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Moonage Daydream (film)

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Moonage Daydream
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBrett Morgen
Written byBrett Morgen
Produced byBrett Morgen
StarringDavid Bowie
Edited byBrett Morgen
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 23 May 2022 (2022-05-23) (Cannes)
  • 16 September 2022 (2022-09-16) (United States)
Running time
134 minutes[1]
Countries
  • Germany
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$13.9 million[2][3]

Moonage Daydream is a 2022 documentary film[1] about English singer-songwriter David Bowie. Written, directed, produced and edited by Brett Morgen, the film uses previously unreleased footage from Bowie's personal archives,[4] including live concert footage.[5] It is the first film to be officially authorized by Bowie's estate,[6] and takes its title from the 1972 Bowie song of the same name.[7]

Moonage Daydream had its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival,[4][7] where it received positive reviews. It was released theatrically and in IMAX in the United States on 16 September 2022.[6][7] It was shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature at the 95th Academy Awards,[8] and won Best Music Film at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.[9]

Synopsis

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The documentary uses a montage-style editing format to convey a biography of Bowie, utilizing film clips and interviews from throughout his career.[10] The film starts with a 2002 quote of Bowie stating:

"At the turn of the 20th century, Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed that God is dead and that man had killed him."
"This created an arrogance with man that he himself was God. But as God, all he could seem to produce was disaster."
"That led to a terrifying confusion: for if we could not take the place of God, how could we fill the space we had created within ourselves?"

The film is divided into nearly two dozen "chapters" in the DVD release with the first hour covering Bowie starting in London up to his departure to West Berlin. The second part of the film discussed and presents Bowie's extensive interests in the arts while in West Berlin outside of the music industry, such as his interest in oil painting and acrylic painting, as well as his forays into the literary arts. Many examples of Bowie's portrait work in oils are presented showing the use of a modern representational style of portraiture combined with an experimental color palette for brightly lit representations in nearly kaleidoscopic color preferences for facial expressions. In his third phase covered in the last part of the film, Bowie emerges from a two year hiatus where he remakes himself in the image of a suave musical artist often dressed in tailored Saville Row double breasted men's business suits.

The first hour of the film begins with a long film clip of Bowie performing a live version of a largely narrated version of "All the Young Dudes" before singing the choruses later made famous by Mott the Hoople's recording of the song. Bowie is pictured in many clips from his glam rock years wearing heavily costumed outfits often experimenting with the signature transgender dressing associated with his early years. Bowie emerges from these pre-Berlin years as a significant rock-and-roll star on the London scene making an impact throughout much of Britain and the United States.

After moving to West Berlin, Bowie speaks in clips and interviews about the extensive impact which the aesthetics of German culture in West Berlin had upon his artistic sensibilities. Bowie is apparently deeply moved by the visual arts as he experiences them while in West Berlin, and this influences his own painting style in his own renderings of oil portraits and related efforts in his other oil paintings. The documentary's film style of montage also interlaces many film clips from over two dozen different films ranging from the silent era including the film Metropolis up to and including clips from the Stanley Kubrick-directed films Clockwork Orange and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Bowie's third phase is covered by showing him appearing in his tailored Savile Row double breasted business suits and appearing in duets with multiple established artists such as Tina Turner and others. He is depicted as having entered the height of his career and formed a new life style with his new wife Iman Abdulmajid. Bowie dies at the age of 69.

Production

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In 2021, Variety reported that Brett Morgen had been developing a film based on David Bowie, "for which an official title has not been disclosed, for the last four years."[5] It is the first film to be officially authorized by Bowie's estate.[5][6] Working in cooperation with the estate, Morgen was granted access to an archive of five million different items, including paintings, drawings, recordings, photographs, films, and journals.[1][11] Tony Visconti, who spent years as Bowie's producer, serves as the film's music producer.[5][7]

Marketing

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An official teaser trailer for the film was uploaded to YouTube on 23 May 2022.[4] A full trailer was released on 27 July.[12]

