Besides art, Morgen is equally fixated on philosophy, and as the film progresses, we learn that Bowie struggled to find happiness throughout his life, eventually achieving it in middle age with his marriage to the supermodel Iman. But in private, he seems isolated and confused, as unsure of his ambitions and fearful of the future as any young man. With his wealth burgeoning and a legion of fans assembling behind him, he should be at least satisfied with life. As he performs “All the Young Dudes” before a euphoric London crowd, stalking the stage like a contented cat, his stardom seems almost superhuman. Morgen begins in 1973: It’s the twilight of the Ziggy Stardust era, when Bowie defined the zeitgeist of postwar Britain and inspired a level of zealotry among its youth rivaled only by Beatlemania. The film’s structure is loosely chronological-it explores Bowie’s various musical reinventions in the order they occurred, but regularly shifts between phases of his life that share a common thematic link. Morgen conjures up an appropriately eccentric spectacle that initially dazzles, but the spell fades as he advances through Bowie’s career, regaining its hold on the viewer only intermittently. Occasionally, animated sequences are inserted, and Bowie’s live performances are frequently intercut with clips from the movies that comprised his cultural diet, ranging from 8½ to A Clockwork Orange. It’s a relentless sensory onslaught that assails the viewer with flashing lights and overlapping sounds. The film unfolds in the style of an extended montage, melding concert footage with extracts from archival interviews, travelogs, and music videos. He includes no comments from Bowie’s collaborators or loved ones, provides only a thin semblance of a narrative, and ignores large sections of Bowie’s life. In this kaleidoscopic documentary, director Brett Morgen eschews convention. I’d always believed it would be impossible to make David Bowie boring, but somehow, Moonage Daydream manages to inspire a certain degree of exhaustion with its subject. (45) BIPOLAROID 7' 45 / SUPERNATURAL BEAUTY / BEAUTIFUL (IN THE MORNING) / (GET HIP Records) References
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