Stardust (2020 film)
Stardust | |
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Directed by | Gabriel Range |
Written by | Christopher Bell Gabriel Range |
Produced by | Paul Van Carter Nick Taussig Matt Code |
Starring | Johnny Flynn Jena Malone Marc Maron |
Cinematography | Nicholas D. Knowland |
Edited by | Chris Gill |
Music by | Anne Nikitin |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | IFC Films |
Release date |
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Countries |
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Language | English |
Box office | $9,087[1][2] |
Stardust is a 2020 British-Canadian biographical film about English singer-songwriter David Bowie and his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust. It is directed by Gabriel Range, and produced by Paul Van Carter, Nick Taussig and Matt Code, from screenplay co-written by Range with Christopher Bell. Johnny Flynn stars as Bowie, alongside Jena Malone and Marc Maron in supporting roles.[3] It was released on November 25, 2020 by IFC Films.
Premise[]
The film centres on Bowie's first tour in the US in 1971 and his creation of the Ziggy Stardust persona following this visit, whilst also showing Bowie's origins.[4]
Cast[]
- Johnny Flynn as David Bowie
- Marc Maron as Ron Oberman, Bowie’s publicist.
- Jena Malone as Angie Bowie
- Derek Moran as Terry Jones
- Anthony Flanagan as Dr. Reynolds
- Julian Richings as Tony DeFries
- Aaron Poole as Mick Ronson
- James Cade as Marc Bolan
- Jeremy Legat as Woody Woodmansey
- Monica Parker as Mrs. Oberman
- Roanna Cocharne as Charlotte Banks
- Jorja Cadence as June Bolan
- Annie Briggs as Jeanie Richardson
- Ryan Blakley as Tom Classon
Production[]
Casting[]
In August 2019, Johnny Flynn was revealed in a first image portraying Bowie.[4] Marc Maron, Aaron Poole, Roanna Cocharne, Jorja Cadence, Jeremy Legat, James Cade, Annie Briggs, and Ryan Blakley later joined in 2019 in supporting roles.
Filming[]
Filming commenced on July 4, 2019, taking place in Toronto, Canada, and also in the United States, and concluded later in September 2019.
Music[]
Bowie's estate did not approve the film and did not grant rights to use Bowie's music.[5] Instead, Stardust has Bowie performing covers the real Bowie performed in this period, such as "I Wish You Would" by The Yardbirds and "My Death" by Jacques Brel.[6]
Release[]
Stardust was scheduled to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2020, but the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] Instead, the film premiered on October 16, 2020, at the San Diego International Film Festival.[8] In August 2020, IFC Films acquired US distribution rights.[9] It was released[where?] on November 25, 2020.[citation needed]
Reception[]
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 35 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews."[10] According to Rotten Tomatoes, 21% of 70 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 4.3/10. The critics consensus on the website reads: "Ground control to Major Tom, Stardust did not put its helmet on."[11]
In the NME, Mark Beaumont gave the film four out of five, writing that it worked better as a "revelatory road-trip movie" rather than a biopic. He felt the lack of Bowie's music "robs the film of the sense that Bowie's glowering talent was being criminally ignored".[6] The A.V. Club's Ignatiy Vishnevetsky was more critical, referring to the production as "velvet garbage" and concluding the film's version of Bowie to be "simply a mediocre jerk who needs roleplaying therapy to deal with his demons."[12]
References[]
- ^ "Stardust (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ "Stardust (2020)". The Numbers. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ "See the first photo of Johnny Flynn as David Bowie in upcoming film 'Stardust'". EW.com. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Stardust: David Bowie Biopic Shares First Pic Of Johnny Flynn As Music Icon". Empire. 2019-08-20. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
- ^ "David Bowie's son Duncan Jones slams plans for planned biopic about his dad". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "'Stardust' review: David Bowie biopic documents the genesis of an icon". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. 2020-04-16. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
- ^ Reed, Ryan (12 March 2020). "Tribeca Film Festival Postponed Over Coronavirus Precautions". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "The Re-Imagined 2020 San Diego International Film Festival Announces Festival to Feature Virtual Village & Drive-In Movies!". San Diego International Film Festival. 2020-09-23. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (August 19, 2020). "David Bowie Road-Trip Movie 'Stardust' Secures U.S. Deal With IFC Films". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
- ^ "Stardust" – via www.metacritic.com.
- ^ "Stardust (2020)" – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
- ^ Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (November 24, 2020). "Stardust, the Bowie biopic without any Bowie songs, is velvet garbage". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
External links[]
- 2020 films
- English-language films
- Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2020 biographical drama films
- Cultural depictions of David Bowie
- British biographical drama films
- Biographical films about singers
- British films
- Canadian biographical drama films
- Canadian films
- IFC Films films
- Films shot in Toronto