The Cracked Actor: Bowie on Screen

The Goblin King takes over GOMA with The Cracked Actor: Bowie on Screen, a new film program at the Gallery of Modern Art's Australian Cinémathèque, celebrating David Bowie's eclectic on-screen career, from August 17 to October 5, 2024.

The pop-culture icon is synonymous with transcendent stage performances, eye-catching costumes, and an androgenous brand of cool lightyears ahead of its time.

But behind Bowie’s now iconic stage personas — Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and The Thin White Duke — lies a complicated love affair with acting that took his passion for performing from the concert stage to the silver screen.

The singer’s enduring fascination with cinema lead him to take on a vast body of on-screen roles that include some of the most iconic — and underrated — performances in modern cinema.

This curated film program charts the changes in Bowie’s acting style, from early on-stage musical performances to unforgettable on-screen roles, including an enigmatic vampire in Tony Scott’s The Hunger 1983, the mysterious inventor Nikola Tesla in Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige 2006 and the infamous alter-ego that started it all, Ziggy Stardust, in Brett Morgen’s psychedelically-infused experimental biopic Moonage Daydream 2022.

Don't miss this rare chance to see an eclectic suite of films featuring the pop-culture icon, which will appeal to Bowie aficionados and ‘absolute beginners’ alike. 

GOMA is a valued partner of Must Do Brisbane.com 

Image 1. Production still from Labyrinth 1986 / Director: Jim Henson / Image courtesy: Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.

Image 2. Production still from The Man Who Fell to Earth 1976 / Director: Nicholas Roeg / Image courtesy: StudioCanal Australia

Image 3. Production still from The Linguini Incident 1991 / Director: Richard Shepard / Image courtesy: Park Circus/ITV Studios

Image 4. Production still from The Man Who Fell to Earth 1976 / Director: Nicholas Roeg / Image courtesy: StudioCanal Australia