Velvet Goldmine

Dir: Todd Haynes

1998

****

A kaleidoscopic venture into the world of Glam-Rock. Todd Haynes' 1998 Velvet Goldmine is Glam-Rocks answer to Quadrophenia and is like a glittery, platform-wearing version of Citizen Kane. The life, career and many reinventions of David Bowie is a clear influence to the story, so much so that Ziggy Stardust himself threatened to sue on a number of occasions and the film was rewritten several times accordingly. Bowie, Iggy Pop, Marc Bowlan and Lou Reed are all represented (indirectly) in one way or another by a more than capable host of actors including Christian Bale, Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Toni Collette and Eddie Izzard. Much like Quadrophenia, a trend/movement is discovered to be a sham but in Velvet Goldmine it is treated as more of a historical investigative journey rather than a 'as it happens' awakening. The film also explores the sexual revolution that was happening alongside the movement and the gradual appearance of open homosexuality it brought with it. It's an often surreal version of other people’s stories, as if Oscar Wilde had lived Citizen Kane's life while listening to The Velvet Underground. On paper the story doesn't really appeal to me but the visual reality had quite the opposite effect. I wasn't totally sold on the scenes set in 1984 or indeed Christian Bale's performance/character but the rest is solid gold. It's deliciously surreal, it gets the era right and the script is awesome. Jonathan Rhys Meyers' performance is bitterly underrated. Unlike Quadrophenia's 'Bell Boy' moment, Velvet Goldmine's conclusion is far more real and cutting to those involved, making it a far more effective conclusion in comparison.