Velvet Goldmine

REVIEW
Arguably the most talented of the so-called “New Queer Cinema” filmmakers, Haynes stumbles a bit in this emotionally cold but musically exciting and visually hallucinogenic story set in London’s glitter rock world of the early 1970s. Unable to get the story or music rights to David Bowie’s meteoric rise to rock stardom, Haynes instead offers a tale and soundtrack suspiciously similar to Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust incarnation with a little bit of Iggy Pop thrown in as well. Rhys-Meyers is a sweet young man who transforms himself into glam rock superstar Brian Slade. He marries an intense American (Collette) but falls in love with fellow rocker Curt Wild (a wonderfully swaggering McGregor). At the height of his fame, he fakes his death. Now ten years later, a former fan/now reporter (Bale) sets out to uncover the truth and reasons for his self-destruction. Structured in the style of Citizen Kane, the story is familiar to all: An innocent with talent and ambition rises to the top of their world, only to see it crash down under the weight of drugs, sex and/or greed. What makes the film memorable are the loud fashions, some good acting, high-energy music and intensely druggy images.