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Velvet Goldmine

Velvet Goldmine is a 1998 musical drama film written and directed by Todd Haynes from a story by Haynes and James Lyons. It is set in Britain during the glam rock days of the early 1970s, and tells the story of fictional bisexual pop star Brian Slade, who faked his own death. The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival and won the award for the Best Artistic Contribution. Sandy Powell received a BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design. The film uses non-linear storytelling to achieve exposition while interweaving the vignettes of its various characters.

Velvet Goldmine
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTodd Haynes
Screenplay byTodd Haynes
Story by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMaryse Alberti
Edited byJames Lyons
Music byCarter Burwell
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 22 May 1998 (1998-05-22) (Cannes)
  • 23 October 1998 (1998-10-23) (United Kingdom)
  • 6 November 1998 (1998-11-06) (United States)
Running time
123 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Languages
  • English
  • French
Budget$9 million[2]
Box office$4.3 million[2]

Plot edit

In 1984, British journalist Arthur Stuart is writing an article about the withdrawal from public life of 1970s glam rock star Brian Slade following a death hoax ten years earlier, and is interviewing those who had a part in the entertainer's career. As each person recalls their thoughts, it becomes the introduction of the vignette for that particular segment in Slade's personal and professional life.

Part of the story involves Stuart's family's reaction to his homosexuality, and how the gay and bisexual glam rock stars and music scene gave him the strength to come out. Rock shows, fashion, and rock journalism all play a role in showing the youth culture of 1970s Britain, as well as the gay culture of the time. At the beginning of his career, Slade is married to Mandy. When he comes to the United States, he seeks out American rock star Curt Wild and they become involved in each other's lives. The vignettes show Wild and Slade becoming increasingly difficult to work with as they become more famous. They suffer breakdowns in their personal and professional relationships. Eventually, Slade's career ends following the critical and fan backlash from his stage publicity stunt where he faked his own murder.

As he gets closer to the truth of where Slade is now, Stuart is suddenly told by his editor that the story is no longer of public interest and Stuart has been assigned to the Tommy Stone tour, which coincidentally is Brian Slade's new identity. It is revealed that Stuart was also at the concert where Slade faked his death, and that after seeing Wild perform on another night, Wild and Stuart had a sexual encounter. Eventually, Stuart confronts Tommy Stone and once again encounters Wild, who casually passes on a piece of jewellery from Oscar Wilde.

Cast edit

Production edit

The film centers on Brian Slade, a bisexual and androgynous glam rock icon who was patterned after David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, Jobriath and Marc Bolan.[3] Director Todd Haynes requested access to Bowie's song catalogue along with a personal blessing to make the film, but Bowie refused, saying that he intended to make a similar film about the time.[3] Ewan McGregor co-stars in the role of Curt Wild, a genre-defying performer who doesn't back down from sex, nudity or drugs on or off stage and whose biographical details are based on Iggy Pop (who grew up in a Michigan trailer park) and Lou Reed (whose parents sent him to electroshock therapy to 'cure' his homosexual feelings).[4][5] Also featured are Christian Bale as the young glam rock fan and reporter, Arthur Stuart and Toni Collette as Slade's wife, Mandy, who is based on Bowie's first wife, Angela.[6] Eddie Izzard stars as Slade's manager, Jerry Devine.

The tale strongly parallels Bowie's relationships with Reed and Pop in the 1970s and 1980s. Brian Slade's gradually overwhelming stage persona of "Maxwell Demon" and his backing band, "Venus in Furs", resemble Bowie's persona and backing band. The album Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars tells a similar story of a rock star gone over the edge and culminates in his assassination. As with Slade and Wild, Bowie produced records for and with, Pop and Reed. The band name "Venus in Furs" is taken from a song by Lou Reed's early band, the Velvet Underground, which was taken from Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's eponymous novel, which appeared on their first album. Maxwell Demon was the name of an early band of Brian Eno, a long-time Bowie associate, whose music is heard at various points in the film.

Haynes has said that the story is also about the love affair between America and Britain, New York City and London, in the way each music scene feeds off and influences each other.[7] Little Richard is shown as an early influence on Brian Slade. Little Richard inspired the Beatles and Bowie, who in turn inspired many other bands. Little Richard has also been cited by Haynes as the inspiration for Jack Fairy.[7]

The film is strongly influenced by the ideas and life of Oscar Wilde (seen in the film as a progenitor of glam rock), and refers to events in his life and quotes his work on dozens of occasions. Jean Genet (the subject of Haynes' previous film, Poison, and the putative inspiration for the title of Bowie's song "The Jean Genie") is referred to in imagery and also quoted in dialogue.

The film's narrative structure is modelled on that of Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, in that the reporter Stuart tries to solve a mystery about Slade, travelling to interview Slade's lovers and colleagues, whose recollections are shown in 1950s, 1960s and 1970s flashbacks.[8]

David Bowie was ambivalent about Velvet Goldmine upon release.[9] According to Bowie, "When I saw the film I thought the best thing about it was the gay scenes. They were the only successful part of the film, frankly."[9]

Music edit

Velvet Goldmine
Soundtrack album by
various artists
Released3 November 1998
GenreGlam rock, soundtrack
Length1:12:09
LabelFontana Records London
ProducerRandall Poster, Todd Haynes, Michael Stipe

Although the character of Brian Slade is based mainly on David Bowie, Bowie vetoed the proposal that his songs appear in the film.[3] As producer of Lou Reed's 1972 Transformer album, his backing vocals (mainly consisting of "bum-bum-bum"s and "ooh-ooh"s) can be heard on "Satellite of Love". The finished soundtrack includes songs by glam rock and glam-influenced bands, past and present.

