Twenty-five years ago, Michael Jackson’s feature film Moonwalker, released in October 1988, furthered his life-long dream of becoming a movie star.
Jackson’s fantasy was one he shared with thousands of others in Hollywood. It was his aspiration, and one that remained unachieved until the day he died: June 25th, 2009. Self-penned notes, found after his death, reveal he felt that by becoming a film star and director, he’d secure immortalisation. Climbing to the pinnacle of the music industry in the 1980s, as well as redefining – and revolutionising – the music video as an art form hadn’t fulfilled his appetite. He was desperate to innovate in his favourite medium: film.
Not surprisingly, being in the music industry since the 1960s meant Jackson had an unquenchable thirst for new challenges. Prior to 1988, though, film success had eluded the then-30-year-old star which did do a performance as the Scarecrow in The Wiz, & Captain EO, made for Disney’s theme parks in 1986.
Jackson’s star power was so colossal in the 1980s that showbiz compatriots clamoured to collaborate with him. He had already ‘gone to school’ for his directorial education, working alongside two of the most successful directors of the 1980s: John Landis on ‘Thriller’ and Martin Scorsese on ‘Bad’. According to accounts of the directors and producers who’d worked with him, Jackson had shown great promise as an actor and director.
Michael Jackson, ‘Thriller’ (1983)
Michael Jackson, ‘Bad’ (1987)
And so, eager to achieve his breakthrough in film, a workaholic Jackson began shooting Moonwalker – before his multi-platinum ‘Bad’ album was even completed, his aim to coincide the releases. Writing and financing the 93-minute film himself – reportedly to the sum of $20 million – permitted him to monopolise the project from concept and, significantly, secure its production.
Worldwide touring commitments meant Moonwalker – named after Jackson’s backwards-slide dance and alluding to the stratospheric fame he’d accomplished – was released in UK cinemas in 1988. Domestically it became a box-office success, yet was only released to the US market on home video. Even so, Moonwalker became a phenomenon on VHS, generating millions of dollars in sales.
Aside from the obvious – and seemingly pointless – opening autobiographical segments featuring solo and Jackson 5 performances, the film is essentially a series of short music videos woven together. Moonwalker succeeds as a superb visual interpretation to the fantasy themes found within the ‘Bad’ album. Moonwalker reaffirms Jackson’s status as a master of the form.
The film visually contextualises the subject matters found in ‘Bad’ through a tapestry of music videos. ‘Speed Demon’ features the artist transformed, in then-cutting-edge claymation style, into a leather-clad motorcyclist rabbit who frantically attempts to escape a bunch of crazed fans. It’s pure ‘80s filmmaking that brings humour to the tragic reality of Jackson’s day-to-day reclusive lifestyle and his desire to discover a sense of normality away from a destructive media spotlight.
‘Leave Me Alone’ is the most obviously autobiographical moment of Moonwalker, a refreshingly frank message addressing Jackson’s growing anti-media feelings. Its revolutionary video, directed by Jim Blashfield, took nine months to make. Parading as a paradoxical glimpse into Jackson’s psyche, it symbolises his life as an entertainer. With Jackson portrayed as Gulliver trapped amongst rollercoasters, the film ends by showing him breaking free of the theme park, metaphorically escaping the shackles life.
Michael Jackson, ‘Speed Demon’
Michael Jackson – ‘Leave Me Alone’
‘Leave Me Alone’ broke new boundaries, winning a Grammy in 1990. Director Blashfield recalls: “Conceptually, what we started out with, working with Jerry Kramer, Michael’s producer for the video, was an idea that the video would be about Michael’s ‘idiosyncrasies’. Michael was at a stage in his career where he was starting to be the subject of some negative press, because of his propensity for plastic surgery and other stuff. Jerry and Michael thought it would be good to do a video that recognised and had fun with these things.”
READ MORE: http://www.clashmusic.com/features/michael-jacksons-moonwalker-at-25
Source: clashmusic / MJ-Upbeat.com
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