Today would have been David Bowie’s 75th birthday. Though it’s been six years since David Bowie passed, he remains an iconic cultural force. He is missed, as both a musician and an actor.
In honor of the man’s birthday and his legacy as a performer, today’s scene that I love is from the 1981 German film, Christiane F. Directed by Uli Edel and based on a true story, Christiane F. is the story of a 13 year-old drug addict. It’s a powerful film, though perhaps not one to watch if you’re dealing with any sort of severe depression. David Bowie both composed the film’s soundtrack and appeared in the film himself.
Here, he performs Station to Station while Christiane F. watches. The scene perfectly captures not only Christiane F.’s fascination with Bowie but also Bowie’s charisma as a performer. The scene was shot an actual concert that David Bowie performed in Berlin, though the shots of Christiane F. and her friends watching were filmed separately.
Since this week started with Sergio Leone’s birthday, it only seems appropriate that today’s edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse Trailers should be dedicated to the Western. Here are 6 classic Spaghetti western trailers!
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
It only makes sense that we should start things off with a trailer from a Leone film and it makes further sense that film should be The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. It’s all here, from the classic Ennio Morricone score to the unforgettable staring contest between Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach.
2. Sabata (1969)
While Clint Eastwood was able to use his appearances in Leone’s westerns to restart his American film career, Lee Van Cleef remained in Italy. After playing the villainous Angel Eyes, Van Cleef played the hero Sabata. This trailer is very, very 60s.
3. Django (1966)
Franco Nero never appeared in a Sergio Leone film but he was a favorite of the famous “other Sergio,” Sergio Corbucci. In Corbucci’s Django, Nero played the haunted title character, making his way across the west with a deadly coffin.
4. Django Kill (1967)
Django was such a hit that a number of other films were made about other haunted, amoral gunslingers named Django. Whether or not they were all the same Django was left to the audience to decide. In Django Kill, Tomas Milian played the title character and found himself in a surreal hellscape, surrounded by people who were obsessed with gold.
5. The Great Silence (1968)
The Great Silence was one of the greatest of the spaghetti westerns, featuring Klaus Kinski in one of his best and most villainous roles. Unfortunately, like many of the better spaghetti westerns, it initially did not get a proper release in the States. Fortunately, it has since been rediscovered.
6. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)
And finally, to close things out, here’s one last Sergio Leone trailer. Sadly underappreciated when first released, Once Upon A Time In The West has since come to be recognized as a masterpiece.
This cover is from 1951 and was done by an artist who we’ve featured many times in the past and who will undoubtedly be featured many times in the future, Rudy Nappi!
Based on Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Walter Murphy’s A Fifth of Beethoven …. oh, wait a minute. I just got that. Fifth Symphony …. A Fifth of Beethoven. That’s clever. How would Beethoven have felt about a disco version of his symphony? I imagine Beethoven would probably sue for royalties. The music business is cutthroat.
Anyway, this song is best known for appearing on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. When Tony Manero and his friends step into the club, this is the song that’s playing in the background and it fits in perfectly with Tony’s view of himself as being a God among men.
The song was composed by Walter Murphy, who had previously been a jazz musician. He played all of the instruments himself on the original recording but the song was still credited to Walter Murphy and The Big Apple Band because it was apparently felt that it was better to be known as a member of a band than a solo artist.
This video is from 1976. Is that the Big Apple Band that Murphy’s performing with? I don’t know. It’s a good song, though. For the longest time, I thought it was also the theme music for Judge Judy but then I did some research at the University of Google and I discovered that Judge Judy’s theme song was actually the Fifth Symphony. I also discovered that Judge Judy was still alive so it was a productive session.
Through the Shattered Lens 