An illustration of a computer application window wayback machine an illustration of an open book. Notoriously, yentobs expectations of a colourful romp through the glam subculture were confounded, and the film became a disturbing snapshot of bowies rapid descent. Encuentras canciones como rebel rebel, changes, suffragette city, all the young dudes, cracked actor, space oddity, diamond dogs y time puros clasicos. At the time he was struggling with cocaine addiction and the documentary has become notorious for showing bowie s fragile mental state during this period. Jun 22, 2017 if bowie hadnt been hobbled by mainmans excesses, he might well have elected not to release a postdiamond dogspreyoung americans live record at all, but if he had, this stunning performance from las universal amphitheater recorded in september 74 for alan yentobs cracked actor bbc documentary wouldve provided ideal. Bbc documentary showing david bowie looking back on his ziggy stardust character during his diamond dogs tour. Jan 11, 2016 david bowie fans explain the singers otherworldly appeal.
Unofficial release of the 1974 bbc, alan yentob documentary, which features bowie starting to crack the american market whilst at the same time morphing from a glam star into a soul singer. Taken from cracked actor, alan yentobs 1975 rockumentary about the extraordinary rock star. Bbc documentary showing david bowie looking back on his ziggy stardust character during his diamond dogs. Saw and excellent one on leonard cohen donkeys years ago, and also on david bowie, conducted by alan yentob. Forty years later its almost impossible to calculate just how important that screening was to bowiestarved fans in the uk. It was released posthumously as a record store day release on 22 april 2017 through parlophone record label. A film about david bowie is a 1975 television documentary film about the musician david bowie, made by alan yentob for the bbcs omnibus strand. Legendary in part for being partially captured on the cracked actor documentary film by alan yentob, which captured bowie in the process of spiralling into the cocaine addiction that nearly completely derailed him in the mid1070s, this release sets itself head and shoulders above the bootlegs by a fine mastering job at the hands of tony visconti. After killing ziggy off in that july 1973 concert, bowie cultivated a new persona.
It was filmed in 1974 when bowie was struggling with cocaine addiction, and the documentary has become. Ahead of his twenty fifth studio album blackstar, lorna irvine looks at the bbc documentary which showed bowie at a major turning point in his career almost forty years after its creation, alan yentobs candid documentary for the beeb on david bowie still stands up beautifully, juxtaposing the disintegration of bowies health and ego as he kills off the character ziggy stardust. If bowie hadnt been hobbled by mainmans excesses, he might well have elected not to release a postdiamond dogspreyoung americans live record at all, but if he had, this stunning performance from las universal amphitheater recorded in september 74 for alan yentobs cracked actor bbc documentary wouldve provided ideal. Directed by alan yentob for the bbc, cracked actor is a documentary about david bowies 1974 american tour for the album diamond dogs just as bowie was going into a period of transition away from the glam rock persona of ziggy stardust and towards his fascination with american soul music. Use british english cracked actor is a 53minutelong bbc television documentary film about the rock star david bowie. Many stills photos from bowie in the us in 1974 on tour and recording, of which some sequences can be seen in yentob s cracked actor bbc documentary, have been extensively used for lp covers including david live, station to station and low, as well as inserts for the rykodisk and anniversary booklets for the cd pressings of the lps that. Jul 10, 2016 cracked actor was originally a song from david bowie s 1973 album, aladdin sane. Mar 07, 2018 when he watched cracked actor, nicolas roeg knew that he had found his star for the man who fell to earth, in spite of bowies meager film experience totaling a few minutes of screen time. Not the best way for the other person is an x variable. Cracked actor captured david bowie at a fragile stage in his life. Cracked actor, with bowie ethereal, fragile as glass, appeared on omnibus in 1974. Clearly on cavetts wavelength, the bbcs alan yentob borrowed the title of a bowie song for cracked actor1974, a documentary that portrayed the 27yearold chameleon as a boy genius. It was the first time the bbc had ever dedicated a major arts programme to a pop star and it established yentob.
Mark wardels cracked actor book the biography of a. Produced by bowie and mixed by tony visconti, it was recorded on the diamond dogs tour in september 1974, some material from which appeared in the bbc documentary cracked actor. The 1975 film, viewable below, is directed by alan yentob. Around this time on the evening of sunday 26th january 1975, bowie fans were readying themselves for the 10. At the time he was a cocaine addict and the documentary has become notorious for showing bowie s fragile mental state during this period. Oct, 2010 clearly on cavetts wavelength, the bbcs alan yentob borrowed the title of a bowie song for cracked actor1974, a documentary that portrayed the 27yearold chameleon as a boy genius. Cracked actor is a 53minutelong bbc television documentary film about the pop star david bowie.
The track also gave its name to alan yentobs documentary of the tour. David bowie cracked actor live at the universal amphitheatre 09051974 duration. Cracked actor culture wikia fandom powered by wikia. Filmed in 1974, and featuring the only known footage of the. When he watched cracked actor, nicolas roeg knew that he had found his star for the man who fell to earth, in spite of bowies meager film experience totaling a few minutes of screen time. David bowie bbc imagine 4 april 20 back to cracked actor. Cracked actor is notable for being a source for footage of bowies ambitious diamond dogs tour at the time he was a cocaine addict and also for showing bowies fragile mental state during this period. Taken from cracked actor, alan yentob s 1975 rockumentary about the extraordinary rock star.
