Absolute Beginners (1986) on Netflix
PG-1319861h 48mDramaMusicalRomance
In 1958 London, teenage photographer Colin is in love with Suzette, who wants a career in fashion and a luxurious life. Racial tension is rising in his Notting Hill neighborhood.
- Netflix2.2/5
- IMDb5.6/103,999 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes70%
Trailer
Plot summary
Colin is a nineteen-year-old photographer who lives in Notting Hill, the poor and ethnically diverse part of London. He aims to be an artist with integrity, and he is in love with Suzette, an aspiring fashion designer who tells him she intends to have a successful and luxurious life. Her employer, the dressmaker Henley of Mayfair, uses her forward-thinking designs to polish his own reputation. Colin takes commercial work photographing the teen idol Baby Boom for the music producer Harry Charms. Around him the Teddy Boy subculture grows hostile to Black residents, and the White Defence League, led by the Fanatic, campaigns against the neighborhood's diversity. Colin despises the racism, and at a party he meets the advertising mogul Vendice Partners.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Absolute Beginners (1986)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The cost of Absolute Beginners blew out during filming, rising from £6 million to £8.6 million. Alan Marshall was hired to oversee the project through to completion, and Goldcrest wound up having to invest £5 million.
- The commercial failure of Absolute Beginners, along with two other films, is blamed for the collapse of the British studio Goldcrest Films and for Virgin Films withdrawing from production.
- After the film, Julien Temple had to leave the UK to find work elsewhere; two noted fans of it were Michael and Janet Jackson, and he went on to direct Janet Jackson's promo clips "When I Think Of You" and "Alright", which emulate the film's visual style.
- Eddie O'Connell and Patsy Kensit were relative unknowns when cast in the film, and Julien Temple said in a 2016 interview that the two leads did not get on with each other well.