The English musicians who played under the name The Venus in Furs on the soundtrack were Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, Craig "Clune" McClune of David Gray's band, Suede's Bernard Butler, and Roxy Music's Andy Mackay. The American musicians who played as Curt Wild's Wylde Ratttz on the soundtrack were The Stooges' Ron Asheton, Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Steve Shelley, Minutemen's Mike Watt, Gumball's Don Fleming, and Mark Arm of Mudhoney.

The soundtrack features new songs written for the film by Pulp, Shudder to Think and Grant Lee Buffalo, as well as many early glam rock compositions, covers and original versions.[10] The Venus in Furs covers several Roxy Music songs with Thom Yorke channeling Bryan Ferry on vocals, Placebo covers T. Rex's "20th Century Boy," Wylde Ratttz and Ewan McGregor cover The Stooges' "T.V. Eye" and "Gimme Danger"; Teenage Fanclub and Donna Matthews cover the New York Dolls' "Personality Crisis".[10] Lou Reed, Brian Eno, T. Rex, and Steve Harley songs from the period are also included. The album is rounded out by a piece of Carter Burwell's score.

All three members of the band Placebo appeared in the film, with Brian Molko and Steve Hewitt playing members of the Flaming Creatures (Malcolm and Billy respectively) and Stefan Olsdal playing Polly Small's bassist. Another member of the Flaming Creatures, Pearl, was played by Xavior (Paul Wilkinson), former lead singer of Romo band DexDexTer and later a keyboard player for Placebo and Rachel Stamp.

Track listing
  1. Brian Eno: "Needle in the Camel's Eye" (Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera) – 3:09
  2. Shudder to Think: "Hot One" (Nathan Larson, Shudder to Think) (Based on a lot of David Bowie's glam work, mostly "Time") – 3:04
  3. Placebo: "20th Century Boy" (T. Rex cover) (Marc Bolan) – 3:42
  4. The Venus in Furs (vocals by Thom Yorke): "2HB" (Roxy Music cover) (Bryan Ferry) – 5:39
  5. Wylde Ratttz (vocals by Ewan McGregor): "T.V. Eye" (The Stooges cover) (Dave Alexander, Scott Asheton, Ron Asheton, James Osterberg Jr.) – 5:24
  6. Shudder to Think: "Ballad of Maxwell Demon" (Based on David Bowie's "All the Young Dudes" and Brian Eno's band Maxwell Demon) (Craig Wedren, Shudder to Think) – 4:47
  7. Grant Lee Buffalo: "The Whole Shebang" (Based on David Bowie's "Velvet Goldmine") (Grant-Lee Phillips) – 4:11
  8. The Venus in Furs (vocals by Thom Yorke): "Ladytron" (Roxy Music cover) (Ferry) – 4:26
  9. Pulp: "We Are the Boys" (Cocker, Banks, Doyle, Steve Mackey, Webber) – 3:13
  10. Roxy Music: "Virginia Plain" (Ferry) – 3:00
  11. Teenage Fanclub & Donna Matthews: "Personality Crisis" (New York Dolls cover) (David Johansen, Johnny Thunders) – 3:49
  12. Lou Reed: "Satellite of Love" (Lou Reed) – 3:41
  13. T. Rex: "Diamond Meadows" (Bolan) – 2:00
  14. Paul Kimble & Andy Mackay: "Bitters End" (Ferry) – 2:13
  15. The Venus in Furs (vocals by Jonathan Rhys Meyers): "Baby's on Fire" (Brian Eno cover) (Eno) – 3:19
  16. The Venus in Furs (vocals by Thom Yorke): "Bitter-Sweet" (Roxy Music cover) (Andy Mackay, Ferry) – 4:55
  17. Carter Burwell: "Velvet Spacetime" (Carter Burwell) – 4:10
  18. The Venus in Furs (vocals by Jonathan Rhys Meyers): "Tumbling Down" (Cockney Rebel cover) (Steve Harley) – 3:28
  19. Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel: "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" (Harley) – 3:59

A more extensive selection of music was used for the movie soundtrack.

Film soundtrack listing
  1. "Needle in the Camel's Eye" (Eno, Manzanera) – performed by Brian Eno
  2. "Hot One" (Larson, Shudder to Think) – performed by Shudder to Think
  3. "People Rockin' People" (Larson) – performed by Nathan Larson
  4. "Avenging Annie" (Andy Pratt) – performed by Andy Pratt
  5. "Coz I Love You" (Noddy Holder, Jim Lea) – performed by Slade
  6. "The Fat Lady of Limbourg" (Eno) – performed by Brian Eno
  7. "A Little of What You Fancy Does You Good" (Fred W. Leigh, George Arthurs) – performed by Lindsay Kemp
  8. "Tutti Frutti" (Richard Penniman, Dorothy LaBostrie) – performed by The Venus in Furs, vocals by Callum Hamilton
  9. "Do You Wanna Touch Me? (Oh Yeah!)" (Gary Glitter, Mike Leander) – performed by Gary Glitter
  10. "Band of Gold" (Ronald Dunbar, Edythe Wayne) – performed by Freda Payne
  11. "2HB" (Ferry) – performed by The Venus in Furs, vocals by Thom Yorke
  12. "Sebastian" (Harley) – performed by The Venus in Furs, vocals by Jonathan Rhys Meyers
  13. "T.V. Eye" (Alexander, S. Asheton, R. Asheton, Osterberg Jr.) – performed by Wylde Ratttz, vocals by Ewan McGregor
  14. "Ballad of Maxwell Demon" (Wedren, Shudder to Think) – performed by Shudder to Think
  15. "The Whole Shebang" (Phillips) – performed by Grant Lee Buffalo
  16. "Symphony No. 6 in A Minor" (Gustav Mahler) – performed by Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
  17. "Get in the Groove" (James Timothy Shaw) – performed by The Mighty Hannibal
  18. "Ladytron" (Ferry) – performed by The Venus In Furs, vocals by Thom Yorke
  19. "We Are the Boys" (Cocker, Banks, Doyle, Mackey, Webber) – performed by Pulp
  20. "Cosmic Dancer" (Bolan) – performed by T. Rex
  21. "Virginia Plain" (Ferry) – performed by Roxy Music
  22. "Personality Crisis" (Johansen, Thunders) – performed by Teenage Fanclub & Donna Matthews
  23. "Satellite of Love" (Reed) – performed by Lou Reed
  24. "Diamond Meadows" (Bolan) – performed by T. Rex
  25. "Bitters End" (Ferry) – performed by Paul Kimble
  26. "Baby's on Fire" (Eno) – performed by The Venus in Furs, vocals by Jonathan Rhys Meyers
  27. "My Unclean" (R. Asheton, Mark Arm) – performed by Wylde Ratz, vocals by Ewan McGregor
  28. "Bitter-Sweet" (Mackay, Ferry) – performed by The Venus in Furs, vocals by Thom Yorke
  29. "20th Century Boy" (Bolan) – performed by Placebo
  30. "Dead Finks Don't Talk" (Eno) -performed by Brian Eno
  31. "Gimme Danger" (Iggy Pop, James Williamson) – performed by The Venus in Furs, vocals by Ewan McGregor
  32. "Tumbling Down" (Harley) – performed by The Venus in Furs, vocals by Jonathan Rhys Meyers
  33. "2HB" (Ferry) – performed by The Venus in Furs, vocals by Paul Kimble
  34. "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" (Harley) – performed by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

