Velvet Goldmine

[butterfly]

Asking me to choose a favorite Ewan McGregor movie would be like asking me to choose a favorite Buffy episode. Sure, I can do it, but if you ask me again tomorrow, I'll probably have a different answer (for the curious, my favorite BtVS episode of this moment in time is Selfless from season 7. Thank you and have a nice day.).

Today, my favorite Ewan McGregor movie is Velvet Goldmine. I can't remember just when I first saw it -- it was probably post-Moulin Rouge, when I felt my first feelings of adoration for Ewan. Regardless, it's such a fun, mind-twisting little movie.

Ewan's character is definitely the most vibrant, the most volatile. Curt Wild is a very raw, very open character. In many ways, he's the lynchpin of the movie, the green gem. It's seeing Curt Wild that makes Brian Slade change his image in the first place. It's losing Curt that makes Brian kill Maxwell Demon. And it's Curt who sticks in Arthur's head, the man on the stair who wasn't there. He's the love interest.

The movie has a lot packed into it and it's a movie that plays with flashbacks.

Principle story -- Arthur Stuart, a journalist, is told to do a story about former glam rock idol Brian Slade (a character based off of David Bowie, circa Ziggy Stardust). We find out Brian's life story via flashbacks from his former manager and his ex-wife.

Brian and Arthur are both characters that go through obvious external transformations in the movie.

Curt, on the other hand, just is. He's not ever pretending to be something that he's not. He's brash and bold and fully willing to say "fuck you" to anyone who dislikes him (traits which strongly remind me of Ewan's film choices, honestly). His character is based off of Iggy Pop and with the long, bleached hair and he looks quite a bit like Curt Cobain. And he's really, really hot. Seriously, cannot possibly stress the hotness enough.

Something interesting that I didn't know until recently is that Ewan McGregor improvised showing his penis. He was only scripted to moon the audience, apparently.

You really have to love actors who go the extra mile, yeah?

Another interesting thing to follow is the pin. Oscar Wilde is found with it, Jack Fairy finds it, Brian Slade steals it, and Curt and Arthur are both given it. Seems to, you know, Say Things About Their Characters. Something like that.

And for something completely different:

Sci-Fi Friday! Eeee! I'm exceedingly excited.

I'm also very much looking forward to the new Harry Potter. Fannish things, yay!

Comments

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

Yep, Velvet Goldmine's good, although I think it has too many false endings.

Also, whenever I'm tempted to condemn real-person-fic, I think "But what about Velvet Goldmine?"

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Yep, Velvet Goldmine's good, although I think it has too many false endings.

It's a very oddly structured movie. I'm not sure that the director ever quite figured out what the movie was about.

Also, whenever I'm tempted to condemn real-person-fic, I think "But what about Velvet Goldmine?"

I just think of Shakespeare in Love. Not just RPF, but RPF with a complete Mary Sue.

[cesperanza.livejournal.com]

You really don't want to get me started about this, because I can go for weeks, BUT.

VG is in many ways a rewrite of Citizen Kane, and shares its odd structure--meeting the hospitalized manager in wheelchair, the wife, other characters, and then the wife again (though in VG, the second "wife' sequence is with Kurt rather than going back to the actual wife, which is interesting). But it's a pomo Kane--while Kane suggests that there was an answer to the question "Who was Kane?"--i.e. Rosebud; the story of Rosebud, while never discovered, exists and explains Kane's fuckedupness pretty damn well--in VG, there really IS no answer as to "what happened to Brian Slade"--I mean, okay, yes, he became TS, but that isn't the same kind of explanation: why did he change? Because he did, is all; because people do. The story ends up not caring much about what happened to BS, and becomes more about what BS *meant* to our hero, A.

[earis.livejournal.com]

I love VG. It is not only my favorite Ewan movie, but it is one of my favorite movies of all time. Art is what you make of it, what you make of yourself.

Your comment about the pin is very true. Like the One Ring in LOTR, the methods of acquisition has as much to tell about how the giftee turns out as the nature of the giftee itself.

I would like to say two things about your description of VG, in regards to Curt's character. The first is that, while Curt Wild is connected with Iggy Pop and Curt Cobain, there is also a fair amount of Lou Reed in him. This prompts me to say that Curt embodys the American subversive music scene at the time, full of grit and sexuality and raw, musical power. When it meets Brian Slade, who symbolizes the subversive British music scene of slicked, costumed, poetic dandies and their strange, lyrical forays into music, glam rock was born. (God I love this movie).

Also, as central as Curt is to the plot, I would argue that the central character is Arthur, because as much as this movie is about glam and glitter, it's about the fan experience as well. And how thin the line is between a fan and a star. And Arthur is the 'everyfan' of the movie, his story is how the movement changed him and made him a different person. When Curt and Brian set out to change the world, when Brian claims that he will speak to the orphans, it is Arthur that is the result of that. And in some way, the movie is Arthur's gradual acceptance of who he is, both his sexuality and his inner nature as a creator.

