Absolute BeginnersAbsolute Beginners

October 20 2022

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Absolute Beginners is a 1986 British musical film adapted from Colin MacInnes book about life in late 1950s London, directed by Julien Temple. The film stars Eddie O Connell, Patsy Kensit, James Fox, Edward Tudor-Pole, Anita Morris, and David Bowie, with featured appearances by Sade Adu, Ray Davies, and Steven Berkoff. It was screened out of competition at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival. It received coverage in the British media but was panned by critics and became a box office failure, although modern reviews have been more favourable. Bowie s theme song was very popular in the UK, spending nine weeks on the charts and peaking at number two.

The commercial failure of Absolute Beginners and two other films is blamed for the collapse of British film studio Goldcrest Films.

Plot

Taking place in 1958, popular culture in London is transforming from 1950s jazz to a new generation on the verge of the rock and roll 1960s. Young photographer Colin is in love with aspiring fashion designer Crepe Suzette. Colin aims to be an artist with integrity. Suzette s boss, famous designer Henley of Mayfair, takes advantage of her forward-thinking designs to boost his own image.

Colin lives in the poor, ethnically diverse neighbourhood of Notting Hill. To make money, he gets a job with music producer Harry Charms, taking photos of new teen idol Baby Boom. Despite Colin getting commercial photography work, Suzette breaks up with him. She explains that she wants success and luxury in life and won t settle for less ( Having It All ). He s initially despondent, but believes she ll eventually come back to him.

Colin learns that Suzette will be at a party hosted by gossip columnist Dido Lament, and so he attends. He learns Suzette plans to marry the middle-aged, homosexual Henley for her career ( Selling Out ). Colin also meets advertising mogul Vendice Partners at the party.

Meanwhile, the Teddy Boy subculture is increasingly hostile towards Black residents in London, spurred by the recent rise in immigration. The White Defence League, led by the Fanatic, preaches fascist politics and is vehemently against the increasing ethnic diversity of London. Colin despises this rise in racist ideology.

Partners brings Colin to his advertising agency, where he shows off plans for the White Housing Development. Partners offers Colin a position as an advertisement photographer. While hesitant at first, Colin is convinced to take the job in the hopes that the money may help him win back Suzette ( That s Motivation ).

Henley and Suzette marry, but she is deeply unhappy. Colin, Dido, and Charms go on the TV show Searchlight. Dido gropes Colin, prompting him to have an outbust and rail against the elder generation trying to exploit teenagers. Later, at a jazz club, Colin is commended for his honesty on television. However, he s upset when he sees a newspaper headline about Suzette s wedding ( Killer Blow ).

Racial violence intensifies in the area. Colin s Black friend, Mr. Cool, informs him that the White supremacist movement is becoming more organized and dangerous. Colin discovers that the new White Housing Development is a scheme between Partners and Henley to redevelop the West 11. Colin sends incriminating photos to Dido in an attempt to reveal the plan, but she s in cahoots with Partners and is no help.

Colin witnesses the 1958 Notting Hill race riots ( Riot City ). His pleas for peace are ignored. The police eventually arrive and stop the violence. Colin finds Suzette and they flee a fire set by the WDL. Mr. Cool has a fight with the Fanatic and wins. There is celebratory dancing in the street as rain puts out the fires. Colin and Suzette go back to his flat and have sex. He throws her wedding ring out the window.

Cast

Eddie O Connell as Colin
Patsy Kensit as Crepe Suzette
James Fox as Henley of Mayfair
David Bowie as Vendice Partners
Edward Tudor-Pole as Ed the Ted
Anita Morris as Dido Lament
Graham Fletcher-Cook as Wizard
Tony Hippolyte as Mr. Cool
Bruce Payne as Flikker
Paul Rhys as Dean Swift
Lionel Blair as Harry Charms
Eve Ferret as Big Jill
Ray Davies as Arthur
Sade as Athene Duncannon
Mandy Rice-Davies as Mum
Julian Firth as The Misery Kid
Alan Freeman as Call-Me-Cobber
Steven Berkoff as The Fanatic
Chris Pitt as Baby Boom
Gary Beadle as Johnny Wonder
Robbie Coltrane as Mario
Carmen Ejogo as Carmen
Ronald Fraser as Amberley Drove
Joe McKenna as Fabulous Hoplite
Irene Handl as Mrs. Larkin
Peter-Hugo Daly as Vern
Sylvia Syms as Cynthia Eve
Slim Gaillard as Lloyd
Eric Sykes as Arcade Worker

Production

Christopher Wicking worked on an early draft of the script which he said had some sort of propulsion from one scene to the next . He says the script helped raise American finance but then Julien Temple became involved and disregarded a lot of Wicking s ideas. Wicking also says the filmmakers could never reconcile if the musical numbers should advance the story or illustrate something about the characters at the time.

