Moonage Daydream (2022)

Written by CinemaSerf on October 20, 2022

I don't know how many music documentaries I have started to watch only to find that every time a song starts, ten bars in we get some waffle - usually from some hitherto unknown music journalist - that completely obscures the song. Well not here. Right from the opening, Brett Morgan makes sure we know this is about David Bowie and not about those observers with (usually all too adulatory) opinions on him. His flamboyance, his vision, his flaws, his character and his creativity are entertainingly demonstrated by what we see, and by what we hear. Frequently it is his own voice supplying the voice-overs; the clever audio editing allows his songs to be delivered using a catalogue of his own performances on stage, on video or on vinyl - all demonstrating the huge array of talent presented not just by Bowie himself, but also by the musicians and supporting people surrounding and inspiring him. It's also testament to archives the world over who have contributed widely to allow us all to revel in this man's work meticulously preserved over the years. This review doesn't need to be long or any more praiseworthy, and I am not a great fan of David Bowie - but as a piece of captivating cinema this works better than any other of it's genre I think I have ever seen. Big screen with big sound is vital to get the best from this chronology, and it is certainly well worth watching.