Alternate versions edit

The international cut of the film which premiered at Cannes runs 123 minutes,[11] while the US cut released theatrically later that year by Miramax was re-edited and runs 118 minutes.[12][13]

Reception edit

Box office edit

The film opened in the United Kingdom on 23 October 1998 and grossed over $700,000.[14] It was released in the United States on 6 November 1998 in 85 venues, grossing $301,787 in its opening weekend and ranking sixteenth at the box office, and fifth among the week's new releases.[15] It would ultimately gross $1,053,788 in the United States and Canada and $4,313,644 worldwide.[2]

Critical response edit

Velvet Goldmine received mixed to positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 62% rating based on 50 reviews, with an average of 6.5/10. The critical consensus reads: "Velvet Goldmine takes a visual and narrative approach befitting its larger-than-life subject, although it's still disappointingly less than the sum of its parts".[16] Metacritic reports a 65 out of 100 score based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[17]

Janet Maslin, having seen the film at the New York Film Festival, made it a "NYT Critics' Pick," calling it a "dazzlingly surreal" rock version of "Citizen Kane with an extraterrestrial Rosebud" and saying it "brilliantly reimagines the glam rock ‘70s as a brave new world of electrifying theatricality and sexual possibility, to the point where identifying precise figures in this neo-psychedelic landscape is almost beside the point. Velvet Goldmine tells a story the way operas do: blazing with exquisite yet abstract passions, and with quite a lot to look at on the side."[18] According to Peter Travers, "Haynes creates Velvet Goldmine...with a masturbatory fervor that demands dead-on details" and "fashions a structure out of Citizen Kane"; it's a film that "works best as a feast of sight and sound,...re-creating an era as a gorgeous carnal dream,...celebrat[ing] the art of the possible."[19] In a less enthusiastic review, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two out of four stars and found its plot too discursive and confusingly assorted because of how it "bogs down in the apparatus of the search for Slade" by clumsily using scenes from Citizen Kane.[20] David Sterritt from The Christian Science Monitor wrote "The music and camera work are dazzling, and the story has solid sociological insights into a fascinating pop-culture period."[21]

In a retrospective review, Slant Magazine's Jeremiah Kipp gave Velvet Goldmine four out of four stars and said that, although unsupportive critics may be "terrified of a movie with so many ideas", the film successfully shows a "melancholic ode to freedom, and those who fight for it through art", because of Haynes' detailed imagery and the cast's "expressive, soulful performances".[22] Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club felt that Haynes' appropriation of structural elements from Citizen Kane is the film's "masterstroke", as it helps "evoke the glam rock movement without destroying the all-important mystique that sustains it." Tobias argued that, like Haynes' Bob Dylan-inspired 2007 film I'm Not There, Velvet Goldmine deals with a famously enigmatic figure indirectly through allusion and imagery, and consequently succeeds more than a simpler biopic could.[23]

In an interview with GQ, Jonathan Rhys Meyers criticized the decision to use a different actor to play Tommy Stone at the end of the film: "... it's very hard for the audience to get that, which I think, I'm not quite sure did we make the right move there. Because I would have preferred to play Tommy Stone myself. You would have got more of the connection."[24]

Home media edit

Since its 1999 DVD release, the film has become a cult classic[25] and has been described as having "an obsessive following among younger audiences."[26] Haynes said in a 2007 interview, "A film that had the hardest time, at least initially, was Velvet Goldmine, and it's the film that seems to mean the most to a lot of teenagers and young people, who are just obsessed with that movie. They're exactly who I was thinking about when I made Velvet Goldmine, but it just didn't get to them the first time around."[27]

A Blu-ray was released in Region A on 13 December 2011, and includes a newly recorded commentary track by Haynes and Vachon. In it, Haynes thanks the fansites for helping him compile the notes for the commentary.[28]

The soundtrack to Velvet Goldmine was released on vinyl in 2019.[29]

