Velvet goldmine film bowie

In 1998, todd haynes superstar, poison, safe has written and directed a fictionalized account of the life of david bowie, recently called by time out magazine, the most influential artist of our time. But viewed from deep into the 21st century, velvet goldmine looks increasingly like one of the great overambitious experimental cult films of indie auteur cinema. A visually stunning, incredibly tasty piece of slash fanfiction. Velvet goldmine is a 1998 musical drama film directed by todd haynes and written by him and james lyons. The film tells the story of a popstar based mainly on david bowies ziggy stardust character and is set in britain during the days of glam rock in the early 1970s david bowie disliked the script and vetoed the proposal that his songs appear in. Velvet goldmine the movie 12 the ziggy stardust companion. The narrative of velvet goldmine builds on the bones of david bowies glam years. Bowie refused to have any of his songs in velvet goldmine, possibly due to the antibowie slant of the script, and the filmmakers squeezed their way out of a potentially fatal situation by hiring shudder to think and grant lee buffalo to write ziggy soundalikes. Stuart, himself forged by the music of the 1970s, explores the largerthanlife stars who were once his idols and what has become of them since.

But i think velvet goldmine isnt so much intent on telling the story of a fake pop. Velvet goldmine the movie 22 the ziggy stardust companion. Not everyone who leaves the theater will be able to pass a quiz on exactly what happens. Its an early performance by christian bale before he was a name and most certainly a tribute to the david bowie yearsnamely ziggy stardust. Now, investigative journalist arthur stuart is on assignment to uncover the truth behind the enigmatic slade. The film is named after the david bowie song velvet goldmine, which, although originally recorded for the 1972 ziggy stardust album, wasnt officially released until 1975, becoming the bside to the reissue of the space oddity single which topped the uk singles chart. Notably absent from the velvet goldmine soundtrack is bowie himself, even though the film is heavily inspired by his life story and titled after one of his ziggyera bsides. Velvet goldmine isnt particularly interested in exploring what made slade and by extension, bowie tick. The venus in furs, while sounding a lot like bowies band from his ziggy days, is actually based on a song by velvet underground which is in turn based on a novel of the same name. After much deliberation, bowie refused permission for six of his songs.

Simply put, velvet goldmine haynes did not need bowies goahead to use the song title is based on sortof biography, kindof fact. Both a tribute to the 70s glam rock scene and a homage to citizen kane, the trippy film was originally developed by. After having read some fan reminiscences of david bowie in the wake of his passing in january, i gained a greater appreciation of velvet goldmine especially christian bales sweet performance as a starstruck teenturneddisillusioned journalist, and his scenes with ewan mcgregor who plays an iggy poplike wildman rocker looking at. Velvet goldmine 1998, this gem of a film stands among one of my favorite cult musical films of all time. I really care for todd haynes and i admire the production design and editing here, but i find velvet goldmine a kind of beautiful failure. Riffing on the cultural connections between david bowie, iggy pop, oscar wilde, citizenkane and queer theory, haynes fashioned a knowingly counterfactual chronicle of the glam rock. Apparently david bowie who perhaps best epitomizes that periods androgynous flamboyance would. Velvet goldmine todd haynes 1998 movie about glam rock in the early seventies premiered at the edinburgh film festival on 16 october 1998 and debuted in the us on 6 november 1998. But velvet goldmine kick a whole lot of ass for anyone who loves music, david bowie, iggy pop, kurt cobain and the pioneers of some of the greatest music to come out of the 20th century. My friends and i timed it, rewound it, gathered on my futon and watched it again and again.

The film, todd hayness velvet goldmine, might abort the whole revival. Set in london during the early 1970s, this film chronicles the growing glamrock scene at the time. Velvet goldmine is a film directed by todd haynes with jonathan rhys meyers, ewan mcgregor, toni collette, christian bale, year. Of todd hayness wry deconstructions of celebrity, velvet goldmine appears to contain the subject closest to the directors heart. In velvet goldmine, there is the sense that the film s arms were spread too wide, gathered in all of the possible approaches to the material and couldnt decide on just one. It stars ewan mcgregor, jonathan rhys meyers, christian bale, and toni collette. Remember that whole, crazy, semiabstract sequence in the movie where jerry. With ewan mcgregor, jonathan rhys meyers, christian bale, toni collette. Rhys meyers plays a cherubic androgyne, brian slade, who. Velvet goldmine has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Its easy to describe what writer director todd haynes does in velvet goldmine as a swooningly sexy tribute to the rude boys in mascara and heels. The film turns slades paranoia of being murdered during a concert a paranoia that bowie incorporated into the ziggy stardust story in the. The film is, as usual with this filmmaker, absolutely nostalgic but instead of carrying the energy of this era, music and lifestyle, it looks at it from the rearview mirror of the eighties.

