Can someone explain "Velvet Goldmine" to me?

[Taverner]

OK...the first half of this movie is excellent. It really captures the whole Brit-Glam-70's period pretty well.

But somewhere in the middle, the movie starts to make no freakin sense. And the end, what is that supposed to mean? Is Maxwell Demon some mafia guy or something?

I just don't get it...

http://www.filmkultura.iif.hu:8080/1999/articles/films/images/velvet/velvet2.jpg

[musette_sf]

1. it's a Todd Haynes film

which evidently means (having just seen "I'm Not There") that your belief must be suspended, and surrealism must reign, for at least part of the film.

i definitely must put "Velvet Goldmine" in my Netflix queue, since i was so impressed with "I'm Not There".

[Taverner]

2. Don't get me wrong, I did like VG

That movie should have won an Oscar for set design and costumes.

But it just MADE NO SENSE at one point, and then swirls around to kinda making sense, then no sense again.

Made me catch the gay for about 90 minutes too...

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

3. lol.

I think I caught the gay too and I am a girl. I actually liked that movie - it touched a chord ,I can't explain. Ok I will back away now :hide:

[Taverner]

4. I think its that "throw caution to the wind" attitude the characters had

I would so love to live life like that...

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

6. Exactly.

That is my point exactly that I was trying to get at.I have watched people who lived their live like that and I can't bring myself to do it.Because I know that I won't ever come back to the ground.

[musette_sf]

5. i didn't get from your original post

that you didn't like it. your post reminded me that i wanted to see "VG" now that i've seen "I'm Not There".

i sort of hovered around the NYC glam-rock scene a bit at the time, so i think i will quite enjoy it.

and now i want to see if it is as nutty and surreal as "I'm Not There", which i highly recommend.

[Taverner]

8. I kinda liked it

There are parts of that movie that were simply amazing. The parts where they go from stage into fantasy world are nothing short of spectacular. The character development is excellent too.

It's only the storyline that I have issues with - halfway through the pic I'm confused and stay that way.

I would still recommend it tho...see it in a theater if you can. It's worth it.

[unpossibles]

7. I think the main problems it had (Spoiler!)

were that is was supposed be semi-about Bowie, and he would not let them, so they needed to rewrite if I am not mistaken.

Maxwell Demon faked his death and went into obscurity to get away from the fame, I assume. At the end, he is back in the music scene as ... whatever the rock star at the end is named, and no one knows it's the same guy except for Christian Bale, and maybe a few others, such as Ewan McGregor (the Iggy Pop/Lou Reed character).

I like the movie, and I interpret it as intentionally not being too linear - it is supposed to be psychedelic and strange. I wish there was more music in it, but I like it and think it gets better on subsequent viewings.

If you like Velvet Goldmine, I recommend Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

[Westegg]

9. Don't worry about not getting it....

...The plot's kinda nuts. The movie isn't really about the plot, but more about capturing a time, a scene, a vibe, and a cul-de-sac of rock history which has had a lot more influence and relevance than most people realized at the time-- or even now! But the problems you have with "VG" are exactly why it's not a great film, however much I admire Todd Haynes' vision, efforts and passion.

Oscar Wilde, the movie's touchstone and template, only SEEMED to value style (and wit) over substance and story-telling, to the casual observer. In fact, that was but the first (and most public) layer of his persona and his work. Beneath the surface, he was transgressive and revolutionary-- and ultimately tragic. The same can't be said of "VG." In this sense, the film's a disappointment.

The real rock 'n' roll history of people like Bowie, Eno, Bryan Ferry, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, etc. is SO much more dramatic, intense and relevant than the mish-mosh of characters and wacky plot-lines in "VG." I'd have preferred a documentary about the Glam scene myself, but this WAS film that aimed to earn profits. So there ya go. If you watch D.A. Pennebaker's documentary about Bowie, "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars," and read Nick Kent's classic '70s interview with Iggy Pop, along with Lester Bangs' infamous journalistic encounters with Lou Reed from the same decade, you'll get a much more valid take on that scene than you could possibly get from "VG." Hell, the eight minutes of badly lit, poorly focused footage of "Moonage Daydream" from the "Ziggy" film say more than "VG" does. Indeed, I think it's time for me to see that one again!

I sound like I'm trashing "VG." I'm not. I find parts of it incredibly watchable over and over. But reality is about a thousand times more intense.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

10. It's a glam rock tale patterned off of the template of Citizen Kane

Slade is based on Bowie and, to a lesser extent, Brian Eno.

Eno's first band was called Maxwell Demon (hence, the name). Like Bowie/Ziggy Stardust, Slade's on-stage alter-ego Maxwell Demon overwhelms his actual persona until both disappear from public life.

(As far as I recall, anyway. It's been awhile since I've seen it.)