Claim: Absolute Beginners was criticized.

Absolute Beginners is a 1986 British rock musical film adapted from Colin MacInnes ' book of the same name about life in late 1950s London . The film was directed by Julien Temple , featured David Bowie and Sade , and Patsy Kensit in one of her first mainstream roles . The film was screened out of competition at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival .   Upon release , Absolute Beginners received immense coverage in the British media . At the time , the British film industry was perceived as being on the point of collapse -LRB- with the recent failure of the film Revolution -RRB- . However , the film was panned by critics and became a box office bomb . Some of the criticisms included stylistic anachronisms , such as the mini-skirt and decidedly 1980s music from the likes of The Style Council and Sade , the bowdlerisation of Kensit 's character -LRB- Crepe Suzette had been depicted as a promiscuous `` negrophile '' in the book -RRB- , and the casting of Bowie , who made it a condition of his musical contribution . Although the film was not a success , Bowie 's theme song was very popular in the UK and reached number two in the charts .   The commercial failure of Absolute Beginners and another film released about the same time , The Mission , led to the collapse of Goldcrest , a major British film studio .