Todd haynes created a world of decadence, sexual experimentation glued together with infectious music and enough eye makeup to keep christina aguleria happy. Some critics have praised it, while others have dismissed it. Glamrock explodes all over the world and challenges the seriousness within the flower power generation by means of glitter and brutal music. Originally seven bowie songs were intended to be in the film before. For interdisciplinary filmmaker ela troyano, velvet goldmine queers pop music culture of the 70s and 80sfrom its fairytale oscar wilde origin story to the raw musical performances by ewan mcgregor and jonathan rhysmeyers, inspired by the legendary sexual antics of david bowie, iggy pop, and lou reed. An overtly flamboyant and ambitious film surrounding the relationship of a david bowielike pop idol and an iggy poplike rocker, played amusingly by jonathan rhys meyers and ewan mcgregor. Infobox film velvet goldmine 1998 is a film directed and cowritten by todd haynes. Recorded on 11 november 1971, the song did not make it onto the album despite being chalked up on the original master tapes running order. It wants to be a movie in search of a truth, but its more like a movie in search of itself. Velvet goldmine is a david bowie song originally intended for his album the rise and fall of ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars.

Bowie withheld rights to his songs and is reportedly working on a ziggy stardust movie of his own, but hes all over velvet goldmine, so much so that he deserves top billing. Ewan mcgregor and jonathan rhys meyers are spectacular as the rock gods of the glitter glam and pre punk age. In the britpop era, few films came more wildly ambitious than todd haynes kaleidoscopic glamrock epic velvet goldmine. Velvet goldmine takes pains to cover every phase in bowies fashionable. Brian slade is an allusion to the glam rock band slade. Velvet goldmine is a rollicking good ride, thanks to todd hayness haunting, colorful, and poetically vivid images and expressive, soulful performances from the entire cast, which includes toni collette as slades trendshifting wife. Velvet goldmine is a 1998 musical drama film written and directed by todd haynes from a story. In 1984, british journalist arthur stuart investigates the career of 1970s glam superstar brian slade, who was heavily influenced in his early years by hardliving and rebellious american singer curt wild. Hayness second discourse on celebrity culture was as sprawling and multitracked as safe had been clinically.

Brian slade, a young rock star, inspires numerous teenage boys and girls to paint their nails and explore their own sexuality. Velvet goldmine is a song written by david bowie and recorded during the rise and fall of ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars sessions. Jonathan rhys meyers in velvet goldmine based loosely on bowies life with bits of marc bolan and jobriaths biography thrown in, velvet goldmine centers on brian slade jonathan rhys meyers, a. Velvet goldmine is a song written and performed by david bowie. It has music by roxy music, brian eno, and lou reed though these are often covered by other musicians, among.

After having read some fan reminiscences of david bowie in the wake of his passing in january, i gained a greater appreciation of velvet goldmine especially christian bales sweet performance as a starstruck teenturneddisillusioned journalist, and his scenes with ewan mcgregor who plays an iggy poplike wildman rocker looking at it as a meditation on the fan experience, rather than trying to sort out what haynes might have had to say about bowie, pop, lou reed, t. Based loosely on bowies life with bits of marc bolan and jobriaths biography thrown in, velvet goldmine centers on brian slade jonathan. The film turns slades paranoia of being murdered during a concert a paranoia that bowie incorporated into the ziggy stardust story in the climax of the ziggy stardust album into a careerending. The rest of the film contains the ensuing investigation of his life as told in flashback by the people who knew him.

Velvet goldmine is a movie made up of beginnings, endings and fresh starts. In velvet goldmine, jonathan rhys meyers and ewan mcgregor have a closeup kiss that lasts 18 seconds. Almost a decade has elapsed since bowiesque glamrock superstar brian slade escaped the spotlight of the london scene. Does this story of the young david bowie ring true. It was released on home video in the us on 11 may 1999. Jonathan rhys meyers has only seen velvet goldmine once gq. Rent velvet goldmine 1998 starring ewan mcgregor and jonathan rhys meyers on dvd and bluray. The films aesthetic is as wild as its subject matter, too.

Bowie is, of course, smarter, less periodically legendary, and more calculated in his theatrical showingoffs. Velvet goldmine todd haynes bowie iggy pop christian bale. Wilds story of how he was caught flagrante with his older brother, and his psychiatric treatment are this to lou reed. The song was bumped from the tracklisting at the last.

Velvet goldmine is a 1998 musical drama film written and directed by todd haynes from a story by haynes and james lyons. Writer and director todd haynes pays tribute to a shortlived musical movement from the 70s in velvet goldmine. It is from the album the rise and fall of ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars in 1972. Starring jonathan rhysmeyers, christian bale, ewan mcgregor, toni collette. Todd hayness film velvet goldmine is a fauxdavid bowie biopic that tracks the glam rock phenomenon from birth to end and its exploration of pansexuality and how that generation transition.