Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo
Encyclopedia
Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo (also known as Just a Gigolo) is a 1978 film
directed by David Hemmings
and starring David Bowie
. Set in post-World War I
Berlin
, it also featured Sydne Rome
, Kim Novak
and, in her last screen appearance, Marlene Dietrich
. The hostile reception the film received led Bowie to quip that it was "my 32 Elvis Presley
movies rolled into one".
n officer (David Bowie) returns home to Berlin following the end of the Great War
. Unable to find employment elsewhere, he works as a gigolo
in a brothel
run by the Baroness (Marlene Dietrich). He is eventually killed in street fighting between Nazis and Communists
. Both sides claim his body but the Nazis succeed in capturing it and bury him with honours, "a hero to a cause he did not support".
, tongue-in-cheek, about the period". Marlene Dietrich was persuaded to come out of retirement to make the film, reportedly receiving $250,000 for two days' shooting.
It was Bowie's first movie role after Nicolas Roeg
's The Man Who Fell to Earth
(1976). As Roeg's film had played upon Bowie's earlier identification with science fiction
and alienness, so Just a Gigolo fitted his then-current interest in pre-war Berlin, pricked by meeting Christopher Isherwood
, whose Goodbye to Berlin
had inspired the musical Cabaret
. The city had also been the recording location for Bowie's latest studio album, "Heroes" (1977).
The singer has variously claimed that he took the role "as a favour to Hemmings", who at the time was also planning to produce a documentary of Bowie's 1978 concert tour, and because "Marlene Dietrich was dangled in front of me". In the event, the two stars never actually met. Dietrich played her brief part in Paris
, where she lived, with the result simply being cut into Bowie's scenes that were shot, along with the rest of the film, in Berlin.
, The Manhattan Transfer
and the Village People
. As well as appearing on screen, Sydne Rome sang a track called "Don't Let It Be Too Long", by David Hemmings and composer Günther Fischer, while Marlene Dietrich performed the song "Just a Gigolo
".
Unlike his work on The Man Who Fell to Earth, Bowie did contribute a piece of music to the film; his so-called "Revolutionary Song" was co-written with musical director Jack Fishman and played by a band called The Rebels. It was released in Japan as a single
, which later became something of a collectors item.
on 14 February 1979 where, at an ostensibly black-tie
affair, Bowie and his date wore kimono
s. Reviews were again negative; the Sunday Mirror
called the film "all show and no substance" and considered Bowie "completely miscast", while Time Out advised its readers to simply "overlook it".
In an interview with NME
in September 1980, Bowie was quoted as saying:
Bowie's biographers have labelled the film "an active pain", "an unadulterated flop", and a "debacle". Its reputation among mainstream critics generally remains low, Halliwell
's calling it an "international misadventure... interminable... clumsily made", while Leonard Maltin
describes it as a "weird melodrama". Allmovie's Hal Erickson has nevertheless given the film a 3-star rating.
Just a Gigolo was released to DVD
in 2004.
1978 in film
The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
directed by David Hemmings
David Hemmings
David Edward Leslie Hemmings was an English film, theatre and television actor as well as a film and television director and producer....
and starring David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
. Set in post-World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, it also featured Sydne Rome
Sydne Rome
Sydne Rome is a United States-born, Italy-based film actress. Her first name is often misspelled Sydney or Sidney....
, Kim Novak
Kim Novak
Kim Novak is an American film and television actress. She began her career with her roles in Pushover and Phffft! but achieved greater prominence in the 1955 film Picnic...
and, in her last screen appearance, Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
. The hostile reception the film received led Bowie to quip that it was "my 32 Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
movies rolled into one".
Plot
A PrussiaPrussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n officer (David Bowie) returns home to Berlin following the end of the Great War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Unable to find employment elsewhere, he works as a gigolo
Male prostitution
Male prostitution is the practice of engaging in sexual acts for money. Compared to female sex workers, male sex workers have been far less studied by researchers, and while studies suggest that there are differences between the ways these two groups look at their work, more research is needed.Male...
in a brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
run by the Baroness (Marlene Dietrich). He is eventually killed in street fighting between Nazis and Communists
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
. Both sides claim his body but the Nazis succeed in capturing it and bury him with honours, "a hero to a cause he did not support".
Production
Around the time of its release, David Hemmings said that Just a Gigolo was intended to be "highly ironicIrony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
, tongue-in-cheek, about the period". Marlene Dietrich was persuaded to come out of retirement to make the film, reportedly receiving $250,000 for two days' shooting.
