The Buddha of Suburbia (TV serial)

Last updated

The Buddha of Suburbia
The Buddha of Suburbia (TV).jpg
DVD cover
Based on The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi
Screenplay by Hanif Kureishi
Roger Michell
Directed by Roger Michell
Starring Naveen Andrews
Roshan Seth
Susan Fleetwood
Steven Mackintosh
Composer David Bowie
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes4
Production
ProducerKevin Loader
CinematographyJohn McGlashan
EditorKate Evans
Running time55–60 minutes
Production company BBC Films
Original release
Network BBC Two
Release3 November (1993-11-03) 
24 November 1993 (1993-11-24)

The Buddha of Suburbia is a British four-part television serial, directed by Roger Michell, originally broadcast on BBC Two in November 1993. Based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Hanif Kureishi, the series starred Naveen Andrews as the main character, Karim Amir. Its theme song, as well as other original music for the series, was written and performed by David Bowie (this work also inspired Bowie's related 'soundtrack' album of the same name).

Contents

Unable to find distribution in America, the series was given a limited engagement screening at The Public Theater in Manhattan from December 1994 to January 1995. [1]

Overview

Karim Amir is a mixed-race 17-year-old who lives in a South London suburb during the 1970s. With an English mother and a Pakistani father, Karim is uncertain of his cultural identity. As his father becomes a kind of spiritual guru to the surrounding middle-class neighbours, Karim begins to explore his cultural roots with hopes that he will achieve sexual and racial self-realisation.

Cast

Production

Filming

Segments for the series were filmed at Naveen Andrews' old school Emanuel School.[ citation needed ] The extras used in the series were real punks, skinheads, suedeheads, hippies, and musicians cast by actress Barbie Wilde. [2]

Music

The series features many songs from the seventies, as well as music written and performed specifically for the series by David Bowie. While a soundtrack album by Bowie was released under the same name on 8 November 1993, the music on the album is completely reworked, with the exception of the programme's theme song "The Buddha of Suburbia". [3] A promotional music video was made for the song, featuring Bowie performing the song while strolling around the London suburb of Bickley as scenes from the series are intercut throughout. [4] The rest of the original television soundtrack remained unreleased.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Bowie</span> English musician and actor (1947–2016)

David Robert Jones, known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and his music and stagecraft had a significant impact on popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jemma Redgrave</span> British actress (born 1965)

Jemima Rebecca "Jemma" Redgrave is a British actress, and a member of the Redgrave family. She played the title character in four series of Bramwell, and has a recurring role in Doctor Who as Kate Stewart, Head of Scientific Research at UNIT. As well as a career in television, she has appeared in many stage productions and on film, including her portrayal of Evie Wilcox in the Merchant Ivory film Howards End.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naveen Andrews</span> British actor

Naveen William Sidney Andrews is a British actor. He is best known for his role as Sayid Jarrah in the television series Lost (2004–2010), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as winning a Screen Actors Guild Award along with the cast. He has also appeared in films such as The English Patient (1996), Mighty Joe Young (1998), Rollerball (2002), Bride and Prejudice (2004), Planet Terror (2007), The Brave One (2007), and Diana (2013). In 2022, he portrayed Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani in the Hulu miniseries The Dropout.

<i>Outside</i> (David Bowie album) 1995 studio album by David Bowie

Outside is the 20th studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 25 September 1995 through Virgin Records in the United States and Arista Records, BMG and RCA Records in other territories. Reuniting Bowie with musician Brian Eno following the late 1970s Berlin Trilogy, the two were inspired by concepts "outside" the mainstream, such as various outsider and performance artists. Recorded throughout 1994, the experimental sessions saw Bowie conceive a world where "art crimes", such as murder, pervade society. The resulting Leon project initially faced resistance from labels due to its uncommercial nature. The project's bootlegging led to additional sessions in 1995 to revise the concept and record more commercial material, inspired by a diary Bowie wrote for Q magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanif Kureishi</span> English writer (born 1954)

Hanif Kureishi is a British Pakistani playwright, screenwriter, filmmaker and novelist. In 2008, The Times included Kureishi in its list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945.

The Buddha of Suburbia may refer to:

<i>The Buddha of Suburbia</i> (album) 1993 studio album / Soundtrack album by David Bowie

The Buddha of Suburbia is the 19th studio album by the English musician David Bowie, originally released on 8 November 1993 through Arista Records in the United Kingdom and Europe. The project originated following an interview between Bowie and novelist Hanif Kureishi during a press tour for Black Tie White Noise (1993), where Bowie agreed to compose music for an upcoming adaptation of Kureishi's novel The Buddha of Suburbia (1990). After making basic tracks, Bowie decided to turn the project into a full album. Working with musician Erdal Kızılçay, recording took place at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland and was completed in six days; Mike Garson contributed piano overdubs.

