Six months after the seemingly sudden expiration of David Bowie, the world is still in shock.
This seismic reaction is explained some in the DVD release of DAVID BOWIE: THE MAN WHO STOLE THE WORLD.
The documentary begins the day after the announcement of Bowie’s death last January as fans gather to share their shock and grief at the passing of this legitimate icon of music, art and fashion.“I, I will be king” is the opening line of Heroes, one of Bowie’s timeless anthems, and true enough, he was king, for more than one day, a hero musician, lyricist, and performer who reigned for over four decades.
As this documentary attests, his longevity is credited not only to his fabulous talent but his ability to evolve and his capacity to collaborate.
Using archival footage, the film dates back to the late Sixties when the artist was still using his birth name, David Jones.
Following some poorly performing recordings and a determination to eradicate any confusion and comparison with Davey Jones from The Monkees, he borrowed the name of an American frontiersman Jim Bowie, famous for fashioning a knife, and honed a new career.
In 1972 he made a breakthrough with the ambiguous androgynous Ziggy Stardust, the first in a series of stage creations that would free up Mr. Jones to become the powerhouse performer that endured genres, sub-genres, fads and fashion.
A meticulous stage manager, the film shows Bowie’s departure from the arena of life as uncannily orchestrated, with the precisely timed release of his last album, Black Star, and the poignant film clips that accompanied it.
Directors Elena Carmen and Billy Simpson pepper the pictorial with talking heads, most prominently the “professor of pop”, Paul Gambaccini, whose enthusiasm and insider trading of the music world is a highlight of the film. Fabled rock photographer, Kevin Cummins, also comments on the phenomenon and the man, giving insights into the private and public persona.
Clocking in at a succinct sixty minutes, DAVID BOWIE: THE MAN WHO STOLE THE WORLD is not the definitive bio-doco, but nevertheless an interesting, informative, entertaining and reverent tribute to a true icon.
DAVID BOWIE: THE MAN WHO STOLE THE WORLD available on DVD through Shock Entertainment.