Awards and nominations edit

Connections to other works edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Velvet Goldmine (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 22 June 1998. from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Velvet Goldmine (1998) – Financial Information". The Numbers. from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Fricke, David (26 November 1998). "Weird Scenes From the Velvet Goldmine". Rolling Stone. from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Limping with the Stooges in Washington Heights 23 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine" in The Brooklyn Rail
  5. ^ Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk (1996)
  6. ^ Richard Harrington, , The Washington Post, 6 November 1998
  7. ^ a b Moverman, Oren (1998) "Superstardust: Talking Glam with Todd Haynes", an interview in the introduction of Velvet Goldmine, A Screenplay by Todd Haynes, Hyperion: New York
  8. ^ Ashare, Matt (9 November 1998). . Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 20 November 2000.
  9. ^ a b "David Bowie: the man who sold the world wide web". The Big Issue. 4 February 2020. from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  10. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Velvet Goldmine: Review", AllMusic.com.
  11. ^ McCarthy, Todd (25 May 1998). "Velvet Goldmine". Variety. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  12. ^ "Glittering Ode to the Days of Ziggy Stardust". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Velvet Goldmine (Blu-ray) (1998)". www.dvdcompare.net. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  14. ^ "British biz at the box office". Variety. 14 December 1998. p. 72.
  15. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for November 6–8, 1998". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. 9 November 1998. from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  16. ^ "Velvet Goldmine (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  17. ^ "Velvet Goldmine Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  18. ^ Maslin, Janet (1 October 1998). "Glittering Ode to the Days of Ziggy Stardust". The New York Times. from the original on 15 January 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  19. ^ Travers, Peter (18 April 2001). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  20. ^ Ebert, Roger (6 November 1998). "Velvet Goldmine Movie Review & Film Summary (1998)". Chicago Sun-Times. from the original on 7 January 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  21. ^ Alexander Ryll. . Gay Essential. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  22. ^ Kipp, Jeremiah (25 March 2004). "Velvet Goldmine". Slant Magazine. from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  23. ^ Tobias, Scott (5 February 2009). "The New Cult Canon: Velvet Goldmine". The A.V. Club. from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  24. ^ Saxena, Jaya (20 June 2018). "Jonathan Rhys Meyers Has Only Seen Velvet Goldmine Once". GQ. from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  25. ^ . Encore Monthly. 1 August 2008. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011.
  26. ^ Lim, Dennis (12 January 2012). "'Velvet Goldmine,' 'Mildred Pierce' capture director's interests". L.A. Times. from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  27. ^ Murray, Noel (20 November 2007). "Todd Haynes". The A.V. Club. from the original on 13 October 2022.
  28. ^ Gilchrist, Todd (16 December 2011). . IndieWire. Archived from the original on 9 January 2012.
  29. ^ "Velvet Goldmine Original Soundtrack – MVD Entertainment Group B2B". mvdb2b.com. from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  30. ^ "The 71st Academy Awards (1999) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  31. ^ "The 52nd British Academy Film Awards (1999) Nominees and Winners". British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  32. ^ "Velvet Goldmine". Festival de Cannes. from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  33. ^ "GLAAD bows media noms". Variety. 19 January 1999. from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  34. ^ "Film Independent Spirit Awards - 38 Years of Nominees and Winners" (PDF). Film Independent. pp. 40–41. (PDF) from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  35. ^ "Velvet Goldmine – The Movie". www.5years.com. from the original on 8 February 2007.

Bibliography edit

  • Padva, Gilad (2014). "Claiming Lost Gay Youth, Embracing Femininostalgia: Todd Haynes's Dottie Gets Spanked and Velvet Goldmine". Queer Nostalgia in Cinema and Pop Culture. Palgrave Macmillan: 72–97. doi:10.1057/9781137266347_5. ISBN 978-1-137-26633-0.

