In 1986 Julian Temple directed the film version of Absolute Beginners. The book, a 1959 Colin McInnes novel about life in London, race, class, sexuality, fashion, teenagers and jazz, is a post- war British classic, part of a trilogy McInnes wrote about life in London and youth culture. The film is maybe less a classic, more a brave/ doomed attempt.
It has its charms- at the time of its release I was sixteen and quite taken with Patsy Kensit- and an all star cast- James Fox, Edward Tudor Pole, Sade, Ray Davies, Steven Berkoff and David Bowie- but it was panned on release, seemed more of a marketing exercise than a film and couldn't quite work out what it was trying to do. The two leads, Patsy Kensit and Eddie O'Connell were unknowns and apparently didn't get on. The production company, Goldcrest, had two other major films on at the same time (The Mission starring Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons and Revolution starring Al Pacino) and Absolute Beginners didn't get the same financial support. Goldcrest went bust not long after.
The soundtrack however, is a different cup of tea entirely. There's plenty of jazz - Gil Evans, Slim Gaillard, Charles Mingus- along with some 80s London names- Clive Langer, Nick Lowe, Jerry Dammers, Ray Davies- as well as Sade and Smiley Culture. There's also Bowie's stone cold classic single title track, maybe his last truly great single...
Glossy 80s production, sweeping chord changes, the ba- ba- ba- oom backing vocals, and Bowie's lead vocal, a glorious, crooning, soaring thing, ever going upwards, the sound of young love.
The soundtrack is also home to one of Paul Weller's best Style Council songs. A film about 50s mod made in the 80s was always gong to have Paul turn up somewhere and The Style Council pulled out all their bossanova/ modern jazz/ pop chops for the song.