Release

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Moonage Daydream had its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on 23 May 2022.[4][7] It was released in IMAX and theatres in the United States on 16 September 2022.[7] It was also expected to be released for streaming on HBO Max in spring 2023.[4][7] The documentary was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 15 November 2022.[13] It also was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray by the Criterion Collection in September 2023.[14]

Soundtrack

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Main article: Moonage Daydream (soundtrack)

To accompany the film, a soundtrack album containing music of Bowie's used therein was announced on 25 August 2022. An initial digital release was set for 16 September 2022, with a two-disc CD version to follow on 18 November 2022 and a three-disc vinyl record release was released on 31 March 2023.[15] The music on the album consists of rare or previously unreleased live tracks, as well as newly created remixes, interspersed with monologues from Bowie himself.[16]

Reception

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Critical response

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On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92% based on 156 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critics' consensus reads: "An audiovisual treat for Bowie fans, Moonage Daydream takes an appropriately distinctive approach to one of modern music's most mercurial artists."[17] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film has a score of 83 out of 100 based on 34 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[18]

Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote that "We've seen trippy documentaries before, but Morgen seems to have created this movie to be rock 'n' roll. [...] Watching Moonage Daydream, there are essential facts you won't hear, and many touchstones that get skipped over (in the entire movie, you'll never even see an album cover). But you get closer than you expect to the chilly sexy enigma of who David Bowie really was."[1] Corey Seymour of Vogue commended the film's editing and soundtrack, and called the film "astounding, bombastic, groundbreaking, electrifying, and among the best films about any artist or musician I've ever seen. [...] Morgen has [assembled] a mesmerizing collage of sound and vision that will entrance and enrich any Bowie fan and, presumably, make new fans of anyone lucky enough to have this be their first real encounter with his world."[11]

Peter Bradshaw, in his review of the film for The Guardian, gave it a score of five out of five stars.[19] He called the film "a glorious celebratory montage", and wrote favourably of how the film "shows that his fans, especially the ecstatic young people at the Hammersmith Odeon and Earl's Court shows, were not different from Bowie: they became Bowie. Overwhelmed, transfigured, their faces looked like his face."[19] Robert Daniels, writing for RogerEbert.com, praised the film's editing, and called it "a bombastic, overstimulating, poignant, life-affirming, and risk-taking summation of the artist's ethos and maturation as a person. In short, Moonage Daydream is the film Bowie would've proudly made."[20] Fionnuala Halligan of Screen Daily called the film "a pristine sensory voyage, with astonishing sound", and lauded its presentation as "skilled and satisfyingly unconventional".[21]