External links edit

velvet, goldmine, song, song, 1998, musical, drama, film, written, directed, todd, haynes, from, story, haynes, james, lyons, britain, during, glam, rock, days, early, 1970s, tells, story, fictional, bisexual, star, brian, slade, faked, death, film, nominated,. For the song see Velvet Goldmine song Velvet Goldmine is a 1998 musical drama film written and directed by Todd Haynes from a story by Haynes and James Lyons It is set in Britain during the glam rock days of the early 1970s and tells the story of fictional bisexual pop star Brian Slade who faked his own death The film was nominated for the Palme d Or at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival and won the award for the Best Artistic Contribution Sandy Powell received a BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design The film uses non linear storytelling to achieve exposition while interweaving the vignettes of its various characters Velvet GoldmineTheatrical release posterDirected byTodd HaynesScreenplay byTodd HaynesStory byTodd Haynes James LyonsProduced byChristine Vachon Michael StipeStarringEwan McGregor Jonathan Rhys Meyers Toni Collette Christian BaleCinematographyMaryse AlbertiEdited byJames LyonsMusic byCarter BurwellProductioncompaniesKiller Films Newmarket Capital Group Channel Four Films Goldwyn FilmsDistributed byFilmFour Distribution United Kingdom Miramax Films United States Release dates22 May 1998 1998 05 22 Cannes 23 October 1998 1998 10 23 United Kingdom 6 November 1998 1998 11 06 United States Running time123 minutes 1 CountriesUnited Kingdom United StatesLanguagesEnglish FrenchBudget 9 million 2 Box office 4 3 million 2 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3 1 Music 4 Alternate versions 5 Reception 5 1 Box office 5 2 Critical response 6 Home media 7 Awards and nominations 8 Connections to other works 9 References 9 1 Bibliography 10 External linksPlot editIn 1984 British journalist Arthur Stuart is writing an article about the withdrawal from public life of 1970s glam rock star Brian Slade following a death hoax ten years earlier and is interviewing those who had a part in the entertainer s career As each person recalls their thoughts it becomes the introduction of the vignette for that particular segment in Slade s personal and professional life Part of the story involves Stuart s family s reaction to his homosexuality and how the gay and bisexual glam rock stars and music scene gave him the strength to come out Rock shows fashion and rock journalism all play a role in showing the youth culture of 1970s Britain as well as the gay culture of the time At the beginning of his career Slade is married to Mandy When he comes to the United States he seeks out American rock star Curt Wild and they become involved in each other s lives The vignettes show Wild and Slade becoming increasingly difficult to work with as they become more famous They suffer breakdowns in their personal and professional relationships Eventually Slade s career ends following the critical and fan backlash from his stage publicity stunt where he faked his own murder As he gets closer to the truth of where Slade is now Stuart is suddenly told by his editor that the story is no longer of public interest and Stuart has been assigned to the Tommy Stone tour which coincidentally is Brian Slade s new identity It is revealed that Stuart was also at the concert where Slade faked his death and that after seeing Wild perform on another night Wild and Stuart had a sexual encounter Eventually Stuart confronts Tommy Stone and once again encounters Wild who casually passes on a piece of jewellery from Oscar Wilde Cast editEwan McGregor as Curt Wild Christian Bale as Arthur Stuart Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Brian Slade Toni Collette as Mandy Slade Eddie Izzard as Jerry Devine Micko Westmoreland as Jack Fairy Alastair Cumming as Tommy Stone Emily Woof as Shannon Joseph Beattie as Cooper Michael Feast as Cecil Lindsay Kemp as Pantomime Dame Janet McTeer as Female Narrator Carlos Miranda as Pianist Sarah Cawood as Angel David Hoyle as FreddiProduction editThe film centers on Brian Slade a bisexual and androgynous glam rock icon who was patterned after David Bowie Bryan Ferry Jobriath and Marc Bolan 3 Director Todd Haynes requested access to Bowie s song catalogue along with a personal blessing to make the film but Bowie refused saying that he intended to make a similar film about the time 3 Ewan McGregor co stars in the role of Curt Wild a genre defying performer who doesn t back down from sex nudity or drugs on or off stage and whose biographical details are based on Iggy Pop who grew up in a Michigan trailer park and Lou Reed whose parents sent him to electroshock therapy to cure his homosexual feelings 4 5 Also featured are Christian Bale as the young glam rock fan and reporter Arthur Stuart and Toni Collette as Slade s wife Mandy who is based on Bowie s first wife Angela 6 Eddie Izzard stars as Slade s manager Jerry Devine The tale strongly parallels Bowie s relationships with Reed and Pop in the 1970s and 1980s Brian Slade s gradually overwhelming stage persona of Maxwell Demon and his backing band Venus in Furs resemble Bowie s persona and backing band The album Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars tells a similar story of a rock star gone over the edge and culminates in his assassination As with Slade and Wild Bowie produced records for and with Pop and Reed The band name Venus in Furs is taken from a song by Lou Reed s early band the Velvet Underground which was taken from Leopold von Sacher Masoch s eponymous novel which appeared on their first album Maxwell Demon was the name of an early band of Brian Eno a long time Bowie associate whose music is heard at various points in the film Haynes has said that the story is also about the love affair between America and Britain New York City and London in the way each music scene feeds off and influences each other 7 Little Richard is shown as an early influence on Brian Slade Little Richard inspired the Beatles and Bowie who in turn inspired many other bands Little Richard has also been cited by Haynes as the inspiration for Jack Fairy 7 The film is strongly influenced by the ideas and life of Oscar Wilde seen in the film as a progenitor of glam rock and refers to events in his life and quotes his work on dozens of occasions Jean Genet the subject of Haynes previous film Poison and the putative inspiration for the title of Bowie s song The Jean Genie is referred to in imagery and also quoted in dialogue The film s narrative