Absolute Beginners

Absolute Beginners is a British 1986 musical movie blending innocence, fantasy, tragedy, and social commentary in a stylized romp through 1950s London. Directed by Julien Temple, celebrated for his groundbreaking music videos, the film adapts the original novel by Colin MacInnes. The screenplay was co-authored by Richard Burridge, Christopher Wicking, and Don Macpherson. This lavish production is punctuated with tailored costumes, spot-on period details, catchy musical numbers, and a star-studded cast that includes Eddie O'Connell, Patsy Kensit, and the iconic David Bowie.

The film introduces us to Colin (Eddie O'Connell), an aspiring 19-year-old photographer. Yearning for the freedom and excitement embedded in the roots of London's Soho district, he narrates his world through the lens of his camera, capturing the spirit of a culture on the brink of irreversible transformation — the budding explosive pop culture age. Colin's muse and over-arching love interest is the enticingly beautiful, 17-year-old wannabe fashion designer, Crepe Suzette (Patsy Kensit). Suzette's dream is to climb up the social ladder, and she believes the quickest way there is through fame and fortune.

Existing in a time when British society was transitioning from post-war austerity towards a more diverse, vibrant future marked by racial integration, the plot weaves a tale of love, ambition, and the allure of creational passion. The narrative hinges around this star-crossed pair as it deftly navigates a crucial moment in British history; the collision of urban expansion, cultural change and the onset of the modern consumer age.

In the midst of feisty teenagers, rock-n-rollers, pop industrialists, and property developers, Absolute Beginners brings in an interesting soundtrack, a wild mix of rock, jazz, and pop, intrinsic to the changing societal norms and vibrant mood of the era. David Bowie, besides his significant screen presence as the wickedly slick advertising executive Vendice Partners, contributes to this aural tapestry, his song "Absolute Beginners", which he wrote and performed for the film, notably peaking on UK music charts.

Among the laughter, love, poverty, and social unrest, the film unapologetically molds itself as an extravagant musical, underscoring spectacular set-pieces with expressive choreography. It combines the genre's surreal bending of reality with the raw emotions of its young characters grappling with love, aspiration, and the harsh realities of a changing world.

Throughout the film, Temple showcases his music video roots with ambitious, sometimes surrealist, and always creative visual choices. To this day, tracks from the film like Bowie's "That's Motivation" and Sade's "Killer Blow" remain iconic in their visual storytelling. The cinematography, owing to Oliver Stapleton, renders a memorable aesthetic style as it captures the energy and simmering tensions prevalent in London's Soho.

Furthermore, the movie sources its gravitas as it doesn't refrain from addressing the pertinent social issues of the era, notably, the Notting Hill race riots, a historical event ignored in many popular retellings of London's history. Despite the glimmering pop facade, the narrative has darker, more grim undercurrents, presenting a juxtaposition between the youthful dreams against the grim realities of racism, class division, and social instability.

While critics at the initial release weren't entirely warm to the film, through the years, Absolute Beginners has been appreciated more for its audacious style, narrative complexity, and bold exploration of socio-political issues, ultimately symbolizing the creative exuberance of the 80s while capturing the zeitgeist of 1950s Britain.

In summation, Absolute Beginners expertly weaves a tapestry of love, ambition, youth culture, societal upheaval, and musical extravagance. It takes viewers on a dazzling, often surreal journey into a time of significant cultural change. Charming, brash, and undeniably ambitious, Absolute Beginners offers a glimpse into the heart of a transitional London, bound together by a highly memorable soundtrack and breathtaking visuals. It stands out as both a vivid snapshot of a bygone era and a statement of the energy and creativity that underscored that period.