Yentob mustve chosen his title before shooting bowies performance at the universal amphitheater. The best filmed example we have of what that stage set looked like comes from alan yentob s famous bbc documentary cracked actor. Taken from cracked actor, alan yentob s 1975 rockumentary about the extraordinary rock star. May 07, 2008 cracked actor, di david bowie pseudonimo di david robert jones, tratto dall album aladdin sane del 1973. On cracked actor you basically hear the cowbell and thats it. David bowie arena rock bbc tv, 1978 david bowie news. Alan yentob documentary, which features bowie starting to crack the american market whilst at the same time morphing.
Cracked actor is an intriguing yet haunting documentary from alan yentob about david bowie in the mid1970s. Bowie s overall vocal performance on cracked actor sounds much more forced and showy. David bowie 19970104 changes bowie at fifty alan yentob. Filmed in 1974, and featuring the only known footage of the diamond dogs tour. David bowie 19970104 changes bowie at fifty alan yentob s followup documentary to cracked actor, broadcast on bbc 2,uk 1997024 42min min.
At the time he was a cocaine addict and the documentary has become notorious for showing bowie s fragile mental state during this period. Alan yentob interviews bowie in this enjoyable and intelligently made 15 minute bbc tv feature from 1978. 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. Ive come on a few years from my hollywood highs the best of the last, the cleanest star they ever. The feature was recorded and broadcast during the 1978 isolar ii world tour. Use british english cracked actor is a 53minutelong bbc television documentary film about the rock star david bowie.
David bowies costar in the man who fell to earth on. In september 1974 the bbc filmed david for a documentary as part of the. 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. Murphy david myers edited bytony woollard distributed by british broadcasting corporation ntr yleisradio running time 60 min. Two unreleased david bowie records announced on limited vinyl. The documentary features interviews with bowie, together with rare live concert footage of the diamond dogs show which includes the breathtaking theatrical stage scenery and special effects. The rushes from cracked actor would be pretty priceless to any bowie fan and david himself. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. Cracked actor painted a rather grim picture of an artist trying to keep himself together while dealing with success.
When kemp told a journalist in 1974, i taught david to free his body, it was more than innuendo. Goodbye terry oneill to be right in that photograph. Cracked actor, di david bowie pseudonimo di david robert jones, tratto dall album aladdin sane del 1973. 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.
Alan yentob s cracked actor film is 45 today im just the space cadet. The 53minute documentary cracked actor follows the late david bowie in the. The 1975 bbc documentary cracked actor captured david bowie at his lowest point. Cracked actor a film about david bowie, the collector genres. David bowie cracked actor a film about david bowie 2015. First released earlier this year on vinyl only, some of this performance was featured in alan yentob s bbc documentary also known as cracked actor. Cracked actor is a 1975 television documentary film about the musician david bowie, made by alan yentob for the bbcs omnibus strand. A shortened edition of the arts series edited and presented by alan yentob.
The picture of terry bottom right in our montage was taken during that very session, captured for posterity by the bbc while filming alan yentob s cracked actor. In celebration of cracked actor, the live release from david bowies. 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. The film follows bowie during the diamond dogs tour of 1974. I have not seen this release being touted as a record store day exclusive, so if. Alan yentobs cracked actor film is 45 today david bowie. David bowie 19970104 changes bowie at fifty alan yentob s follow up documentary to cracked actor, broadcast on bbc 2. Mar 10, 2017 parlophone will release two limited edition david bowie records in celebration of the 10th annual record store day, reports pitchfork. Bbc bbc ones imagine presents two special editions this.
Complete, full version of the documentary that was never released commercially. Bbc documentary showing david bowie looking back on his ziggy stardust character during his diamond dogs. Its heavy on material from diamond dogs and aladdin sane and finds a drugaddled bowie in a moment of transition. In 1974, the bbcs alan yentob produced cracked actor, a documentary following bowie s us tour in support of the diamond dogs lp, the last of his three glam rock albums. David bowie im only dancing the soul tour 74 page 2. Alan yentobs cracked actor film is forty today david bowie. Jul 16, 20 david bowie licensed to youtube by wmg on behalf of plg uk catalog. Revealing footage of bowie and his fans testifies to the heady effects of fame on stars and their followers. Countryunited kingdom cracked actor is a 1975 television documentary film about the musician david bowie, made by a.
Shot in 1974 and transmitted in january 1975, it follows bowie in hollywood as he begins to discard the elaborate costume and makeup of his legendary character ziggy stardust and assume a. 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 yentob s cracked actor bbc documentary wouldve provided ideal. Notoriously, yentob s expectations of a colourful romp through the glam subculture were confounded, and the film became a disturbing snapshot of bowie s rapid descent. The film follows bowie during the diamond dogs tour. His drug woes of the time were front and center in alan yentob s 1975 cracked actor documentary for the british omnibus series, as well as pennebakers 1973 ziggy stardust. Alan yentob s cracked actor film is forty today im just the space cadet. When actress candy clark talks about costarring with david bowie in nicolas roegs 1976 scifi masterpiece the man who fell to earth, the 40 years that have passed since the films new. 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.
