We’ve all seen it countless times; celebrity sensations stealing the stage. With gaudy outfits, daring ideas, and an excess of glitter, glam-rock stars were no exception. These 1970s idols of the U.K. dressed, behaved, and performed in audacious ways that were impossible to ignore. Todd Haynes, director of “Poison” and “Safe,” demands the same attention in his film “Velvet Goldmine,” and it deserves the spotlight. Though liberal, in your face, and somewhat absurd at times, this work of art is as unique and infectious as the era it illuminates.
“Velvet Goldmine” follows Arthur Stuart, a British journalist played by Christian Bale who is assigned to cover a story on the infamous Brian Slade; a bisexual, glam-rock idol played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers whose life loosely parallels that of David Bowie. Ten years after Slade’s controversial death, Stuart sets out to uncover the discrepancies behind Slade’s demise. In a series of interviews and flashbacks, Stuart reveals Slade’s rise and fall as a distinguished icon, his marriage, and his love affair with both music and Curt Wilde; another rising star played by Ewan McGregor whose biography is roughly based off the lives of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed.
Acclaimed costume designer Sandy Powell, Oscar nominee for “The Wings of the Dove” and “Orlando,” epitomizes the glam in glam-rock in “Velvet Goldmine.” Glitter, glitz, sparkle: she does it all. Draping characters in everything from psychedelic, Victorian-inspired outfits to skin-tight, metallic pants to outrageous platform boots, Powell has the costumes screaming for just as much attention as their dramatic wearers. Most impressive is Slade who is a true icon at a concert in a luminescent body-suit adorned with glistening jewels and sequins complete with an impressive collar of plumes. Taking the stage, this distorted angel shimmers just as brightly as the silver confetti that engulfs him.
Celebrated hair and makeup artist Peter King, known for “The Portrait of a Lady” and “The Tango Lesson,” pinpoints an era with swooping lashes, charcoal eyeliner, and lots and lots of hairspray. In true glam-rock style, the characters are over-the-top and don futuristic, artificial looks; Slade sports an electric-blue hairdo, and Wild’s milky blue eyes, framed in heavy, black makeup, peer out of a greasy blonde, shoulder-length veil. In a Slade music video, humans become abstract, alien-like forms with bejeweled bodies painted blue and doused in a coat of glitter. It seems flashy and overdone, but because it is flamboyant and impossible to ignore, it captures the essence of a phenomenon that boldly took risks and tested boundaries.
The “Velvet Goldmine” soundtrack is just as emotionally charged and sensational as the characters, mirroring their constantly changing, unpredictable moods. One moment, Slade is stealing the stage to the roar of the audience and the scream of electric guitars, and the next, he is exhausted or depressed accompanied by an ensemble of melancholy string and wind instruments. The music, though spontaneous, still seems to establish a flow and relationship between the often-disconnected scenes and characters. This fluidity stems from multilayered melodies that weave together dialogue, background noise, and contrasting themes, such as pop and folk.
Though controversial and somewhat shocking, “Velvet Goldmine” is as outrageous and compelling as any rock concert: heavy make-up, guitar solos, outlandish outfits, and all.
-For Readers of the Kalamazoo Gazette
Your review is very well written, especially in your descriptive words. Although your paragraphs visually look a little long, they allow you to cover a lot of ground when you put an equal amount into the plot summary, the background of the director, the costume designer, and so forth.
ReplyDeleteI thought that there was just so much in this film that it really needed more than a 500 word review. Just describing the plot alone could easily take me 800 words. So although I wish that you had mentioned Oscar Wilde and his role in the film, I understand why you left him out (there's just no room!)
However, I thought that your summary was excellent for how short it was. Not only did it give a general idea of what the film was about, but you used choice words like "controversial death" and "Slade's demise" to not give too much away.
Nice!
I love the language of this review, and the way that you cover various elements (costume in particular). The overall feeling for me, is that you very incredibly deliberate about which elements you wanted to cover, and didn't worry to much about everything else, as a reader, that works for me, even though as I read it I was saying "but what about ..."
ReplyDeleteFantastic opening! Really, I think you choose your words well in the first paragraph and throughout to convey your "but." The context and comments on the film's costumes, make-up, and music are well placed given the subject of "Velvet Goldmine," but I think you could have tied those elements a little more to cultural significance or the film's message. That said, your review definitely captures the essence of the film over a range of topics.
ReplyDelete