Velvet Goldmine (Day 4)

Yesterday, this blog looked at "Elf," last season's Christmas musical. Today, we're taking a look at the film musical "Velvet Goldmine," and the various different ways one can deal with a musical on film.

The plot of "Velvet Goldmine" is easy to state, but hard to explain. After a failed publicity stunt years ago, glam rocker Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys Myers), better known as Maxwell Demon, has disappeared for the better part of a decade. The year is 1984, and journalist Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale), a former fan of Slade, is assigned to write a "where are they now" piece on the reclusive rocker, who appears to have literally disappeared. As Stuart explores his Slade's past, as well as his own, he discovers that both stories intertwine with the rumors of a scandalous love triangle between Slade, his American wife (Toni Collette), and another rocker (Ewan McGregor). The plot is loosely based on David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" period, his (eventually denied) allegations of bisexuality, and the legends of the decadence surrounding him, but rather than being a biopic musical, the plot is heavily mixed with the lore of such rockers as Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Jobriath and nineteenth-century wit Oscar Wilde, who is described in the movie as the world's first pop idol.

The question arises- is "Velvet Goldmine" a musical? Yes, and no. Yes, it is a piece of dramatic art which uses music for communication, but no, not ALL the music is in the style of "the characters sing their thoughts and feelings." Moments like that DO occur, but they are usually dreamlike and nonrealistic moments, such as the incredibly surreal "Satellite of Love" sequence, or Slade's final meltdown in the "Tumbling Down" number. The bulk of the music, however, appears as either music videos or concert performances, only natural for a musical about rock stars. Even these moments are showy, theatrical affairs, though, and they are often rapidly intercut with "offstage" scenes in the lives of the characters. Finally, some music is just "soundtrack," like in any other film.

McGregor and Myers are great in the two lead roles, as fictionalized variants on Iggy Pop/Jim Morrison and David Bowie/Jobriath, respectively. Their characterizations are often hard to read, as a central theme of the film is how these two men, and indeed the entire ilk of the glam movement, were ciphers, androgynous but artificial. Their real personalities, sexual preferences and "styles" are left a central mystery, and a good deal of the movie's satire is on the way so-called "alternative sexuality" was turned into a trendy commodity by the glam stars. (Real life example: blues singer David Jones, forced to change his name and image by the presence of Davey Jones and the Monkees, became a glam star, David Bowie, and fostered a public image of camp bisexuality, which, upon his sudden abandonment of glam in favor of a soul-based rock sound, he denounced as having been a publicity stunt.)

In final analysis, "Velvet Goldmine" is not a movie for everyone, nor is it a musical for all tastes. If you don't like glam rock (especially David Bowie), proto-punk (especially Iggy Pop and the Stooges), or experimental art-rock (especially Roxy Music), this MAY not be for you. On the other hand, if you like movies with a good beat you can dance to, and you're wondering where Lady Gaga got her look and style, go ahead and rent it on Netflix. What can you lose?

Velvet Goldmine: A-

LESSON FOR ACTORS: Do your research. When Ewan McGregor was simply told to "go wild" in a concert sequence that introduces his character, he mixed spasmic dancing, use of props and public nudity into his performance- all stage techniques heavily associated with Iggy Pop, the inspiration for his character.

WARNING FOR ACTORS: Don't let your accent slip! Toni Collette, as the American wife of a British rocker, vacillates in mid-sentence from American to British dialects. Whether or not this was intentional is still contested to this day.

LESSON FOR WRITERS: Remember this term- roman a clef. The "roman a clef" is a fictional story based on real-life elements, with enough changed to avoid lawsuits or controversy. Notable films in this genre include "Valley of the Dolls" (the fall of Judy Garland), "Dreamgirls" (the Supremes), and "Inherit The Wind" (the Scopes Monkey Trial).

WARNING FOR WRITERS: Keep track of your characters and plot elements- don't use something and then forget why you threw it in. Plot points involving Oscar Wilde and his mysterious space earrings, and the influential but silent glam figure Jack Ferry, are established in the first half and never pay off.