$2.5 million of the film s budget came from Orion and £2.5 million from Goldcrest.

Soundtrack

Absolute Beginners: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was concurrently released to promote the film, and the musical score was composed by Gil Evans. David Bowie s title track, Ray Davies Quiet Life , and the Style Council s Have You Ever Had It Blue? were released as singles. Abridged versions of the LP were released featuring only sides one and two, and CD versions excised the tracks Absolute Beginners (Slight Refrain), Landlords and Tenants , Santa Lucia . and Cool Napoli .

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Artist	Length
1.	Absolute Beginners	David Bowie	David Bowie	7:58
2.	Killer Blow	Sade Adu, Simon Booth, Larry Stabbins	Sade	4:34
3.	Have You Ever Had It Blue?	Paul Weller	The Style Council	5:36
4.	Quiet Life	Ray Davies	Ray Davies	2:55
5.	Va Va Voom	Gil Evans	Gil Evans	3:26

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Artist	Length
1.	That s Motivation	Bowie	David Bowie	4:14
2.	Having It All	Geoff Beauchamp, Alex Godson, Patsy Kensit	Eighth Wonder featuring Patsy Kensit	3:06
3.	Rodrigo Bay	Booth, Stabbins	Working Week	3:27
4.	Selling Out	Slim Gaillard, Tot Taylor, Julien Temple	Slim Gaillard	3:34
5.	Riot City	Jerry Dammers	Jerry Dammers	8:28

Side three
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Artist	Length
1.	Boogie Stop Shuffle (Rough and the Smooth)	Charles Mingus	Gil Evans	3:01
2.	Ted Ain t Dead	Edward Tudor-Pole, Temple	Tenpole Tudor	2:35
3.	Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)	Franco Migliacci, Domenico Modugno	David Bowie	3:13
4.	Napoli	Clive Langer, Temple	Clive Langer	4:09
5.	Little Cat (You Never Had It So Good)	Nick Lowe	Jonas	2:19
6.	Absolute Beginners (Slight Refrain)	Bowie	Gil Evans	0:38

Side four
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Artist	Length
1.	Better Git It in Your Soul (The Hot and the Cold)	Mingus	Gil Evans	1:49
2.	Landlords and Tenants	Laurel Aitken	Laurel Aitken	2:46
3.	Santa Lucia	Ekow Abban	Ekow Abban	3:49
4.	Cool Napoli	Langer, Temple	Gil Evans	2:01
5.	So What? (Lyric Version)	Smiley Culture	Miles Davis, Smiley Culture	4:18
6.	Absolute Beginners (Refrain)	Bowie	Gil Evans	1:37

Charts

Chart (1986)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	85

Reception

Critical

New York Times film critic Caryn James remarked upon the unevenness of Temple s adaptation and its erratic results. Pauline Kael declared that the music was peculiarly unlyrical and ephemeral . Jeremy Allen in The Guardian praised Bowie s theme song but described the film as an overbudget turkey of huge proportions . Corey K. Creekmur stated in The International Film Musical that the film failed to deliver on the critical expectations surrounding it , although it remained a deeply interesting, if flawed, attempt to harness the contemporary musical in the services of politics and social equality .

Alex Stewart reviewed Absolute Beginners for White Dwarf #79, and stated that It s glossy, slick and superficial, with a couple of nods towards Social Significance which stand out almost as awkwardly as the stumps of the subplots that ended up on the cutting-room floor. On the other hand the singing and dancing are quite nice, the climax looks uncannily like Quartermass and the Pit set to music, and the grossly over-hyped Patsy Kensit duly meets a most satisfying nemesis by turning in a performance that would have disgraced an episode of Thunderbirds.

Absolute Beginners currently holds a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on nine reviews.

Box office

Goldcrest Films invested £4,680,000 in the film and received £1,859,000 back, losing £2,821,000.