Just a Gigolo

Known for his iconic roles in 1960s cinema—most notably as the photographer in Antonioni’s Blow-Up (1966)—David Hemmings was one of the most striking actors of his generation. But his artistic restlessness also led him behind the camera—Just a Gigolo was one such venture. Starring David Bowie in the lead role, alongside Marlene Dietrich, Kim Novak, Maria Schell, and Hemmings himself, the film dives into the decadence of interwar German society, exploring themes of identity, desire, and the disorientation of a world on the brink of collapse. Bowie plays an alienated ex-soldier turned gigolo—a magnetic yet misplaced figure, lost in both time and reality. Though he draws every gaze, he remains locked in solitude—a sense of disconnection that would also come to define aspects of Bowie’s own life and art.