I would love to talk about this movie with you more. It's such a good movie, but it needs to hit you at the right point in time and that doesn;t happen often.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I love VG. It is not only my favorite Ewan movie, but it is one of my favorite movies of all time. Art is what you make of it, what you make of yourself.

It's a gorgeous movie. And I loved getting teased about the glam rock era -- the movie inspired me to look up more about David and Iggy and I love it when a movie makes me want to do research.

I absolutely adore your description of Arthur as an 'everyfan'. Beautiful and perfect.

And your whole description music merging and such is... kinda hot, actually, just like it was in the movie.

I would love to talk about this movie with you more. It's such a good movie, but it needs to hit you at the right point in time and that doesn;t happen often.

So true. I'm often amazed at what I see on rewatches of beloved films. I know that I got more out of this viewing than my first one and I look forward to seeing it some more.

[earis.livejournal.com]

At some point, you should watch the movie and then go and read 'The Picture of Dorian Gray.'

Because you get to the end of that book, and Dorian Gray picks up a letter from some idolater that ends with "The world has changed because you are made of ivory and gold. The curves of your lips rewrite history."

And then you scream.

[coneyislandbaby]

Someone who knows Lou, yay!

would like to say two things about your description of VG, in regards to Curt's character. The first is that, while Curt Wild is connected with Iggy Pop and Curt Cobain, there is also a fair amount of Lou Reed in him. This prompts me to say that Curt embodys the American subversive music scene at the time, full of grit and sexuality and raw, musical power.

OMG, that's it exactly.

Er. Yes. Am slightly Lou obsessed, and as I said in my comment below, the lack of credit Lou gets for inspiring parts of Curt is a pet peeve.

[coneyislandbaby]

I have to point out, Curt is actually based on at least three contemporaries of David Bowie's. As well as the Iggy Pop influence, there's a little of Mick Jagger (particularly the part where Mandy talks about finding Curt and Brian in bed together - that line is an almost direct quote of one Angie Bowie said about Mick and David) and at least as much of Lou Reed as there is of Iggy Pop - the ECT for a start was entirely Lou (unfortunately for both RL Lou and Curt *hugs them*) and there were several other parts that were merged but could be Lou or Iggy. I'd say about 10% Mick, and about 45% each of Iggy and Lou.

And yes, my pet peeve is that Lou never gets the inspiration credit for Curt that he deserves. *grins*

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I've honestly never heard too much about Lou Reed. David Bowie and Iggy Pop are names that immediately bring faces to my mind (particularly Bowie, because of Labyrinth) -- even after looking at a picture of Lou Reed, I feel a bit in the dark.

Which means that research is required. Yay!

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

"The Velvet Underground and Nico", "Transformer", and "New York" are a good intro.

[thawrecka]

I've never been very fond of Velvet Goldmine, in spite of liking certain parts (the music, the costumes, the Placebo cameo) but your musings make me want to watch it again and see if I'd like it better now.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Well, I like it quite a lot, but it's definitely not for everyone. It's deliberately rather unstructured, more a mixed-up set of snapshots than a slideshow.

[naanima.livejournal.com]

I have nothing intelligent to say except omfg! I think that was when I first went 'Ewan = HAWT!!!' It is the bleached blonde hair. I still remember the scene of Curt standing in the middle of the stage, bear-chested, white leather pants, and straight blond hair plasted to his face singing his heart out. *fans self* And it has been 6 or 7 years ago since I have seen the film.

The Pin definitely had Meaning, but I admit it is one of those symbols that never made enough sense to me. Still don't actually. So, I'll abide by the 'It has Meaning' and leave it at that ^^;;

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he's... really, really hot in VG.

[distant-beaches.livejournal.com]

I adore VG.

It funny. Myself and many of my friends had a mass viewing earlier in the year. I found that many of me friends seeing it for the first time had the reaction of "I'm not quite sure what this is, but it sure seems groovy."

While the repeat-viewers, kept talking and saying, "Whoah, I never noticed that before."

It made me realize that each time I see it, I notice something new and love the movie a little bit more. In fact, I think the first time I saw it I wasn't that impressed, I just thought it was ex. pretty. Then I found the script book in a second-hand book store, picked it up, and read it. I comprehended much more of the layers. Then, each time I see it, I notice some more of subtle details.

Its one of the few movies that reward repeat viewings.

Maybe because so much of the movie is in atompshere and emotion. Maybe its the great acting. Part of it is probably that the movie only gives away a little of what clearly is a huge and well thought out back story.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I do get more out of the movie every time that I watch it. It really is so much more complex than it appears on first viewing.