It was Bowie's first movie role after Nicolas Roeg
Nicolas Roeg
Nicolas Jack Roeg, CBE, BSC is an English film director and cinematographer.-Life and career:Roeg was born in London, the son of Mabel Gertrude and Jack Nicolas Roeg...
's The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Man Who Fell to Earth (film)
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a 1976 British science fiction film directed by Nicolas Roeg.The film is based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, about an extraterrestrial who crash lands on Earth seeking a way to ship water to his planet, which is suffering from a severe drought...
(1976). As Roeg's film had played upon Bowie's earlier identification with science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and alienness, so Just a Gigolo fitted his then-current interest in pre-war Berlin, pricked by meeting Christopher Isherwood
Christopher Isherwood
Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood was an English-American novelist.-Early life and work:Born at Wyberslegh Hall, High Lane, Cheshire in North West England, Isherwood spent his childhood in various towns where his father, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, was stationed...
, whose Goodbye to Berlin
Goodbye to Berlin
Goodbye to Berlin is a 1939 short novel by Christopher Isherwood set in pre-Nazi Germany. It is often published together with Mr Norris Changes Trains in a collection called The Berlin Stories.-Details:...
had inspired the musical Cabaret
Cabaret (musical)
Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions....
. The city had also been the recording location for Bowie's latest studio album, "Heroes" (1977).
The singer has variously claimed that he took the role "as a favour to Hemmings", who at the time was also planning to produce a documentary of Bowie's 1978 concert tour, and because "Marlene Dietrich was dangled in front of me". In the event, the two stars never actually met. Dietrich played her brief part in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where she lived, with the result simply being cut into Bowie's scenes that were shot, along with the rest of the film, in Berlin.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of Just a Gigolo included jazz and cabaret standards performed by various acts including Pasadena Roof OrchestraPasadena Roof Orchestra
The Pasadena Roof Orchestra is a contemporary band from England that specialises in the jazz and swing genres of music of the 1920s and 1930s, although their full repertoire is considerably wider. The orchestra has existed since 1969, although the line-up has frequently changed...
, The Manhattan Transfer
The Manhattan Transfer
The Manhattan Transfer is an American vocal music group. There have been two manifestations of the group, with Tim Hauser being the only person to be part of both...
and the Village People
Village People
Village People is a concept disco group that formed in the United States in 1977, well known for their on-stage costumes depicting American cultural stereotypes, as well as their catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics....
. As well as appearing on screen, Sydne Rome sang a track called "Don't Let It Be Too Long", by David Hemmings and composer Günther Fischer, while Marlene Dietrich performed the song "Just a Gigolo
Just a Gigolo (song)
"Just a Gigolo" is a popular song, adapted by Irving Caesar in 1929 from the Austrian song "Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo", written in 1928 by Leonello Casucci and Julius Brammer .-History:...
".
Unlike his work on The Man Who Fell to Earth, Bowie did contribute a piece of music to the film; his so-called "Revolutionary Song" was co-written with musical director Jack Fishman and played by a band called The Rebels. It was released in Japan as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, which later became something of a collectors item.
Release and aftermath
The film opened in Berlin on 16 November 1978. It received poor reviews and was pulled from cinemas. Hemmings recut the picture for its UK premiere in Leicester SquareLeicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...
on 14 February 1979 where, at an ostensibly black-tie
Black tie
Black tie is a dress code for evening events and social functions. For a man, the main component is a usually black jacket, known as a dinner jacket or tuxedo...
affair, Bowie and his date wore kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
s. Reviews were again negative; the Sunday Mirror
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror is a British national daily tabloid newspaper which was founded in 1903. Twice in its history, from 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was changed to read simply The Mirror, which is how the paper is often referred to in popular parlance. It had an...
called the film "all show and no substance" and considered Bowie "completely miscast", while Time Out advised its readers to simply "overlook it".
In an interview with NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
in September 1980, Bowie was quoted as saying:
Bowie's biographers have labelled the film "an active pain", "an unadulterated flop", and a "debacle". Its reputation among mainstream critics generally remains low, Halliwell
Leslie Halliwell
Robert James Leslie Halliwell was a British film encyclopaedist and television impresario who in 1965 compiled The Filmgoer's Companion, the first one-volume encyclopaedia devoted to all aspects of the cinema. He followed it a dozen years later with Halliwell's Film Guide, another monumental work...
's calling it an "international misadventure... interminable... clumsily made", while Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
describes it as a "weird melodrama". Allmovie's Hal Erickson has nevertheless given the film a 3-star rating.
Just a Gigolo was released to DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in 2004.