Absolute Beginners (1986)
“Welcome to the world of your dreams!”
A musical adaptation of Colin MacInnes' novel about life in late 1950s London. Nineteen-year-old photographer Colin is hopelessly in love with model Crepe Suzette, but her relationships are strictly connected with her progress in the fashion world. So Colin gets involved with a pop promoter and tries to crack the big time. Meanwhile, racial tension is brewing in Colin's Notting Hill housing estate...
The film establishes its central universe, introducing the protagonists into an escalating conflict. Directed by Julien Temple, this opening movement establishes high visual and thematic stakes that set the narrative journey into motion.
The protagonists navigate escalating complications, ethical dilemmas, and formidable challenges. Starring Eddie O'Connell, Patsy Kensit, James Fox, the middle act intensifies dramatic momentum toward an inevitable turning point.
The dramatic arcs converge in a decisive climax, resolving interpersonal conflicts and delivering the auteur’s resonant thematic conclusion.
Eddie O'Connell
as Colin, Photographer / Narrator
Patsy Kensit
as Suzette
James Fox
as Henley of Mayfair, Dressmaker to the Queen
David Bowie
as Vendice Partners
Ray Davies
as Arthur, Colin's Dad
Mandy Rice-Davies
as Flora, Colin's Mum
Eve Ferret
as Big Jill
Tony Hippolyte
as Mr. Cool
Graham Fletcher-Cook
as Wizard
Joseph McKenna
as Fabulous Hoplite
Steven Berkoff
as The Fanatic
Sade
as Athene Duncannon (as Sade Adu)Cinematographic negative, aspect ratios & laboratory mastering sheet
| Aspect Ratios | 2.39:1 |
|---|---|
| Camera Systems | Arri Alexa LF / Panavision Millennium DXL2 |
| Negative Format | 35mm / 65mm / Digital Master |
| Printed Film Format | 70mm / DCP Master |
| Sound Mix Formats | Dolby AtmosDTS:X5.1 Surround |
| Laboratory / VFX | Technicolor / Double Negative (DNEG) |
| Color Processing | Color (Rec.709 / DCI-P3 Mastering) |
| Official Runtime | 108 min |
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Weighted consensus from 100K+ verified global cinephile ratings
The pipe organ composition from Hans Zimmer at the edge of Gargantua is monumental. Nolan masterfully balances the vast coldness of relativistic astrophysics with the intimate, multidimensional bond of family. A transcendent achievement of cinema.
"Do not go gentle into that good night, Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Michael Caine reciting Dylan Thomas resonates throughout the entire odyssey. Pure cinematic grandeur.
