David Bowie
With this minimovie, David Bowie confirms his mastery of the music-video form. An accomplished dramatic actor in films, he seems to have discovered early on that video was the perfect medium for his message, and Jazzin', elaborating on his pop hit Blue Jean, takes that message to its limit without overworking it. Ever since his Ziggy Stardust period, Bowie has exhibited a fascination for one primary subject: himself. As written and performed by Bowie, Jazzin' uses video's capacity for self-reference to have some fun with that favorite theme. In this case Bowie's alter egos are a working-class bloke named Vic and a pampered rock star who calls himself Screaming Lord Byron. To impress his ravishing date, Vic pretends to be mates with Byron. Bowie's bumbling as Vic hits just the right self-deprecatingly humorous note, while his portrayal of Byron deftly exposes the whimpering, drugged-up prima donna behind the rock idol's image. The whole story is neatly framed by the frustrations Bowie himself experiences as the talent trying to make a music video that satisfies his artistic demands. By constantly puncturing his own inflated image, Bowie allows us to indulge in video fun without mistaking it for real life. It's hard not to admire the wit and sly detachment with which he makes entertaining art out of himself. (Sony, 20 minutes, $19.95)
Your Reaction
