The David Bowie documentary / “not a documentary” film, Moonage Daydream, featuring never-before-seen concert footage, is coming to HBO. It’ll make its television debut there on April 29, 2023, at 8 p.m. ET/PT and be available to stream on HBO Max. (After an initial limited theatrical run last year, the feature-length film ultimately expanded to 600 screens.) As of April 6, Rotten Tomatoes scores it at 92%. In its review, Variety called it “the first graduate school-level music documentary.” The Guardian wrote, “An 140-minute shapeshifting epiphany-slash-freakout leading to the revelation that, yes, we’re lovers of David Bowie and that is that.” The Los Angeles Times called it “a tribute worthy of his unclassifiable genius.” The film was an official selection of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
The movie comes from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Brett Morgen, director of, among others, Cobain: Montage of Heck, as well as The Kid Stays in the Picture, the documentary biopic about film studio exec and producer, Robert Evans.
Though the Bowie estate insists Moonage Daydream is not a documentary, we’ll let you be the judge. It is a genre-defying cinematic experience based on one of the most iconic and global rock stars of all time.
Watch the official trailer
The film’s title comes from the name of his 1971 track which was included on his 1972 album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The movie has the full support of Bowie’s estate and features many of his greatest tracks.
Watch the official teaser trailer, released on May 23, 2022
The companion album to Moonage Daydream features songs spanning Bowie’s career and includes previously unheard material, unique mixes created for the film and this release, along with dialogue from Bowie himself.
Highlights include a previously unreleased live medley of “The Jean Genie / Love Me Do / The Jean Genie” recorded live at the final Ziggy Stardust concert at Hammersmith Odeon in 1973, featuring Jeff Beck on guitar.
Other rarities include an early version of the Hunky Dory favorite “Quicksand” and a previously unreleased live version of “Rock ’n’ Roll With Me” from the legendary 1974 Soul Tour.
The first track to be released was “Modern Love (Moonage Daydream Mix),” one of Bowie’s biggest and best-loved worldwide hits. This version is a unique mix starting with the isolated piano motif from the track, building up into the chorus before ending on the a cappella backing vocals.
Bowie was born on Jan. 8, 1947. He died on Jan. 10, 2016, two days after his 69th birthday. A book, Bowie at 75, was published on June 14, 2022.