structure is modelled on that of Orson Welles Citizen Kane in that the reporter Stuart tries to solve a mystery about Slade travelling to interview Slade s lovers and colleagues whose recollections are shown in 1950s 1960s and 1970s flashbacks 8 David Bowie was ambivalent about Velvet Goldmine upon release 9 According to Bowie When I saw the film I thought the best thing about it was the gay scenes They were the only successful part of the film frankly 9 Music edit Velvet GoldmineSoundtrack album by various artistsReleased3 November 1998GenreGlam rock soundtrackLength1 12 09LabelFontana Records LondonProducerRandall Poster Todd Haynes Michael StipeAlthough the character of Brian Slade is based mainly on David Bowie Bowie vetoed the proposal that his songs appear in the film 3 As producer of Lou Reed s 1972 Transformer album his backing vocals mainly consisting of bum bum bum s and ooh ooh s can be heard on Satellite of Love The finished soundtrack includes songs by glam rock and glam influenced bands past and present The English musicians who played under the name The Venus in Furs on the soundtrack were Radiohead s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood Craig Clune McClune of David Gray s band Suede s Bernard Butler and Roxy Music s Andy Mackay The American musicians who played as Curt Wild s Wylde Ratttz on the soundtrack were The Stooges Ron Asheton Sonic Youth s Thurston Moore and Steve Shelley Minutemen s Mike Watt Gumball s Don Fleming and Mark Arm of Mudhoney The soundtrack features new songs written for the film by Pulp Shudder to Think and Grant Lee Buffalo as well as many early glam rock compositions covers and original versions 10 The Venus in Furs covers several Roxy Music songs with Thom Yorke channeling Bryan Ferry on vocals Placebo covers T Rex s 20th Century Boy Wylde Ratttz and Ewan McGregor cover The Stooges T V Eye and Gimme Danger Teenage Fanclub and Donna Matthews cover the New York Dolls Personality Crisis 10 Lou Reed Brian Eno T Rex and Steve Harley songs from the period are also included The album is rounded out by a piece of Carter Burwell s score All three members of the band Placebo appeared in the film with Brian Molko and Steve Hewitt playing members of the Flaming Creatures Malcolm and Billy respectively and Stefan Olsdal playing Polly Small s bassist Another member of the Flaming Creatures Pearl was played by Xavior Paul Wilkinson former lead singer of Romo band DexDexTer and later a keyboard player for Placebo and Rachel Stamp Track listingBrian Eno Needle in the Camel s Eye Brian Eno Phil Manzanera 3 09 Shudder to Think Hot One Nathan Larson Shudder to Think Based on a lot of David Bowie s glam work mostly Time 3 04 Placebo 20th Century Boy T Rex cover Marc Bolan 3 42 The Venus in Furs vocals by Thom Yorke 2HB Roxy Music cover Bryan Ferry 5 39 Wylde Ratttz vocals by Ewan McGregor T V Eye The Stooges cover Dave Alexander Scott Asheton Ron Asheton James Osterberg Jr 5 24 Shudder to Think Ballad of Maxwell Demon Based on David Bowie s All the Young Dudes and Brian Eno s band Maxwell Demon Craig Wedren Shudder to Think 4 47 Grant Lee Buffalo The Whole Shebang Based on David Bowie s Velvet Goldmine Grant Lee Phillips 4 11 The Venus in Furs vocals by Thom Yorke Ladytron Roxy Music cover Ferry 4 26 Pulp We Are the Boys Cocker Banks Doyle Steve Mackey Webber 3 13 Roxy Music Virginia Plain Ferry 3 00 Teenage Fanclub amp Donna Matthews Personality Crisis New York Dolls cover David Johansen Johnny Thunders 3 49 Lou Reed Satellite of Love Lou Reed 3 41 T Rex Diamond Meadows Bolan 2 00 Paul Kimble amp Andy Mackay Bitters End Ferry 2 13 The Venus in Furs vocals by Jonathan Rhys Meyers Baby s on Fire Brian Eno cover Eno 3 19 The Venus in Furs vocals by Thom Yorke Bitter Sweet Roxy Music cover Andy Mackay Ferry 4 55 Carter Burwell Velvet Spacetime Carter Burwell 4 10 The Venus in Furs vocals by Jonathan Rhys Meyers Tumbling Down Cockney Rebel cover Steve Harley 3 28 Steve Harley amp Cockney Rebel Make Me Smile Come Up and See Me Harley 3 59A more extensive selection of music was used for the movie soundtrack Film soundtrack listing Needle in the Camel s Eye Eno Manzanera performed by Brian Eno Hot One Larson Shudder to Think performed by Shudder to Think People Rockin People Larson performed by Nathan Larson Avenging Annie Andy Pratt performed by Andy Pratt Coz I Love You Noddy Holder Jim Lea performed by Slade The Fat Lady of Limbourg Eno performed by Brian Eno A Little of What You Fancy Does You Good Fred W Leigh George Arthurs performed by Lindsay Kemp Tutti Frutti Richard Penniman Dorothy LaBostrie performed by The Venus in Furs vocals by Callum Hamilton Do You Wanna Touch Me Oh Yeah Gary Glitter Mike Leander performed by Gary Glitter Band of Gold Ronald Dunbar Edythe Wayne performed by Freda Payne 2HB Ferry performed by The Venus in Furs vocals by Thom Yorke Sebastian Harley performed by The Venus in Furs vocals by Jonathan Rhys Meyers T V Eye Alexander S Asheton R Asheton Osterberg Jr performed by Wylde Ratttz vocals by Ewan McGregor Ballad of Maxwell Demon Wedren Shudder to Think performed by Shudder to Think The Whole Shebang Phillips performed by Grant Lee Buffalo Symphony No 6 in A Minor Gustav Mahler performed by Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Get in the Groove James Timothy Shaw performed by The Mighty Hannibal Ladytron Ferry performed by The Venus In Furs vocals by Thom Yorke We Are the Boys Cocker Banks Doyle Mackey Webber performed by Pulp Cosmic Dancer Bolan performed by T Rex Virginia Plain Ferry performed by Roxy Music Personality Crisis Johansen Thunders performed by Teenage Fanclub amp Donna Matthews Satellite of Love Reed performed by Lou Reed Diamond Meadows Bolan performed by T Rex Bitters End Ferry performed by Paul Kimble Baby s on Fire Eno performed by The Venus in Furs vocals by Jonathan Rhys Meyers My Unclean R Asheton Mark Arm performed by Wylde Ratz vocals by Ewan McGregor Bitter Sweet Mackay Ferry performed by The Venus in Furs vocals by Thom Yorke 20th Century Boy Bolan performed by Placebo Dead Finks Don t Talk Eno performed by Brian Eno Gimme Danger Iggy Pop James Williamson performed by The Venus in Furs vocals by Ewan McGregor Tumbling Down Harley performed by The Venus in Furs vocals by Jonathan Rhys Meyers 2HB Ferry performed by The Venus in Furs vocals by Paul Kimble Make Me Smile Come Up and See Me Harley performed by Steve Harley amp Cockney RebelAlternate versions editThe international cut of the film which premiered at Cannes runs 123 minutes 11 while the US cut released theatrically later that year by Miramax was