To mark david bowies comeback album and a new exhibition, alan yentob looks back at his legendary 1975 documentary, cracked actor. David bowie probably doesnt want you to see this film. David bowie 1975 alan yentob on allmovie a documentary about the glamrock star, filmed in. The film follows bowie during the diamond dogs tour of 1974. The documentary reveals bowies struggle to change into a different persona as well as work method and. David bowie alan yentobs cracked actor film is forty. The film has become one of the classic rock documentaries of all time, remaining an enduring influence on generations of bowie fans. The track also gave its name to alan yentob s documentary of the tour. Alan yentob s famous 1975 bbc doco capturing postziggy bowie in america during the 74 diamond dogs tour chemraddled and alarmingly emaciated, yet lucid and surprisingly open in interviews and in fine voice on stage. The bowie that yentob captured seemed himself an alien visitor.
The documentary follows bowies career from diamond dogs, through david live, young americans, the man who fell to earth, station to station, and ending up with the berlin trilogy, although, in actual fact it is a dvd about young americans and what came before and after berlin is mentioned as an afterthought. The only crew member i ever met described the whole trip as chaotic and said yentob spent so much time schmoozing bowie and defries that the crew barely saw him and he gave them minimal direction. The quietus film film features cracked actor hooked. Alan yentobs cracked actor film is forty today david bowie. Cracked actor is a 1975 television documentary film about the musician david bowie, made by alan yentob for the bbcs omnibus strand. Cracked actor directed by alan yentob for the bbc, cracked actor is a documentary about david bowies 1974 american tour for the album diamond dogs just as bowie was going into a period of transition away from the glam rock persona of ziggy stardust and towards his fascination with american soul music. It was subsequently performed on the 1974 diamond dogs tour, and was included on the david live album. The bbc make some excellent documentaries on musicians. The facets of his character only appear in his music as a drowning person who grasps for breath. This guy was adamant about equipment failures and adamant that no complete show had been filmed. Hes done a good job of making a great deal of archival material legitimately available even his infamously twitchy, sniffy 1974 interview with dick cavett but cracked actor, broadcast the following year as part of the bbcs omnibus. His relationship with his wife, angie, was beginning to falter, there was business problems looming, and he was addicted to cocaine, which caused severe physical debilitation, paranoia and emotional problems. Alan yentob filmed a documentary of david bowie while on tour in 1973.
The documentary was first broadcast on 26 january 1975 and titled cracked actor. Filmed during bowies legendary diamond dogs tour in 1974, alan yentobs film revealed a man on. David bowie cracked actor documentary full length part 1. Pennebakers concert film ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars, which had been shot at londons. Afterwards i was able to chat to alan yentob who told me that he and tony visconti were trying to locate the missing footage with the intention of creating a feature length version of cracked actor for cinema release. Also, much more recently i watched lou reed remembered the bbc then seem to shoot themselves in the foot by not adding dvds of these documentaries to their online shop. Due to the madness that was bowie s life around this time, he deemed the title of this track to be suitable for the film. At the time he was struggling with cocaine addiction and the documentary has become notorious for showing bowies fragile mental state during this period. At the time he was a cocaine addict and the documentary has become notorious for showing bowies fragile mental state during this period. Alan yentobs cracked actor film is 45 today david bowie. David bowie alan yentobs cracked actor film is 45 today. David bowie fans explain the singers otherworldly appeal. Aug 27, 2012 after killing ziggy off in that july 1973 concert, bowie cultivated a new persona.
Cracked actor was originally a song from david bowies 1973 album, aladdin sane. Complete, full version of the documentary that was never released commercially. The few cracked actor tracks considered for 1975s young americans got cut from the final release, but it could be a premonition of that album. Forty years later its almost impossible to calculate just how important that screening was to bowie starved fans in the uk. About cracked actor this track, taken from the album aladdin sane is about an aging movie stars sexual encounter with a prostitute. David bowie cracked actor 2015, ntsc code free, bluray. The documentary follows bowie s career from diamond dogs, through david live, young americans, the man who fell to earth, station to station, and ending up with the berlin trilogy, although, in actual fact it is a dvd about young americans and what came before and after berlin is mentioned as an afterthought. Jun 29, 2017 the few cracked actor tracks considered for 1975s young americans got cut from the final release, but it could be a premonition of that album. Alan yentob looking back at cracked actor documentary. Jul 20, 2011 david bowie cracked actor live at the universal amphitheatre 09051974 duration. The film follows bowie during the diamond dogs tour. David bowie lyrics cracked actor ive come on a few years from my hollywood highs the best of the last, the cleanest star they ever had im stiff on my legend, the films that i made forget that im fifty cause you just got paid chorus.
Two unreleased david bowie records announced on limited vinyl. Jan 26, 2015 around this time on the evening of sunday 26th january 1975, bowie fans were readying themselves for the 10. Cracked actor a film about david bowie, the collector genres. David bowie cracked actor 2015, ntsc code free, blu. Cracked actor painted a rather grim picture of an artist trying to keep himself together while dealing with success. David bowie bbc imagine 4 april 20 back to cracked. In celebration of cracked actor, the live release from david bowies infamously.