6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An important artistic artifact, May 29, 2009
This review is from: Vinyl/Velvet Underground & Nico (DVD)
"Vinyl" and "The Velvet Underground and Nico" are very good and accessible examples of Andy Warhol's efforts as a filmmaker. Whether one likes the films or not will largely be determined by ones interest in Warhol, his aesthetics, and his associates.
"Vinyl" is inspired by Anthony Burgess's novel "A Clockwork Orange." As such, it follows the structure of the novel but is presented through the lens of Warhol's aesthetic. It is filmed with only two camera set-ups which do not move except for a slow zoom out at the very beginning. The dialog, such as it is, appears to be broadly improvised. The sound is dismally murky. The story is interrupted by a long dance number.
As one might expect from Warhol, most of the actors are beautiful to look at and fascinating to watch even when their performances are pretty amateurish. Gerard Malanga, Edie Sedgewick, and Tosh Carillo were stunningly beautiful in their youth. It would have been nice if we weren't looking down on them at such a steep angle, but that's the charm of the film. Further, much of the screen time is devoted to physically torturing the characters. The tortures take on a somewhat erotic tone when a leather mask is put over Gerard Malanga's head and hot candle wax is dripped onto his chest. In keeping with Warhol's still camera technique, there's not much concern about keeping the actors firmly within the frame of the picture during the proceedings.
"The Velvet Underground and Nico" is important for its rare, extended footage of the groundbreaking rock group. Again Warhol's aesthetic is indisputably controlling, but that was part of the group's image. After a long still close-up of Nico, the camera takes off, zooming and panning at dizzying and jolting speeds like a roller-coaster. That goes on for about fifty minutes while the band jams over their trademark drone. Don't expect any of the band's recognizable songs. This is just a jam session. When the session is called to a halt by the NYPD, we get to see Warhol, the band, and other associates milling around, talking to the cops, smoking, and drinking. Very little of the conversations are discernible. That's fine. That's Warhol.
I had been eager to see any of the films that Warhol himself directed. I'm glad I have, and I'm glad I bought these films. They are films I suspect I will come back to with real interest. Still, the audience for these films (myself included) will be best served by treating them as intriguing artifacts rather than as exciting entertainment.
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