Bowies legendary diamond dogs tour in 1974, alan yentobs film. Since youve been in america, you seem to have picked up a lot of the idioms and themes of american music and american culture, observes yentob. The bbc make some excellent documentaries on musicians. David bowie cracked actor documentary full length part 1 of 4. Filmed on the singers 1974 diamond dogs tour, it captures the stars transition from glam rock to blueeyed soul. 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. Davids gratitude was reciprocated by terry, as highlighted when he compiled the images for bowie by oneill. The film was directed for the bbc by a young alan yentob, who has said he. Aug 27, 2012 after killing ziggy off in that july 1973 concert, bowie cultivated a new persona. David bowie crosses america in alan yentob s seminal documentary, first shown in 1975 as part of omnibus. Alan yentob filmed a documentary of david bowie while on tour in 1973. Alan yentob looking back at cracked actor by theyearofthediamonddogs. Unlike madonna, prince or eminem, bowie was an actor almost from the moment he began performing.
At the time he was struggling with cocaine addiction and the documentary has become notorious for showing bowies fragile mental state during this period. Clearly on cavetts wavelength, the bbcs alan yentob borrowed the title of a bowie song for cracked actor 1974, a documentary that portrayed the 27yearold chameleon as a boy genius. Taken from cracked actor, alan yentobs 1975 rockumentary about the extraordinary rock star. David bowie bbc imagine 4 april 20 back to cracked actor.
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. In alan yentob s documentary, bowie sings it to no. David live is the first official live album by english musician david bowie, originally released by rca records in 1974. Most of the concert was in the can but alan yentob said that the bbc lostdestroyed the outtakes.
David bowie probably doesnt want you to see this film. Cracked actor bbc two england 24 september 2000 bbc. Watch david bowie in cracked actor little atoms seminal 1970s. He trained as a mime under lindsay kemp, who was also briefly his lover. Roeg is said to have watched david bowie in cracked actor alan yentob s controversial documentary, filmed the previous year, which detailed the musicians allconsuming cocaine addiction and frail mental state and found in his fragility and otherworldliness his perfect newton. Yentob mustve chosen his title before shooting bowie s performance at the universal amphitheater. David bowie cracked actor a film about david bowie. The track also gave its name to alan yentob s documentary of the tour.
David bowie was dreaming of the country that would become. Cracked actor titles of cracked actor documentary original titlecracked actor directed byalan yentob produced by carol bell alan yentob british broadcasting corporation starring david bowie narrated byalan yentob music bydavid bowie cinematography michael d. Cracked actor culture wikia fandom powered by wikia. Some recordings and footage from the concert were first broadcast in 1975 on the bbc tv special cracked actor. David bowie alan yentobs cracked actor film is forty. American david bowie fans explain the singers otherworldly. The album was recorded in july of that year, on the initial leg of bowie s diamond dogs tour, at the tower theater in upper darby, pa, a suburb of philadelphia. If the book relies mainly on yentob s views and notes, it will be highly misleading. The evening began with a showing of the documentary. Saw and excellent one on leonard cohen donkeys years ago, and also on david bowie, conducted by alan yentob. Cracked actor is a 53minutelong bbc television documentary film about the pop star david bowie.
Jan 12, 2016 his drug woes of the time were front and centre in alan yentob s 1975 cracked actor documentary for the british omnibus series, as well as pennebakers 1973 ziggy stardust stand as honest. Feb 20, 2020 there is the concert footage which was used in the bbc cracked actor documentary. Cracked actor is notable for being a source for footage of bowie s ambitious diamond dogs tour at the time he was a cocaine addict and also for showing bowie s fragile mental state during this period. Cracked actor captured david bowie at a fragile stage in his life. The costume designer who dressed bowie as an alien dazed. Shot in 1974 and transmitted in january 1975, it follows bowie in. David bowie bbc imagine 4 april 20 back to cracked.
See actions taken by the people who manage and post content. Filmed during bowies legendary diamond dogs tour in 1974, alan yentob s film revealed a man on. Jul 20, 2011 complete, full version of the documentary that was never released commercially. California, usa 1974, september 5, as part of the bbc coverage of bowie s 1974 tour and then current period. Jan 11, 2016 david bowie fans explain the singers otherworldly appeal. David bowie cracked actor documentary full length part 1. Mark wardels cracked actor book the biography of a.
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