Entertainment Weekly's Joshua Rothkopf gave the film a grade of "A−", complimenting the remixed music by Tony Visconti and noting that, "Occasionally, Morgen's flow can feel belabored and imprecise, [...] But pruning would hamper the unencumbered risk-taking on display," an approach which Rothkopft writes "instantly vaults the effort to the top of the Bowie docs."[22] Siddhant Adlakha of IndieWire gave the film a "B+", characterizing it thus: "More sensory experience than straightforward recounting, [Moonage Daydream] is about feeling your way through a chaotic world with Ziggy Stardust as your anchor."[23] He concluded that, "As musical documentaries go, it's more ambitious than anything you're likely to witness for quite some time."[23] Paul Sinclair of SuperDeluxeEdition was more critical in his review, praising the film's integration of archival footage, animation, interview audio, and music while criticizing the pacing and length, describing the result as "oddly unmoving" and stating that "the film is at least half an hour too long, a feeling accentuated by the reuse of clips you've already seen on a number of occasions which gives a rather circular, haven't-we-been-here-before vibe to proceedings." Sinclair also criticized a perceived lack of sufficient coverage for certain periods of Bowie's career, singling out his tenure on EMI America Records and his membership in Tin Machine.[24]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 28 May 2022 Golden Eye Brett Morgen Nominated [1]
Queer Palm Nominated [25]
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards 13 November 2022 Best Documentary Feature Moonage Daydream Nominated [26]
[27]
Best Archival Documentary Nominated
Best Music Documentary Nominated
Best Director Brett Morgen Nominated
Best Editing Won
Chicago Film Critics Association 14 December 2022 Best Documentary Film Moonage Dream Nominated [28]
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association 18 December 2022 Best Documentary Film Runner-up [29]
Best Soundtrack Nominated
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association 19 December 2022 Best Documentary Film 4th place [30]
Florida Film Critics Circle 22 December 2022 Best Documentary Film Nominated [31]
Toronto Film Critics Association 8 January 2023 Best Documentary Film Runner-up [32]
Austin Film Critics Association 10 January 2023 Best Documentary Nominated [33]
Cinema Eye Honors 12 January 2023 Outstanding Editing Brett Morgen Nominated [34]
[35]
Outstanding Sound Design Samir Foco, John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone Won
Outstanding Visual Design Stefan Nadelman Won
Online Film Critics Society 23 January 2023 Best Documentary Moonage Daydream Nominated [36]
London Film Critics' Circle 5 February 2023 Documentary of the Year Nominated [37]
Satellite Awards 11 February 2023 Best Motion Picture – Documentary Nominated [38]
Vancouver Film Critics Circle 13 February 2023 Best Documentary Nominated [39]
British Academy Film Awards 19 February 2023 Best Documentary Brett Morgan Nominated [40][41]
Hollywood Critics Association Awards 24 February 2023 Best Documentary Film Moonage Daydream Nominated [42]
Golden Reel Awards 26 February 2023 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Documentary Nina Hartstone, Samir Foco, James Shirley, Louise Burton Nominated [43]
Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Documentary Brett Morgan, John Warhurst Won
Cinema Audio Society Awards 4 March 2023 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Documentary Paul Massey, David Giammarco, Jens Rosenlund Petersen Won [44]
Golden Trailer Awards 29 June 2023 Best Documentary – Bio Pic of an Individual "Mystery" (ZEALOT) Nominated [45]
Best Comedy / Drama TrailerByte for a Feature Film "Peculiar Window" (GrandSon) Nominated
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards 9-10 September 2023 Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program Brett Morgen Nominated [46]
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program Nominated
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) John Warhurst, Nina Hartstone, Jens Rosenlund Petersen, Samir Foco, James Shirley, Elliott Koretz, Amy Felton, Louise Burton, Brett Morgen Won
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program (Single or Multi-Camera) Paul Massey, David Giammarco Won
Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program Brett Morgen Nominated
Grammy Awards February 4, 2024 Best Music Film David Bowie and Brett Morgen Won [9][47]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Gleiberman, Owen (25 May 2022). "'Moonage Daydream' Review: Brett Morgen's Kaleidoscopic Head-Trip Meditation on Who David Bowie Was". Variety. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Moonage Daydream (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Moonage Daydream (2022)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e Monroe, Jazz (23 May 2022). "New David Bowie Film Moonage Daydream Gets First Trailer: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Ravindran, Manori (18 November 2021). "David Bowie Film, Based on 'Thousands' of Hours of Rare Footage, Coming From Director Brett Morgen (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Brandle, Lars (12 July 2022). "David Bowie Documentary 'Moonage Daydream' Sets Release Date, Artwork". Billboard. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g P, Maddie (17 July 2022). "'Moonage Daydream': Release Date, Details, Trailer, and Everything We Know So Far". Collider. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  8. ^ Verhoeven, Beatrice (5 January 2023). "Oscars: Tales of Artistry, Environmental Activism and Political Struggle Lead the Documentary Feature Race". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Grammy Nominations 2024: See the Full List Here". Pitchfork. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  10. ^ Busch, Jenna (27 July 2022). "Moonage Daydream Trailer: Revisit The Life Of Musical Genius David Bowie". /Film. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  11. ^ a b Seymour, Corey (24 May 2022). "Moonage Daydream Pays Astounding, Electrifying Homage to the Genius of David Bowie". Vogue. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  12. ^ Kreps, Daniel (27 July 2022). "'Moonage Daydream': Freak Out on the New Trailer for David Bowie Documentary". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  13. ^ Moonage Daydream. November 15, 2022
