Summaries

In 1984, British journalist Arthur Stuart investigates the career of 1970s glam superstar Brian Slade, who was heavily influenced in his early years by hard-living and rebellious American singer Curt Wild.

London, 1971 - Flower Power is on the wane and floundering hippie troubadour Brian Slade feels old-fashioned and out of step until he experiences the raw power of rock musician and exhibitionist Curt Wild at a live concert. Smitten and inspired, Slade rises from the ashes of fussy brocade, reincarnating as the ambiguous pop-rock God/dess of platinum dust and phoenix feathers, Maxwell Demon. His alluring androgynous imagery and the seductive sounds his 'glitter rock' seduce teenagers across the world, offering refuge for the weird and unwanted with the promise of an everything-goes hedonism. At the height of his fame and cultural influence, he plots his sensational demise to escape, alienating his fans and falling into obscurity. On the 10th anniversary of the character assassination, journalist Arthur Stuart investigates Slade's disappearance, forcing him to revisit his own confusing teenage identity crisis and rebirth mirroring that of his idol Brian Slade.—Mae Moreno

1971: Glamrock explodes all over the world and challenges the seriousness within the flower power generation by means of glitter and brutal music. Brian Slade, a young rock star, inspires numerous teenage boys and girls to paint their nails and explore their own sexuality. In the end Slade destroys himself. Unable to escape the character role of "Maxwell Demon" that he created, he plots his own murder. When fans discover the murder is not real, his star falls abruptly and he is quickly forgotten about. 1984: Arthur, a journalist working for a New York newspaper, gets assigned the tenth anniversary story about the fake murder of Brian Slade. When Arthur was young and growing up in Manchester, he was more than a fan of Slade. Reluctantly he accepts the assignment and starts to investigate what happened to his old glamrock hero.—Jack Fairy

Details

Keywords
  • male nudity
  • male full frontal nudity
  • homosexuality
  • homoeroticism
  • new queer cinema
Genres
  • Drama
  • Music
Release date Oct 22, 1998
Motion Picture Rating (MPA) R
Countries of origin United States United Kingdom
Official sites Official Facebook
Language English French
Filming locations Lyceum Theatre, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London, England, UK
Production companies Killer Films Channel Four Films Goldwyn Films

Box office

Gross US & Canada $1053788
Opening weekend US & Canada $301787
Gross worldwide $1054291

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 58m
Color Color
Sound mix Dolby Digital
Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1

Synopsis

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