With its mix of new interviews and archival footage, Underground looked fine for this sort of program.Īs always, I viewed the old material and the new shots with different expectations, and the archival stuff jumped all over the place. The Velvet Underground appears in an aspect ratio of 1.77:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The Disc Grades: Picture B/ Audio B/ Bonus B While probably not a classic rock documentary, the film delivers the goods and remains an absorbing journey. Perhaps that will disappoint some who want a fully avant-garde take but I think Haynes lands a largely effective middle-ground between the abstract and the concrete.Īs such, Underground gives us a fairly engaging and informative summary of the band’s existence. Really, Haynes offers a pretty good mesh of the “art house” feel and a standard biopic. Haynes manages to give us a fairly effective journey through the roots and development of the VU. The VU came from that realm so it makes sense to match the music and story with this material.Īnd Haynes doesn’t allow himself to go nuts in this regard. Of course, Haynes throws out a lot of visuals that match the “art scene” vibe, but I can’t complain too much about that. Happily, although Haynes indulges in some of those tendencies, he grounds the film with a fairly standard take on the subject matter. In any case, my dislike of Daydream led me to fear Underground would deliver another self-consciously “artsy” program that favors avant garde sensibilities over a coherent journey. While I remain ambivalent toward the VU, Bowie stands as arguably my favorite musician of all-time. Granted, I go into a project about Bowie with a wholly different view than I do with a documentary about the Velvet Underground. A highly impressionistic look at the life and career of David Bowie, I found it to offer a shockingly dull and disjointed effort. My most recent rock documentary experience came with Brett Morgen’s Moonage Daydream. Whatever I might think if their work, I understand what a monumental impression they made on the rock scene. That said, I’d look like a fool if I attempted to deny the band’s influence and impact. Though I own the band’s entire (small) catalog and give it the occasional listen, the music just fails to click with me. It then covers the VU’s growth, collaborations with Andy Warhol and Nico, and the remaining career of the VU.Īdmission: try as I might, I never could get into the VU. Underground examines the childhoods and involvement in music of the various band members, the NYC culture of the early-mid 1960s and how this influenced the formation of the VU.
We hear from musicians Lou Reed, John Cale, Terry Philips, Jackson Browne, Jonathan Richman, David Bowie, Nico, and Doug Yule, Reed’s sister Merrill Reed Weiner, Reed’s childhood friend Allan Hyman, filmmakers Jonas Mekas and John Waters, philosopher Henry Flynt, composer La Monte Young, artists Tony Conrad and Marian Zazeela, Reed’s college friend Richard Mishkin, Reed’s college girlfriend Shelley Corwin, music manager Danny Fields, author Amy Taubin, Sterling Morrison’s widow Martha, actor Mary Woronov, photographer Billy Name, and writer Joseph Freeman. The film combines various forms of archival footage with sound bites. Best known for narrative flicks like Velvet Goldmine and Safe, Todd Haynes takes on the topic here. With 2021’s The Velvet Underground, we get a look at the band’s existence and impact. Of course, that doesn’t hold literally true, but it does remain obvious that the VU cast a massive influence far beyond their meager impact on the 1960s rock charts. However, to paraphrase a well-known saying, everyone who did hear the VU went on to start their own bands. They went on to release five albums that sold poorly. In New York circa 1964, a rock band formed that eventually called itself the Velvet Underground. Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (December 21, 2022) SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt Sealed Box Subwoofer
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Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Todd Haynes and Editors Affonso Gonçalves and Adam Kurnitz.Review Archive: # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | MainĮmerging from the primordial soup of glamour, gutter sleaze, and feverish creativity that was New York’s 1960s underground culture, the Velvet Underground redefined music with its at once raw and exalted blend of experimentation and art-damaged rock and roll. The Velvet Underground: Criterion Collection (2021)
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