  14. ^ The Criterion Collection
  15. ^ "Moonage Daydream 3-disc vinyl out now". 31 March 2023.
  16. ^ "Moonage Daydream album press release". David Bowie. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Moonage Daydream (2022)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  18. ^ "Moonage Daydream Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  19. ^ a b Bradshaw, Peter (24 May 2022). "Moonage Daydream review – glorious, shapeshifting eulogy to David Bowie". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  20. ^ Daniels, Robert (3 July 2022). "KVIFF 2022: Joyland, Vesper, Moonage Daydream". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  21. ^ Halligan, Fionnuala (23 May 2022). "'Moonage Daydream': Cannes Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  22. ^ Rothkopf, Joshua (23 May 2022). "Cannes review: Several David Bowies combine into one artist in the essential Moonage Daydream". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  23. ^ a b Adlakha, Siddhant (24 May 2022). "'Moonage Daydream' Review: A David Bowie Documentary as Dynamic as the Man Himself". IndieWire. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  24. ^ Sinclair, Paul (6 September 2022). "David Bowie: Moonage Daydream review". SuperDeluxeEdition. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  25. ^ "Pakistani trans drama wins Cannes 'Queer Palm' award". France 24. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  26. ^ Davis, Clayton (17 October 2022). "'Fire of Love' and 'Good Night Oppy' Lead Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  27. ^ Zilko, Christian (13 November 2022). "'Good Night Oppy,' 'Get Back' Dominate Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Complete Winners List)". IndieWire. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  28. ^ Tallerico, Brian (12 December 2022). "Everything Everywhere All at Once Leads Chicago Film Critics Nominations". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  29. ^ Neglia, Matt (11 December 2022). "The 2022 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Nominations". NextBestPicture. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  30. ^ Neglia, Matt (19 December 2022). "The 2022 Dallas Fort-Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA) Winners". NextBestPicture. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  31. ^ Neglia, Matt (14 December 2022). "The 2022 Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  32. ^ "AFTERSUN LEADS 26TH ANNUAL TFCA AWARDS WINNERS". Toronto Film Critics Association. 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  33. ^ "2022 Austin Film Critics Association Award Nominations". Austin Film Critics Association. 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  34. ^ Jones, Marcus (10 November 2022). "'Fire of Love' and 'The Territory' Lead 2023 Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Nominees". IndieWire. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  35. ^ MacCary, Julia; Shafer, Ellise (12 January 2023). "'All That Breathes,' 'Fire of Love' Lead Cinema Eye Honors". Variety. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  36. ^ Neglia, Matt (23 January 2023). "The 2022 Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) Winners". Next Best Picture. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  37. ^ Pulver, Andrew (21 December 2022). "The Banshees of Inisherin leads pack as London film critics announce nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  38. ^ Anderson, Erik (8 December 2022). "'Top Gun: Maverick' leads International Press Academy's 27th Satellite Awards nominations". Awards Watch. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  39. ^ Neglia, Matt (22 January 2023). "The 2022 Vancouver Film Critics Circle (VFCC) Nominations". NextBestPicture. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  40. ^ Ntim, Zac (19 January 2023). "BAFTA Film Awards Nominations: 'All Quiet On The Western Front,' 'Banshees Of Inisherin' & 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' Lead — The Complete List". Deadline. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  41. ^ Baftas 2023: the complete list of winners|Baftas 2023|The Guardian
  42. ^ Anderson, Erik (15 December 2022). "6th Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards nominations: 'Everything Everywhere All At One,' 'The Banshees of Inisherin' lead". AwardsWatch. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  43. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (9 January 2023). "'Everything Everywhere All At Once' Leads Sound Editors' Golden Reel Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  44. ^ Pedersen, Erik (10 January 2023). "Cinema Audio Society Awards Nominations Set: 'Avatar: The Way Of Water', 'Top Gun: Maverick', 'Elvis' & More". Deadline. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  45. ^ Tinoco, Armando (5 June 2023). "Golden Trailer Awards Nominations List: Stranger Things, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ted Lasso & Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Among Most Nominated". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  46. ^ "75th Emmy Awards Complete Nominations List" (PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  47. ^ "2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List". Grammy Awards. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
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