Velvet Goldmine (1998)

In 1984, British newspaper reporter Arthur Stuart is investigating the career of 1970s glam rock star Brian Slade, who was heavily influenced in his early years by American rock singer Curt... See full summary »

Director:

Todd Haynes

Writers:

James Lyons (story), Todd Haynes (story),

Stars:

Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Christian Bale

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ewan McGregor	...	Curt Wild
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Brian Slade
Christian Bale	...	Arthur Stuart
Toni Collette	...	Mandy Slade
Eddie Izzard	...	Jerry Devine
Emily Woof	...	Shannon
Michael Feast	...	Cecil
Janet McTeer	...	Female Narrator (voice)
Mairead McKinley	...	Wilde Housemaid (as Maraid McKinley)
Luke Morgan Oliver	...	Oscar Wilde, 8
Osheen Jones	...	Jack Fairy, 7
Micko Westmoreland	...	Jack Fairy
Damian Suchet	...	BBC Reporter
Danny Nutt	...	Kissing Sailor
Wash Westmoreland	...	Young Man

Storyline

In 1984, British newspaper reporter Arthur Stuart is investigating the career of 1970s glam rock star Brian Slade, who was heavily influenced in his early years by American rock singer Curt Wild, whose show was quite crazy for his time.

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Plot Keywords:

glam rock | reporter | 1970s | male full frontal nudity | recording studio | 

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Taglines:

The secret to becoming a star is knowing how to behave like one

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, language and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 1998 (UK)

Also Known As:

Bálványrock - Velvet Goldmine

Filming Locations:

Croydon, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$301,787 (USA) (6 November 1998)

Gross:

$1,043,487 (USA) (11 December 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel Four Films, Goldwyn Films, Killer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The David Bowie song "Velvet Goldmine," though originally recorded for the "Hunky Dory" album, wasn't officially released until 1975, being the b-side to the re-issue of the "Space Oddity" single.

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Goofs

The light switches in the New York newspaper office are British.

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Quotes

Brian Slade: Rock and Roll is a prostitute, it should be tarted up.

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Connections

Referenced in Jubilee: A Time Less Golden (2003)

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Soundtracks

"20th Century Boy"
Written by Marc Bolan
Performed by Placebo

User Reviews

A Surreal View of Surreal Glam Rock

I have to admit, the only reason I rented this movie was because of my current Ewan McGregor fixation--but I really hit a good one renting Velvet Goldmine. Being too young to have experienced the glam rock scene of the seventies and eighties and the roots of punk rock this movie not only gave me an awesome Ewan fix but a surreal, musically effulgent look at a time period that few got to experience first hand. Should you be a very straight forward and literal movie goer, I would not recommend this movie. But Velvet Goldmine kick a whole lot of ass for anyone who loves music, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Kurt Cobain and the pioneers of some of the greatest music to come out of the 20th century. Todd Haynes created a world of decadence, sexual experimentation glued together with infectious music and enough eye makeup to keep Christina Aguleria happy into her eighties. I highly recommend this movie to those with open minds and open ears.