In October 1973, David Bowie began work on a concept album, based on his experiences earlier in the year when he'd witnessed societies ravaged by totalitarianism during his journey across Eastern Europe via the Trans-Siberian Railway. <br /> <br />He combined his experiences and together with Playright Tony Ingrassia, Bowie planned a theatrical project: a stage adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984. <br /> <br />In November 1973 Bowie talked about a lavish television adaptation of it. However, Orwell’s widow rejected the proposal and withheld the rights. <br /> <br />But as Bowie had already written some songs and begun recording, this new material was redeveloped into what would become the Diamond Dogs album. <br /> <br />Combining the influences of Orwell's novel together with German expressionism and the silent movies 'The Cabinet of Dr Caligari', 'Metropolis', and Todd Browning's 'Freaks', Bowie also planned a film to accompany the new album. <br /> <br />The film was storyboarded in detail and character parts were written, to be played by Bowie himself, Iggy Pop, Lyndsey Kemp and Cyrinda Fox, among others. <br /> <br />In early 1974 and during his stay at New York's Pierre Hotel, Bowie together with supervision from cameraman John Dove began to make a short demo video for the Diamond Dogs film. <br /> <br />The video was shot in black and white with a single RCA video camera, and included very basic opening titles, simple special effects and superimposed scenes using cardboard cutouts. Unfortunately the film project was never finished. <br /> <br />Compiled from various sources (including a short storyboard animation made originally for the 'David Bowie Is...' exhibition), some of Bowie's original demo video footage has been recovered and although it remains incomplete, it does offer a tantalizing glimpse of what he had planned.
