Rent Velvet Goldmine (1998)

Glam Rock, Croydon, and the Ghost of Camden Past - Velvet Goldmine review by griggs

When word spread that a film was being made about the glam rock heyday of David Bowie and Marc Bolan—with Michael Stipe producing and a cast full of cool—expectations ran high among my friends. NME fanned the flames for months, long before a single frame was shot. But when it finally landed, the verdict was swift. Croydon, mid-tramworks and unmistakably ‘90s, standing in for 1970s Manhattan? It didn’t quite sell the fantasy.

So I skipped Velvet Goldmine—until now. And yes, that Croydon underpass still sticks out like a sore thumb.

Bowie, Bolan, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop are mashed into fictional avatars, but without Bowie’s music, what’s left sounds more like late-stage Britpop than glam’s golden roar. The Citizen Kane structure is ambitious, but here it meanders, searching for significance and mostly finding sequins. It’s more moodboard than movie—rich in style, thin on substance.

There’s a cult following, sure. But I’d wager few of them ever changed trams at East Croydon.

Rise & Fall Of A Rock Star Story - Velvet Goldmine review by GI

Clearly influenced by, if not based on, the early career of David Bowie this ode to 'Glam Rock' is littered with Bowie references not least the title which is also the title of a Bowie song. Essentially this is a rise and fall of a megastar narrative with the price of fame the theme that runs through as it recreates the strange days of the early 70s as flower power and hippies gave way to the glitter and glamour of a new music genre where sexuality was the driver for difference. The story here follows a journalist, Arthur (Christian Bale) who in 1984 is given an assignment to track down Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), an enormously successful rock star who faked his own death on stage and was ridiculed for it subsequently disappearing into obscurity. The hunt for Slade takes Arthur back to his own connections with the world of glamrock and the leading lights of the day. The story of Brian is told in a series of flashbacks especially his rise to fame under the tutelage of his money oriented manager (Eddie Izzard) and his friendship with American singer Curt Wild (Ewan McGregor), a character based on a hybrid of Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and Kurt Cobain. Like many films in this genre it deals with the depravity brought on by unlicensed freedom with drink, drugs and sexual excess leading to inevitable self destruction. The film certainly captures the visually spectacular and theatrical elements of the time and boasts Toni Collette as Brian's American wife. This is definitely a film to check out if you've not seen it.