David Bowie is an incredible, renowned and highly influential musical talent and he also performed some of the most iconic roles in the film industry but, what many people may not know is that his first ever film is actually a 14-minute horror short screened at the Jacey Cinema in London's Piccadilly Circus in 1967.
The film was directed by Michael Armstrong who did everything in his power to keep the R-rated film- for its violent images- out of YouTube and other video streaming sites. In the film, Bowie is a physical manifestation of a portrait and he acts alongside Michael Byrne who takes on the role of a young artist who painted and is being haunted by the portrait.
No words are needed because it definitely sounds like a concept that Bowie would readily agree to be a part of. "The Image" was written and directed by Armstrong and it was the film that began his 50-year career in the film industry so it makes sense that the short film is valuable to both Bowie and himself.
"It got an X-certificate. I think it was the first short that got an X-certificate. For its violence, which in itself was extraordinary," Armstrong recalled.
The violence stems from the cycle which involves Byrne's character killing Bowie's character repeatedly and without mercy with every resurrection: from bludgeoning to suffocating and even stabbing him.
Armstrong also recalled some of the more humorous parts during the filming of "The Image," especially where Bowie was involved. He recalled the time when Bowie had to stand by a window ledge and refused to move away while the crew was tackling technical issues.
"We'd actually said, 'David, come in, come in, get warm,' and he'd said, 'No, no I'm fine.' I think he was terrified of moving," he said.
He also said that there were times when both Byrne and Bowie ended up laughing, especially in the stabbing scenes by the stairwell.
Watch the short film below.
