Using a Citizen Kane style format, director Todd Haynes looks at the phenomenon of glam rock that reached its peak between 1969 and 1974. The story opens with the birth of Oscar Wilde in 1854, a man who might have predicted during his lifetime that the glittering age of rock would come to fruition. In the season of his youth, young Oscar (Luke Morgan Oliver) was asked by his teacher what he wanted to be. Even then, he knew he was destined to be a “pop idol.” Wilde was said to have favored a society that defied convention, so it’s not surprising that Haynes chose to evoke the memory of this British literary legend by naming one of his most unconventional characters Curt Wild.
Arthur Stuart has been assigned by his editor to investigate the disappearance of rock star Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers). Ten years earlier, Brian had staged the assassination of his glam persona, Maxwell Demon. Quickly revealed as a hoax to a shocked public, Slade soon disappeared from the public eye. Stuart must now find and interview those closest to Brian, in an effort to ascertain what happened to him. The assignment is a difficult one for the British Stuart, as it brings up some unpleasant memories of his youth. In many ways, Velvet Goldmine is Arthur’s story as much (if not more), as it is Brian’s.
Haynes mimics Welles’ Citizen Kane narrative style in two important ways: First, is the framing structure of the flashbacks. As reporter Leland interviews Kane’s boozy ex-wife Susan Alexander, so does Stuart interview Slade’s sloshed ex-wife Mandy Slade (an excellent Toni Collette). The second is in the film’s visual construction. Similar to Kane, Haynes digs deeply into the filmic styles used regularly by popular British filmmakers of the time in question (the late sixties and early seventies), such as Ken Russell and Nicholas Roeg. Like them, Haynes makes every scene seem like a response to an emotion. While many scenes and information are based on historical fact, he combines or alters them for specific effect.
It would be easy to dismiss Velvet Goldmine as a noble failure. However, even though the narrative is decidedly uneven, fine performances by Christian Bale and Toni Collette make the film well worth seeing at least once. If you’re a fan of glam rock, this one could actually become a favorite.
Shown at the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, this 108p transfer is alright, but not great. There’s some evidence of artificial sharpening in a few scenes and mild ringing. Close-ups show nice texture on the faces of actors, but shadow details suffer for most of the film’s runtime. Contrast is rather dull, but generally well-balanced, while black levels are run-of-the-mill. Unfortunately, the color palette lacks any true vividness.
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack gives the film’s very music-heavy sound the room-filling, power it needs and deserves. Velvet Goldmine has a complicated and intricate sonic layering, and every nuance is discernable here.
English and Spanish subtitles are available.
The following special features are available:
- Feature Commentary by Writer-Director Todd Haynes and Producer Christine Vachon. This is one of the most detailed commentaries in recent memory, if a bit dry. While Vachon doesn’t have a lot to offer here, Haynes both analyzes and defends his film and provides a lot of background on what he was thinking and attempting to accomplish.
- Theatrical Trailer (SD; 1:43)
