Velvet Goldmine

A film by Todd Haynes (USA, 1998),

with Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Ewan McGregor, Toni Collette, Christian Bale, Eddie Izzard, Emily Woof.

Winner of the 1998 Cannes Film Festival Artistic Contribution Prize.

In the 90s, a journalist investigates on the disappearance from the public scene of a 70s glam rock star, Brian Slade...

Velvet Goldmine is halfway between a documentary and a video. Visually speaking, it is therefore fascinating: the recreation of the 70s (saturated bright colors, glam clothes, extravagant make-up, etc.) and the incursion into the excessive lives of those days pop stars are enough to keep the audience mesmerized by the film, thanks to Todd Haynes' skillful direction, not to mention a farily suggestive soundtrack. The screenplay itself is weaker: the parallel story of the journalist is hardly convincing and Christian Bale's interpretation is too rigid to involve us really. On the contrary, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Ewan McGregor contribute a lot to the credibility of their characters. All in all, there's no doubt Haynes' provocative approach of the topic is both aesthetic and interesting as it reveals the social turmoil of a period. But it might well be not good enough for some insofar as the plot is not really up to the task... In short, as a film, Velvet Goldmine is probably disappointing, but as a documentary-video, it's definitely worth the trip!

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