thinly disguised account of Bowie/Iggy romance

Rating: Null/10 (2 August 1999)

Well, I meant to see Velvet Goldmine on the big screen when it came out, but I never got around to it. And now I am really sorry, because it obviously would have been even BETTER on the big screen and in surround sound. But what REALLY got me was the story. It's a thinly disguised (very thinly -- for Iggy fans, Bowie fans, or fans of both -- and speculative by necessity) story of the David Bowie/Iggy Pop collaboration which resulted in Bowie producing some Iggy stuff (and rather poorly, I might add; the mix on some of Iggy's best songs, like Funtime, is horribly muddy) and the cross-pollination of their musical talents (songs such as Red Money by Bowie and Sister Midnight by Iggy are note for note exactly the same; only the lyrics change, though Bowie does not credit Iggy on his Lodger album). What this movie explores is what may have gone on *besides* the musical collaboration, which I always wondered about. After all, there was that one famous (infamous) Mick Rock photo of Bowie and Lou Reed leaning across Mick Jagger for a sloppy wet kiss at the table of some cafe or club... So I figured something went on between Iggy and Bowie, but I never read far enough into the Iggy or Bowie literature to find out. From what I *have* read over the years in magazines like Rolling Stone and Creem (okay, showing my age), neither of them would talk about the other. So that aspect of the film certainly seems accurate.
I've been wondering why Ewan McGregor was supposed to be such a big deal -- I mean, he seemed a serviceable actor, from what I had seen in Trainspotting; Phantom Menace, I'm afraid, made everyone too wooden to make McGregor stand out at all, to me. BUT having now seen Velvet Goldmine, I now know what was the big deal about Ewan McGregor. Man, can he act. He *became* Iggy in the live concert sequences -- I was astonished. (I've seen Iggy live, and McGregor really nailed Iggy's vibrating, spastic style of moves -- plus a few of his infamous moments, such as dancing 'til his pants fell down, feeling himself, etc.) And I think he did a very good job of conveying the frustration of someone who is what he is, is not the image that his partner/friend wants to see or wants him to be, and knows he can't live up to it.
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is impossibly pretty and plays the part of Brian Slade very well; he pretty much *is* Bowie, as much as McGregor *is* Iggy. I've never seen him in anything before, but he did seem a bit wooden in parts; but then, from what I've read, Bowie was very "detached" from people at certain points during the Ziggy Stardust/Aladdin Sane/Thin White Duke times in his career. Toni Collette was incredible as Mandy Slade, the fictionalized version of Angie Bowie. I would have liked to see more of her, but that wasn't really the scope of the film; I will definitely check out anything she appears in, in the future.
The soundtrack was incredible, hearkening back to all the incredible glitter rock songs with original songs, and remakes (20th Century Boy, TV Eye) that didn't make me shudder but got the spirit of it right.
Lastly, of course, this is a film of visual spectacle (as well as sound -- damn, I hope one of the art theaters by me plays it as a midnight flick!). I've seen Todd Haynes' previous films Poison and Safe, and these were visually arresting -- but Velvet Goldmine takes the cake for sheer beauty, artistry, and gorgeous strangeness. Everything Haynes does has a kind of compelling watchableness to it. I think Velvet Goldmine might possibly been in need of some tighter editing; but then again, maybe not, since it is much more a European film than an American film, in terms of the pacing and editing. It's not cut-cut-cut like so many US Hollywood films -- and I for one was glad. The stylization and formality of some of the visual composition -- and I'm not even talking about the glam scenes -- really sets the scenes apart and makes what the characters have to say that much more interesting.
All in all, this is well worth seeing, at least if you know and appreciate Bowie, Iggy, and the whole glitter rock era. It also made me eager to see the main leads -- McGregor, Rhys-Meyers, Collette and Bale -- in future work. And I'm anticipating Todd Haynes' next film with glee... as well as any possible future showings of Velvet Goldmine as a midnight feature in the art theaters around Chicago.