<i>The Buddha of Suburbia</i> (novel) 1990 novel by Hanif Kureishi

The Buddha of Suburbia (1990) is a novel by English author Hanif Kureishi, which won the Whitbread Award for the best first novel. The novel has been translated into 20 languages and was also made into a four-part drama series by the BBC in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When the Wind Blows (song)</span> Song by David Bowie

"When the Wind Blows" is a 1986 song from the soundtrack of the film of the same name, performed by David Bowie and written by Bowie and Erdal Kızılçay. It was released as a single in October 1986 and released digitally in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Buddha of Suburbia (song)</span> Song by David Bowie

"The Buddha of Suburbia" is the theme song to the BBC TV series of the same name, released by British musician David Bowie in November 1993. It was re-recorded with American musician Lenny Kravitz for Bowie's 19th studio album, also titled The Buddha of Suburbia (1993), and inspired by his musical score for the series. The single reached No. 35 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strangers When We Meet (David Bowie song)</span> Song by David Bowie

"Strangers When We Meet" is a song by English musician David Bowie, originally recorded for his 1993 album The Buddha of Suburbia. In 1995, Bowie re-recorded the song for his Outside album, and this version was edited and released as the second single from the album, paired with a reworked version of Bowie's 1970 song "The Man Who Sold the World".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Look Back in Anger (song)</span> Song by David Bowie

"Look Back in Anger" is a song written by English artists David Bowie and Brian Eno for the album Lodger (1979). It concerns "a tatty 'Angel of Death'", and features a guitar solo by Carlos Alomar.

<i>Labyrinth</i> (1986 soundtrack) 1986 soundtrack album by David Bowie and Trevor Jones

Labyrinth is a soundtrack album by David Bowie and composer Trevor Jones, released in 1986 for the film Labyrinth. It was the second of three soundtrack releases in which Bowie had a major role, following Christiane F. (1981) and preceding The Buddha of Suburbia (1993). The soundtrack album features Jones' score, which is split into six tracks for the soundtrack: "Into the Labyrinth", "Sarah", "Hallucination", "The Goblin Battle", "Thirteen O'Clock", and "Home at Last".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Michell</span> South African-born British film director (1956–2021)

Roger Michell was a South African-born British theatre, television and film director. He was best known for directing films such as Notting Hill and Venus, as well as the 1995 made-for-television film Persuasion.

<i>All Saints</i> (David Bowie album) 2001 compilation album by David Bowie

All Saints is the name of two different compilation albums of instrumental works by the English musician David Bowie.

The Outside Tour was a tour by the English rock musician David Bowie, opening in September 1995 and lasting over a year. The opening shows preceded the release of the 1. Outside album which it supported. The tour visited stops in North America and Europe.

Erdal Kızılçay is a multi-instrumentalist musician of Turkish birth. He has worked with, among others, David Bowie. He plays bass guitar, oud, drums, keyboards, trumpet and violin. He lives in Aegerten, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Garson</span> Musical artist

Michael David Garson is an American pianist, who has worked with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, St. Vincent, Duran Duran, Free Flight, The Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Auf der Maur and The Pretty Reckless.

<i>Brilliant Live Adventures</i> 2020 box set by David Bowie

Brilliant Live Adventures [1995–1999] is a box set by English musician David Bowie, released incrementally throughout late 2020 and early 2021 as a series of six live albums taken from various concerts performed in support of Outside (1995), Earthling (1997) and Hours (1999). Named after the Hours song "Brilliant Adventure", the box set contains a mix of edited single shows and compilations from multiple concerts.

<i>Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001)</i> 2021 box set by David Bowie

Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 26 November 2021. A follow-up to the compilations Five Years (1969–1973), Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976), A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) and Loving the Alien (1983–1988), the set covers the period of Bowie's career from 1992 to 2001, commonly regarded by analysts as an artistic renaissance following his commercially successful but critically maligned work in the 1980s. However, Bowie's 1988–1992 tenure with the hard rock group Tin Machine is excluded. The set comprises eleven compact discs or 18 LPs.

References

  1. O'Connor, John J. (29 December 1994). "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; Is the BBC Too Adult For American Viewers?". The New York Times . p. 2. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  2. Keehnen, Owen. "Wilde Thing or Cenobite Barbie: Barbie Wilde Tells All". Racks and Razors. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  3. Bowie, David. The Buddha of Suburbia liner notes (BMG International, 1994) (available at Bassman's David Bowie page Archived 22 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine )
  4. David Bowie (1993). Buddha of Suburbia (Music Video). EMI . Retrieved 14 March 2013.[ dead YouTube link ]