Velvet Goldmine (1998)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Todd Haynes

Writers:

James Lyons (story) and
Todd Haynes (story) ...

Release Date:

6 November 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

The Rise Of A Star... The Fall Of A Legend!

Plot:

In 1984, British newspaper reporter Arthur Stuart is investigating the career of 1970s glam rock star Brian Slade...

Plot Keywords:

Sex Scene | Surreal | Faked Death | Dream Like | Masturbation Scene

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Ewan McGregor	...	Curt Wild
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Brian Slade
Christian Bale	...	Arthur Stuart
Toni Collette	...	Mandy Slade
Eddie Izzard	...	Jerry Devine
Emily Woof	...	Shannon
Michael Feast	...	Cecil
Janet McTeer	...	Female Narrator (voice)
Mairead McKinley	...	Wilde Housemaid (as Maraid McKinley)
Luke Morgan Oliver	...	Oscar Wilde, 8
Osheen Jones	...	Jack Fairy, 7
Micko Westmoreland	...	Jack Fairy
Damian Suchet	...	BBC Reporter
Danny Nutt	...	Kissing Sailor
Wash Westmoreland	...	Young Man

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, language and drug use.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | UK:18 (original rating) | Argentina:18 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 (video rating) (1999) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Croydon, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

The name of Brian Slade's rock persona, "Maxwell Demon," and that of his band, "The Venus In Furs", are references to two of the key artists in the original Glam Rock movement: Maxwell Demon was the name of a band in which Brian Eno performed in England in the mid 60s, and "Venus In Furs" is the name of a song by Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. Songs by both artists are featured on the film's soundtrack.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Brian is onstage at the Sombrero Club and the members of the audience are clapping along with him to the music, the motions of their hands do not match the rhythm in the music.

Quotes:

[After Curt Wild has exposed himself to an audience]
Brian Slade: They despised him.
Mandy Slade: Yeah...
Brian Slade: Wish I'd though of it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Shakespeare in Love and on Film (1999) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Baby's On Fire

the glitter of Velvet Goldmine

There is something about this movie that entrances people. Its about the death of Glam Rock, and even though this is a weird premise the stories of how one person changed the lives of many beautiful people without even being aware of it is mesmerizing...on top of that you get a guilty pleasure out of all the make-up, sex, and extremely bizarre music. In this David Bowiesque film, there's romance, music, Oscar Wilde, aliens, and Ewan McGregor with an American accent. I own it, love it, and play the soundtrack in my car without any inhibitions. Christian Bale is a journalist attempting to figure out where his once-upon-a-time hero/rock-star Brian Slade (Meyers) disappeared after a fake death ten years prior. During his search he encounters an old lover of Slade's who weaves the story of the singer's beginnings, and Brian's American ex-wife who remembers of his bitter end. All of this is summed up with Curt Wild (Mcgregor)This movie claims to be about Brian Slade, but it's about the people he left in his wake.