10 years later everything has changed

Rating: 7/10 (31 August 2003)

1974. Bryan Slade aka Maxwell Demon the biggest rock star of his generation is killed during on eof his concerts. A few days later the public finds out he never was murdered and it was all done for publicity. Bryan Slade in the meantime has disappeared.
1984. Ten years later a journalist is asked to write an article about Bryan Slade. Being a big fan of Bryan Slade himself remembering his past, a past he was trying hard to forget the last 10 years isn't very easy. He finds his former manager and his ex-wife and interviews them. They both seem to be living in the past, a past that has left them with a lot of wounds especially his ex-wife, a past they would rather forget. He tries to find Bryan Slade's best friend and lover for a while, fellow rocker Kurt Wylde. Wylde has been living in the past as well though, without a direction and with nothing to live for but the memories. Velvet Goldmine is a nostalgic film about an era which apparently means a lot to Todd Haynes the director of this movie. And while the movie does have a lot of flaws I enjoyed watching it and listening to the great music (with some great songs written by Thom Yorke and Jon Greenwood of Radiohead, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and Brian Molko of Placebo). I own the DVD and I watch it sometimes. This is a film that I would recommend despite the numerous flaws.