Customer Reviews

Velvet Goldmine (Widescreen)

5 star:		(110)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

In addition to my last review, I should point out, after reading reviews saying "this isn't what Glam was really like"... The movie isn't supposed to be a historically accurate. "The ages live in history thru their anachronisms" (Oscar Wilde). The movie is "a work of pure fiction", and if you try to degrade it into fact, you're missing the beauty of it. It's a fairy tale. Glam rock, Oscar Wilde, etc... are merely vehicles for it to play out.

The film is beautiful. It's a fairy tale, love. Make no mistake about it. It's not a "history" of Glam rock and the characters are composites of many real people without being too much of anyone. It's a fairy tale.

The film is very symphonic and atmospheric, and flutters thru the celluloid sky. It can be confusing at first viewing, because everything is juxtaposed and jumbled. It flickers between eras, characters, and storylines in a half-remembered dream way. The movie must be watched as a feeling, not a sit-back-and-relax caper.

The movie is NOT based on David Bowie and Iggy Pop, at least not entirely. They never had such an affair and never had such lives. The movie is fiction. Brian Slade is no more David Bowie than he is Marc Bolan or Jobriath, and Curt Wilde is no more Iggy Pop than he is Lou Reed and David Johansen. And neither of them are any of them. They're composites of the essence of real people - or of the feeling of them - thrown into a London backdrop thru the lens of Citizen Kane and an Oscar Wilde fairy tale.

Many of the events are real events (Brian's Top of the Pops performance, as well as his relationship with Cecil, is very much akin to Marc Bolan's performance and relationship with Simon Napier-Bell -- The Maxwell Demon album cover is an almost exact remake of Jobriath's self-titled album cover, etc...). Many of the events are real fictions (the movie plays out threw a Citizen Kane-like sequence -- Oscar Wilde's story "Star Child" is carried throughout the movie via a green pendant which is passed around, not to mention many Wilde quotes and parables from stories such as "The Remarkable Rocket" and "The Picture of Dorian Gray"). But nothing in the movie is real. It's simply beautiful fancy.

The film is based around reporter Arthur Stewart, who is, in 1984, on a quest to discover the mysteries behind a fake murder/publicity stunt of Brian Slade in 1974. Everything and everyone in the movie circles back to him, and his discovery. What does he eventually discover? Symbolicly, himself. Literally... watch the movie.

The real Star of the film is Jack Fairy, a beautifully elusive archeotype with the grace of Garbo, the fantasy of Oscar Wilde, and the power of Marc Bolan who silently glides thru the movie, not saying a word until the end, but playing one of THE MOST VITAL ROLES in the movie (he and Arthur make the movie... Brian and Curt are just vehicles for everything to happen).

Many great songs too, from T. Rex, Roxy Music, Lou Reed, Cockney Rebel, etc... Most of them covers, though. As well as newbies such as Shudder To Think and Pulp.

It's a beautiful film. Not action packed, kinda confusing, and not too tethered to a plot. But beautiful - ethereal. It's very layered. If you enjoy Glam rock, Oscar Wilde, Citizen Kane, fairy tales, or just things and people to fall in love with, you'll probably like the movie.

Oh, one interestingly thing to point out is the surplus of Roxy Music songs, but the lack of a Bryan Ferry-like character. Bryan was a consultant for the film, so methinks that's intentional - he made sure they kept him out of the muck.

I've seen this movie about 40 times, no lie. I was amazed at the ability of these young actors, and wonderfully appreciative. God, I love that scene where Brian is playing "Baby's on Fire" and Curt comes out and, well you know. I think that is the most sexual scene of the whole movie. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. A worthy buy.

I have been a huge fan of Ewan McGregor for a while now and was finally able to purchase myself a copy of "Velvet Goldmine." It was a pleasant surprise to find this movie so good. While not one of the greatest I've ever seen and confusing at points (I had to watch it twice to get it at all), if you're paying attention it's great. If you're not sure about it, try to find a copy at your local video rental store first. It's certainly not a movie for everyone, but I really enjoyed it!

Summary: I'm not gay, not that there's anything wrong with being gay

I saw this movie on Bravo so my comments are based on the edited cable version.

A) I think this topic would have been better handled by a director who had lived thru this music and era in general as a teen-ager or young adult, unlike Haynes. The director seemed to be making queer theory political points wrapped in glitter rather than presenting an understandable epic of that epoch, probably leaving many heterosexual viewers out in the cold. The reference to Ronald Reagan ( President Reynolds in the movie) is one example. It is absurd to imply that Reagan was somehow responsible for the death of glam as it is for some gay activists to blame him for the spread of HIV. Nevertheless, I found the film enthralling both for the visuals and the recognizable historical figures and events

B) I was somewhat connected to the rock scene of that time and to glam in particular so I think I have some insight to offer younger readers, although Haynes himself has more knowledge of gay history and "inside" glam gossip than myself.

