I recently discovered the 1975 documentary "Cracked Actor", that followed a young, rising star David Bowie whilst on tour in LA. The film was re-released on TV with an added reflective summary and introduction by it's director Alan Yentob, to coincide with the London V&A Museum's current retrospective 'David Bowie Is' exhibition (which I shall be attending in June). The program comprises of interviews with Bowie and his fans, mixed in with alluringly-atmospheric montages of concert footage, songs and filming on the road.
One of the opening scenes of the documentary, is a blurred shot that focuses to reveal an eerie white face, as thick paste is increasingly applied- unsettlingly reminiscent of some kind of cadaver embalming. The scene shows the process of a facial cast being taken, the defined and gaunt features leaving no doubt as to who's beneath it all- A shot of the empty cast yields to the title screen, followed by the scene of Bowie wearing and removing a mask of his own face. This sequence serves as a clever visual metaphor, reflecting the nature of the themes explored in the documentary, and it is these that I find fascinating- not just a talented singer-songwriter, but a performing artist.
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The director sets the scene and describes Bowie's use of personas over his career- constructed characters in which he fully immersed himself, on-stage and off. 'I couldn't decide whether I was writing characters, or whether the characters were writing me'- Bowie remarked, introspectively discussing his reasons for performing shows as anyone other than David Bowie. He described getting 'lost' in his creations, to the point of mental instability, a reflection of his absolute commitment- here, he is shown 'between roles', yet still very evidently in a fragile state of mind, and heavily addicted to cocaine. He went on to say 'that's something I feel very strongly about, that one isn't totally what one has been conditioned to think one is- there are many facets to the personality which a lot of us have trouble finding'- an interesting idea that I definitely see truth in. These personified 'facets' of himself are something I experienced personally during the 'Invented Personas' project; my character became an extension of certain personal interests and traits.
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The interviews conducted mostly in hotel rooms and limousines also probed as to how and why his unique array of characters, and the resulting theatrical stage shows came to be; 'I could always write better stories than everybody else' , he said- 'more than anything else, I saw that a lot of my songs were very illustrative and picturesque'. This sense of vision and innovative crossing of creative outlets is something I find inspiring. Similarly, I hope to explore creative hybridity through photography, illustration and narrative skills.
'Cracked Actor' is a valuable insight into the creative (yet fragile) mind of David Bowie during his rise through fame, already with formidable success- yet fated to subsequently produce amongst some of his most iconic works. A man of masks.
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