It's hard to imagine how a documentary on the VU could be any better than this. Besides providing a bounty of film clips, photos, old and new interviews and more, the film captures the voice and aesthetics of the Warhol/Velvets milieu through cinematic techniques such as splt screen sequences a la Warhol's Chelsea Girls and visual portraits from Warhol's Screen Test series.
The tone is appreciative and sympathetic, but never sycophantic; Lou Reed's curmudgeonly persona is evident at numerous points, but in view of his monumental artistic achievements, all is forgiven. All the other players are given their moment in the spotlight and it's a notable joy to witness contemporary remarks from Moe Tucker and Mary Woronov.
Above it all, though, is the thrill of the music, still sounding powerful and life-changing. After seeing the film, you'll want to dig out your Velvets vinyl and once more become immersed in these historic tracks.
The tone is appreciative and sympathetic, but never sycophantic; Lou Reed's curmudgeonly persona is evident at numerous points, but in view of his monumental artistic achievements, all is forgiven. All the other players are given their moment in the spotlight and it's a notable joy to witness contemporary remarks from Moe Tucker and Mary Woronov.
Above it all, though, is the thrill of the music, still sounding powerful and life-changing. After seeing the film, you'll want to dig out your Velvets vinyl and once more become immersed in these historic tracks.