Velvet Goldmine (1998) on Netflix
In 1984, a New York newspaper sends British reporter Arthur Stuart to write about Brian Slade. The glam rock star faked his murder onstage and then vanished from public life.
- Netflix3.4/5
- IMDb6.9/1040,737 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes59%
Trailer
Plot summary
Arthur Stuart, a British reporter at a New York City newspaper, is assigned in 1984 to write about Brian Slade, a glam rock star who faked his own murder during a London concert and has withdrawn from public life. Arthur takes the job reluctantly and begins interviewing people close to Slade. Cecil, his first manager, recalls that Slade's real name was Thomas and that he spent his childhood in suburban Birmingham before Cecil signed him after a performance at a London club in the late 1960s. Slade's ex-wife Mandy describes his androgynous stage persona Maxwell Demon, his openness about his bisexuality and his meeting with American performer Curt Wild. The reporting also returns Arthur to his Manchester adolescence as a Slade fan.
Cast
- Mairead McKinleyas Wilde Housemaid (as Maraid McKinley)
- Luke Morgan Oliveras Oscar Wilde, 8
- Osheen Jonesas Jack Fairy, 7
- Micko Westmorelandas Jack Fairy
- Damian Suchetas BBC Reporter
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Velvet Goldmine (1998)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Director Todd Haynes asked David Bowie for access to his song catalogue and his personal blessing to make the film, but Bowie turned him down, saying he planned to make his own film about the era instead.
- Ewan McGregor's character Curt Wild was built from two real rock figures: Iggy Pop, who grew up in a Michigan trailer park, and Lou Reed, whose parents had him sent for electroshock therapy meant to 'cure' his homosexual feelings.
- According to Bowie, "When I saw the film I thought the best thing about it was the gay scenes. They were the only successful part of the film, frankly."
- The film's fictional band name Venus in Furs comes from a song by Lou Reed's early band the Velvet Underground, itself named after Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's novel of the same title.
SPOILER
In an interview with GQ, Jonathan Rhys Meyers criticized the decision to use a different actor to play Tommy Stone at the end of the film, saying he would have preferred to play Tommy Stone himself because the audience would have got more of the connection.- The international cut that premiered at Cannes ran 123 minutes, but US distributor Miramax re-edited it down to 118 minutes for its later American theatrical release.
- Toni Collette plays Slade's wife Mandy, a character based on Bowie's first wife Angela, while Christian Bale plays Arthur Stuart, a young glam rock fan and reporter.