re edited and runs 118 minutes 12 13 Reception editBox office edit The film opened in the United Kingdom on 23 October 1998 and grossed over 700 000 14 It was released in the United States on 6 November 1998 in 85 venues grossing 301 787 in its opening weekend and ranking sixteenth at the box office and fifth among the week s new releases 15 It would ultimately gross 1 053 788 in the United States and Canada and 4 313 644 worldwide 2 Critical response edit Velvet Goldmine received mixed to positive reviews from critics On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 62 rating based on 50 reviews with an average of 6 5 10 The critical consensus reads Velvet Goldmine takes a visual and narrative approach befitting its larger than life subject although it s still disappointingly less than the sum of its parts 16 Metacritic reports a 65 out of 100 score based on 25 critics indicating generally favorable reviews 17 Janet Maslin having seen the film at the New York Film Festival made it a NYT Critics Pick calling it a dazzlingly surreal rock version of Citizen Kane with an extraterrestrial Rosebud and saying it brilliantly reimagines the glam rock 70s as a brave new world of electrifying theatricality and sexual possibility to the point where identifying precise figures in this neo psychedelic landscape is almost beside the point Velvet Goldmine tells a story the way operas do blazing with exquisite yet abstract passions and with quite a lot to look at on the side 18 According to Peter Travers Haynes creates Velvet Goldmine with a masturbatory fervor that demands dead on details and fashions a structure out of Citizen Kane it s a film that works best as a feast of sight and sound re creating an era as a gorgeous carnal dream celebrat ing the art of the possible 19 In a less enthusiastic review Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film two out of four stars and found its plot too discursive and confusingly assorted because of how it bogs down in the apparatus of the search for Slade by clumsily using scenes from Citizen Kane 20 David Sterritt from The Christian Science Monitor wrote The music and camera work are dazzling and the story has solid sociological insights into a fascinating pop culture period 21 In a retrospective review Slant Magazine s Jeremiah Kipp gave Velvet Goldmine four out of four stars and said that although unsupportive critics may be terrified of a movie with so many ideas the film successfully shows a melancholic ode to freedom and those who fight for it through art because of Haynes detailed imagery and the cast s expressive soulful performances 22 Scott Tobias of The A V Club felt that Haynes appropriation of structural elements from Citizen Kane is the film s masterstroke as it helps evoke the glam rock movement without destroying the all important mystique that sustains it Tobias argued that like Haynes Bob Dylan inspired 2007 film I m Not There Velvet Goldmine deals with a famously enigmatic figure indirectly through allusion and imagery and consequently succeeds more than a simpler biopic could 23 In an interview with GQ Jonathan Rhys Meyers criticized the decision to use a different actor to play Tommy Stone at the end of the film it s very hard for the audience to get that which I think I m not quite sure did we make the right move there Because I would have preferred to play Tommy Stone myself You would have got more of the connection 24 Home media editSince its 1999 DVD release the film has become a cult classic 25 and has been described as having an obsessive following among younger audiences 26 Haynes said in a 2007 interview A film that had the hardest time at least initially was Velvet Goldmine and it s the film that seems to mean the most to a lot of teenagers and young people who are just obsessed with that movie They re exactly who I was thinking about when I made Velvet Goldmine but it just didn t get to them the first time around 27 A Blu ray was released in Region A on 13 December 2011 and includes a newly recorded commentary track by Haynes and Vachon In it Haynes thanks the fansites for helping him compile the notes for the commentary 28 The soundtrack to Velvet Goldmine was released on vinyl in 2019 29 Awards and nominations editAward Date of ceremony Category Recipient s Result Ref Academy Awards March 21 1999 Best Costume Design Sandy Powell Nominated 30 British Academy Film Awards 11 April 1999 Best Costume Design Won 31 Best Makeup and Hair Peter King NominatedCannes Film Festival 24 May 1998 Palme d Or Todd Haynes Nominated 32 Best Artistic Contribution WonEdinburgh International Film Festival 30 August 1998 Channel 4 Director s Award WonGLAAD Media Award March 28 1999 Outstanding Film Limited Release Velvet Goldmine Nominated 33 Independent Spirit Awards March 20 1999 Best Feature Christine Vachon Nominated 34 Best Director Todd Haynes NominatedBest Cinematography Maryse Alberti WonConnections to other works editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed January 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message The film s title takes its name from David Bowie s song Velvet Goldmine The film s disclaimer reads Although what you are about to see is a work of fiction it should nevertheless be played at maximum volume an allusion to Bowie s Ziggy Stardust album which contains the legend To be played at maximum volume The name of the lead character Brian Slade is an allusion to the 1970s glam band Slade Slade s persona Maxwell Demon was named after Brian Eno s first band which itself was influenced by James Clerk Maxwell s thought experiment character Maxwell s demon Wild s backing band The Rats shares its name with one of Mick Ronson s earliest groups 35 It also alludes to Iggy Pop s band The Stooges in that both words share a similar meaning rat and stooge both being terms for someone who is an informer The scene where couples are shown walking into the Sombrero Club on New Year s Eve 1969 is similar to a shot of people entering a party from Welles film The Magnificent Ambersons citation needed Maxwell Demon s guitarist shares his name Trevor with Bowie s The Spiders from Mars bassist Trevor Bolder and his last name is Finn as T Rex percussionist Mickey Finn Venus in Furs is a reference to a Velvet Underground song of the same name whose title and lyrics in turn reference a novel of that name by Leopold von Sacher Masoch Flaming Creatures is also the name of Jack Smith s seminal piece of gay cinema Much of the script consists of quotations from various works of Oscar Wilde and several of the scenes involving the character