Just a Gigolo

Summary

David Bowie starred in Just a Gigolo in 1978 while he was working through his Berlin period. The film was directed by British actor David Hemmings. The film was upon its release literally called a “debacle” and was critically panned by nearly all the critics who saw the film at that time. David Bowie joked at the time that it was “my 32 Elvis Presley movies rolled into one.” I knew nothing about the film going into it except that it starred David Bowie. Bowie is one of my favorite musicians of all time and I figured I would give the film a shot. It is definitely a strange film.

German officer Paul (David Bowie) arrives at the Western front during World War 1. He is greeted by a stubborn Captain Hermann Kraft (David Hemmings) who refuses to surrender after the peace is declared. He implores Paul to follow him onto the field of battle and they both are blown asunder by a land mine. Paul awakens from a coma in a French hospital and is given a hero’s welcome, until they realize that he is a German. Paul returns to Berlin in 1922. His mother has taken a job at a Turkish bath. Paul takes several odd jobs but can not seem to find his path due to all of his skills being centered on a soldier’s life and the war is over. Paul’s next door neighbor Cilly (Sydne Rome) tries to seduce him, but Paul is too serious and too distracted to take her up on her offer. Paul sees another neighbor has resorted to prostitution and she discusses this with Paul without shame. In 1923, Paul finds himself meeting up with his old Captain Kraft. Kraft still plans to win the war which has ended and has built an office to launch his plans from within the subways of the city. Paul begins to work with the strange Captain who is in an offbeat relationship with the jealous Otto. After a series of inconsequential events, Paul finds himself working as a gigolo to support himself.

I honestly had no idea what to expect from this film going into it. After watching the film, I feel a little bit ambivalent to it. David Hemmings directorial style tries to inject comedy into the proceedings, but it doesn’t seem to be quite capable of making up its mind as to what tone the film is shooting for. In my eyes, the film is not the absolute disaster that some reviews would lead you to believe, and it is not some brilliant achievement either. It feels more like a noble failure. The film has some interesting scenes and an engaging performance by Sydne Rome. It is overlong and feels disjointed at times since the script goes in numerous directions without much thought for how these scenes interact as a whole. Even the title of the film seems like a misnomer, considering that the gigolo portion of the film is just a small part of the story. They seemed to land on the title due to Marlene Dietrich’s singing of the song in one short sequence in the film. The film has some well done cinematography, and Bowie does what he can in the role, but the movie seems to have trouble finding its footings.

Overall – Just a Gigolo can’t really get a firm recommendation from me, but it isn’t as bad as some would make it out to be. As a Bowie fan, it was nice to quell my curiosity about the film.

Video:

I disagree with some reviews that didn’t appreciate the transfer of the film and said it was mediocre. I felt that this was a pretty well done transfer. Fine detail is strong, clarity is for the most part very good, and the fine grain over the film for the most part is organic (aside from some darker scenes where the grain looks strange.) The skin tones may look a little bit anemic at times, but considering this is a film starring the thin white Duke, that did not seem like a big deal. While people will have divisive feelings about the film, the film is well shot and this transfer has been given care. Fans of the film should be pleased with how the film looks.

Audio: 

Similar to the video transfer, the audio in the film is pretty well balanced and well presented. The DTS-HD MA 2.0 track capably reproduces the original sound design.

Supplements:

Commentary by Rory MacLean assistant to director David Hemmings

Making Of – this is a well made featurette with interviews with screenwriter Joshua Sinclair and Rory MacLean.

Overall Scores:

Video – 4/5

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 3/5

Overall – 3/5

Just a Gigolo is not the absolute disaster it has been made out to be, nor is it particularly good. The film has some interesting sequences and ideas, and the performances by Bowie and Sydne Rome are enjoyable. The film struggles to find itself and ultimately falls a little flat despite its best attempts. Fans of the film should be very pleased by the technical specs of the release, but newcomers to the film will want to rent prior to a purchase.