightclub. The scene of Sade singing is worth the price of the DVD. Other bands play in the film, including Fine Young Cannibals. Ray Davies (looking very good) of the Kinks plays Colin's father, a content and handsome middle aged man with a nympho wife who has sex with the male boarders in their boarding house.

The film is a conglomeration of diverse influences from various times and eras. From West Side Story to the work of Charles Mingus, you will find great entertainment watching the various iterations of these influences flow across the screen.

Yet, underlying the vast visual and musical display is a subplot about racial tension and disruption. The film conveys the message that a lively mixture of influences from a range of human cultures stimulates and enlivens the human soul. Likewise, efforts to suppress and destroy others because of race, ethnicity, and religion is counterproductive and damaging in the long run to the human condition.