Jack Fairy reference the novels of Jean Genet The bleak dystopian feel of the action taking place in 1984 alludes to the novel Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell to Bowie s own dystopian song of the same name and to Bowie s reinvention of himself as a mainstream entertainer during the Reagan and Thatcher era The pantomime dame from the vaudeville troupe is played by influential dancer Lindsay Kemp a former teacher of Bowie s who collaborated with him on several music videos including John I m Only Dancing The little girl on the train is reading Antigonish a poem by William Hughes Mearns which was inspiration for David Bowie s The Man Who Sold The World Arthur Stuart s boss has mydriasis in his left eye much like Bowie s The Ballad of Maxwell Demon contains the lyrics The boys from Quadrant 44 with their vicious metal hounds never come round here no more referencing Ray Bradbury s dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 This is likely an allusion to Bowie basing some songs on the album Diamond Dogs on the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty Four The scene near the middle of the film that portrays Slade and Wild about to make love as Barbie Dolls pays homage to Haynes earlier work in Superstar The Karen Carpenter Story which was acted out primarily with the dolls References edit Velvet Goldmine 15 British Board of Film Classification 22 June 1998 Archived from the original on 13 October 2022 Retrieved 3 December 2016 a b c Velvet Goldmine 1998 Financial Information The Numbers Archived from the original on 20 December 2016 Retrieved 3 December 2016 a b c Fricke David 26 November 1998 Weird Scenes From the Velvet Goldmine Rolling Stone Archived from the original on 1 January 2022 Retrieved 1 January 2022 Limping with the Stooges in Washington Heights Archived 23 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine in The Brooklyn Rail Please Kill Me The Uncensored Oral History of Punk 1996 Richard Harrington Gone Glam Digging Velvet Goldmine Unearths 70s Tale The Washington Post 6 November 1998 a b Moverman Oren 1998 Superstardust Talking Glam with Todd Haynes an interview in the introduction of Velvet Goldmine A Screenplay by Todd Haynes Hyperion New York Ashare Matt 9 November 1998 Velvet Goldmine stirs up the glam past Boston Phoenix Archived from the original on 20 November 2000 a b David Bowie the man who sold the world wide web The Big Issue 4 February 2020 Archived from the original on 1 January 2022 Retrieved 1 January 2022 a b Erlewine Stephen Thomas Velvet Goldmine Review AllMusic com McCarthy Todd 25 May 1998 Velvet Goldmine Variety Retrieved 22 November 2023 Glittering Ode to the Days of Ziggy Stardust The New York Times Retrieved 22 November 2023 Velvet Goldmine Blu ray 1998 www dvdcompare net Retrieved 22 November 2023 British biz at the box office Variety 14 December 1998 p 72 Weekend Box Office Results for November 6 8 1998 Box Office Mojo Amazon com 9 November 1998 Archived from the original on 16 September 2017 Retrieved 3 December 2016 Velvet Goldmine 1998 Rotten Tomatoes Flixster Archived from the original on 19 September 2012 Retrieved 7 December 2023 Velvet Goldmine Reviews Metacritic CBS Interactive Archived from the original on 5 August 2016 Retrieved 3 December 2016 Maslin Janet 1 October 1998 Glittering Ode to the Days of Ziggy Stardust The New York Times Archived from the original on 15 January 2012 Retrieved 27 January 2012 Travers Peter 18 April 2001 Velvet Goldmine Rolling Stone Archived from the original on 8 December 2021 Retrieved 27 January 2012 Ebert Roger 6 November 1998 Velvet Goldmine Movie Review amp Film Summary 1998 Chicago Sun Times Archived from the original on 7 January 2015 Retrieved 9 August 2013 Alexander Ryll Essential Gay Themed Films To Watch Velvet Goldmine Gay Essential Archived from the original on 7 February 2015 Retrieved 7 February 2015 Kipp Jeremiah 25 March 2004 Velvet Goldmine Slant Magazine Archived from the original on 15 May 2013 Retrieved 9 August 2013 Tobias Scott 5 February 2009 The New Cult Canon Velvet Goldmine The A V Club Archived from the original on 30 October 2013 Retrieved 27 January 2012 Saxena Jaya 20 June 2018 Jonathan Rhys Meyers Has Only Seen Velvet Goldmine Once GQ Archived from the original on 3 February 2023 Retrieved 3 February 2023 Glam s Velvet Gold Encore Monthly 1 August 2008 Archived from the original on 4 October 2011 Lim Dennis 12 January 2012 Velvet Goldmine Mildred Pierce capture director s interests L A Times Archived from the original on 9 October 2023 Retrieved 26 January 2012 Murray Noel 20 November 2007 Todd Haynes The A V Club Archived from the original on 13 October 2022 Gilchrist Todd 16 December 2011 Todd Haynes Thanks The Fans For Helping Him Remember The Details amp Backstories Of Velvet Goldmine IndieWire Archived from the original on 9 January 2012 Velvet Goldmine Original Soundtrack MVD Entertainment Group B2B mvdb2b com Archived from the original on 15 April 2023 Retrieved 9 May 2022 The 71st Academy Awards 1999 Nominees and Winners Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences AMPAS Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 27 August 2013 The 52nd British Academy Film Awards 1999 Nominees and Winners British Academy of Film and Television Arts BAFTA Archived from the original on 2 March 2014 Retrieved 27 August 2013 Velvet Goldmine Festival de Cannes Archived from the original on 27 May 2023 Retrieved 29 August 2022 GLAAD bows media noms Variety 19 January 1999 Archived from the original on 13 October 2022 Retrieved 13 October 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards 38 Years of Nominees and Winners PDF Film Independent pp 40 41 Archived PDF from the original on 4 August 2023 Retrieved 27 August 2023 Velvet Goldmine The Movie www 5years com Archived from the original on 8 February 2007 Bibliography edit Padva Gilad 2014 Claiming Lost Gay Youth Embracing Femininostalgia Todd Haynes s Dottie Gets Spanked and Velvet Goldmine Queer Nostalgia in Cinema and Pop Culture Palgrave Macmillan 72 97 doi 10 1057 9781137266347 5 ISBN 978 1 137 26633 0 External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Velvet Goldmine Velvet Goldmine at IMDb Velvet Goldmine at Box Office Mojo Velvet Goldmine at Rotten Tomatoes Review of Velvet Goldmine Original Soundtrack nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp from AllMusic Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Velvet Goldmine amp oldid 1188758898, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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