C)The "green pin" may combine both alien power as in the Green Lantern comic books that Haynes probably read as a child ( childhood is given strong play in the beginning ) and an icon of homosexual experience passed on from one time period to the next as expressed by Allen Ginsburg. Ginsburg once told of how ,through a series of sex partners going back in time, he was connected to Walt Whitman. Not exactly glam but he was a poet like Wilde, and Whitman's work is known for it's ethereal, pre-maturely modern tone as in "I sing the body electric" (...). That poem was written over 20 years before anybody had electricity in their home. It was also the source of the title of a science-fiction story written by Ray Bradbury. Connecting aliens,bohemian lifestyles, sex and alternative music was also done in "Liquid Sky", which I am sure influenced Haynes.

D) The Slade character is obviously based on Bowie, who came to be known to non-glam fans via his title role in the science-fiction movie " The Man who Fell to Earth" . Gay equals alienated equals "alien" may explain the UFO at the beginning. Bowie is much more talented than the Slade character whose vapidity and posing is similar to the now obscure real-life person known as "Jobriath", who like many who led the "if it feels good - do it lifestyle" of the seventies died of AIDS in the 80s. Like Slade and Davie Jones/David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust, Jobriath also performed under a second stage name ( Cole Berlin ) Like Slade ( but unlike Bowie ), Jobriath's brief career was partly blamed on an egotistical manager.

E) Ewan's Iggy stage performance was a great impersonation, so accurate that it made me laugh.

F) Christian Bale was miscast, he seemed lumpy, glum and awkward. Not the sort of thin and stylish young man that was more likely to go glam. Johnny Depp would have been great in that role. I did find one amusing moment when Bale's character in NYC circa 1984 asks if he is being given the Slade assignment because he is the token ....( you expect him to say gay, but he says ) Brit !

F) I could not figure out who Jack Fairy was based on, but he reminded me of Klaus Noemi, whose cover of "You Don't Own Me" is sometimes still played on the Rush Limbaugh program.

At last, an actual semiotic signifier that the Reaganites did co-opt glam !!!

ROTFLMAO

Awsome movie with high artistic value. highly artistic clever deep and fun. Great soundtrack. well your the grand one , have you noticed? when you walk in all the fella boys are fella nervous, well my starship dosent want me and neither does his wife , im glad i caught you on my view screen sailor;) i am a captain of your gravity maxwell, from a starship over venus to the sun!--- Sometimes i wonder if im still alive! or six feet down at age 25 , Maxwell leather demon rock hand Jive, i Came down like water for the age of solar give hell to the father kiss your sons and daughters GOodbye goodbye.

This is one of the most unique amazing films i have ever seen in my life. The story revolves around Brian Slade aka ( maxwell demon ) who is depicting david bowie' s life along with Kurt wilde who is depicted as iggy pop and played by ewan mcgragor to perfection. Christian Bale plays a fan reporter who is trying to find out who maxell demon really is and in the process learns all about his life through friends from maxwell ( slades ) past. I love how the story goes back n forth between past n present and the meaning is so beautiful, the costumes , the acting , and the whole plot is amazing. When i first saw it i didnt know what to think , i thought it was strange. Then i watched it again n again and it got better every time and now its one of my favorite movies. The music in this movie is great and the soundtrack i also recomend. If you want to see a movie you will never forget rent velvet goldmine...((he was like nothing id ever seen before and like nothing he appeared .. he was elegance .. walking arm n arm with a lie.))(( The world has changed because you are made of ivory and gold the curves of your lips re write history.)) Thats just 2 of the amazing lines in this film , you have to see it to believe it, Highly recomended.

Velvet Goldmine is a movie for those familiar with the Glam Rock era. Even if you aren't, the storyline, music, costumes, and undertones of Oscar Wilde's Aesthetic beliefs will keep you interested. People of heterosexual, homosexual, and bi-sexual natures will all find something of interest. Clearly, this is an adult film, based loosely on Iggy Pop, and David Bowie, and the era in which they rocked. As a fan of David Bowie, Ewan McGregor, Oscar Wilde, Eddie Izzard, and glam rock, this movie could do no wrong with me. There are subtle clues to follow while watching the film that most will miss the first time viewing. But having a keen eye is guaranteed to explain more of the movie than most will comprehend. While the movie may move from past to present and will surely loose some viewers, I enjoyed seeing the characters as they were and as they became.
Any fans of Placebo, will enjoy seeing them in the movie playing a glam rock band of the times. Having owned the soundtrack for some years, it is played regularly, and I am even thinking of purchasing an extra soundtrack incase I wear out the one I have now. Anyone who enjoys concerts, music videos, or the fantasy of being a musician or being around musicians will enjoy this film.
Other films I recommend are Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Forbidden Passion: Oscar Wilde.

velvet goldmine is a great film. You will watch it 100s of time. great music to , worth money

This movie is fantastical. Let's just put it at that. Regarding the previous review, the reason there were no Bowie songs is because Bowie didn't want anything to do with the movie (since the main character Brian Slade is based on him). So instead they made a make believe band up to create Bowie-esque songs. Which works out for the best considering those songs kick ass. Anyways, this movie is weird, like glam rock. It is theatrical, like glam rock. It is surreal, like glam rock. And it rocks, like glam rock! The bottom line is, if you enjoy the music and ideas of glam rock (sexual revolution, theatrical outfits, glitter!, and lots of make up) then you will enjoy this movie greatly.