Cracked Actor, the BBC produced Bowie documentary focusing on the changeling’s time spent in LA post-Ziggy/pre-Station To Station, is a raw—at times unsettling—look into the artist’s life and career during the mid ’70s. A period often mythologized as a sort of hedonistic manifest destiny gone purgatorial limbo, the always svelte Bowie is positively skeletal here—a physical deterioration that when coupled with some of the film’s archival interviews goes a long way to show just how precipitous Bowie’s stay in Los Angeles really was. In short, Cracked is a candid, essential, watch for Bowie completests, especially for those interested in this period of his career.
Originally broadcast by the BBC in 1975, the documentary has been available on DVD (via dubious gray market bootlegs) and is widely circulated online. You can stream it below, in its entirety, or watch it here.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you!
1 | Alex March 14th, 2011 at 8:28 pmcool, sounds great
2 | theMike March 14th, 2011 at 8:40 pmYes!!
3 | breck March 14th, 2011 at 10:10 pmDo you have any idea where to find that version of Sweet Thing/ Candidate?
4 | RMoon March 14th, 2011 at 11:29 pm[...] posted here: David Bowie :: Cracked Actor (BBC Documentary) « Contest: Girl Talk At The Pomona Fox Theater LTSC Japan Disaster Relief Donation [...]
5 | David Bowie :: Cracked Actor (BBC Documentary) | To Do In LA (Los Angeles) March 15th, 2011 at 3:31 amMust. See. Now.
6 | Natasha L March 15th, 2011 at 10:51 amJust watched…thanks for the gift
7 | jesselun March 16th, 2011 at 1:02 pmI really wish there was a documentary/footage/whatever covering the all the years between Young Americans (where this BBC documentary ends) through Let’s Dance.
8 | -- March 16th, 2011 at 7:31 pmI saw this last year. In parts its very very scary. I had read material on this stage of his life, but to see it “in the flesh” is spine chilling. Despite the darkness around him, the guy’s monumental talent is there to see.
9 | JohnOO March 17th, 2011 at 4:42 am[...] While we’re on the subject…—Free Bowie doc Cracked Actor from [...]
10 | Ripped from the headlines March 17th, 2011 at 11:05 amHas it been taken down? Says not available at Google, and won’t play on this page. Or maybe it’s limited to the UK…?
11 | Rocketboy March 24th, 2011 at 4:20 pmahh, too bad. wasnt a legal stream, so only a matter of time. – AD
12 | Satisfied '75 March 24th, 2011 at 6:07 pm[...] Related Bowie News: Looks like Google Video has removed the stream of Cracked Actor, the BBC produced 1975 documentary I wrote about last week. But…some savvy online sleuthing [...]
13 | Aquarium Drunkard » David Bowie: Fresh from Divorce: The Scary Monsters Chronicles March 25th, 2011 at 9:29 am