A decade after the world seemingly spun off its axis, a new documentary offers a profound and heartbreaking look at the final creative act of David Bowie. 'Bowie: The Final Act' airs on Saturday 3 January at 10pm on Channel 4, marking ten years since the rock icon's death on 10 January 2016, just two days after the release of his prophetic final album, 'Blackstar'.
The Arc of a Stardust Career
Director Jonathan Stiasny's film avoids dwelling solely in the catacombs of Bowie's final days. Instead, it charts the seismic arc of his career, beginning at a zenith: the 1983 Serious Moonlight tour. This period saw Bowie achieve MTV-era, Pepsi-ad fame, a stratospheric success that ironically led to a creative ennui, drying out his unique artistic voice under the very spotlight he craved.
The documentary then ricochets through the highlights and, crucially, the low points of his journey. Contributors including producer Tony Visconti, musician Goldie, and novelist Hanif Kureishi provide insight. Kureishi recalls Bowie's pattern of forming intense, absorptive friendships before moving on, a poignant reminder of the personal debris often left in the wake of creative genius.
Exploring the Lonely Genius and the 'Vulcan Pimp Suits'
An unusual theme is the film's focus on the minor notes and misfires within a stellar career. It revisits poorly received albums and crises of confidence. In one stark scene, Melody Maker writer Jon Wilde reads his scathing 1991 review of 'Tin Machine II', which concluded with the brutal line: "Sit down man: you're a fucking disgrace." Bowie reportedly cried upon reading it.
The film reassesses Bowie's less successful ventures, with Tin Machine – his attempt to be "some bloke in a band" – receiving particular scrutiny. Editor Dylan Jones calls it "a really bad band, with a really bad name," while band member Reeves Gabrels memorably describes their collarless, colour-block outfits as "Vulcan pimp suits." The question lingers: why would an otherworldly icon desire such anonymity? The implied answer: genius is lonely.
The Final Gift: Facing Mortality with Art
Leitmotifs of supernovae, black holes, and black stars recur, underscoring themes of mortality. The documentary doesn't shy from showing Bowie in pain, walking off stage in Prague as his illness took hold. After a decade away from the limelight, devoted to family, he returned to the studio post-chemotherapy to create 'Blackstar', his most vulnerable and knowingly final work.
This act places him among other courageous songwriters like Warren Zevon and Leonard Cohen, artists who transformed their end into a final, generous gift for their audience. The film is no hagiography, but it clearly revels in the Bowie myth, offering rapturous glimpses of Ziggy Stardust and nostalgic bliss for his playgrounds in 60s London and 70s New York.
It also includes the incredible 1999 Newsnight clip where Bowie, in conversation with Jeremy Paxman, predicted the chaotic, internet-mediated world we inhabit today. The documentary leaves viewers mourning not just the man, but what he represented: a fearless beacon for misfits and boundless creativity. In the end, both the art and the artist were heartbreakingly, triumphantly human.
