Friday, November 18, 2022

The Velvet Underground (2021)

IMDb plot summary: The Velvet Underground explores the multiple threads that converged to bring together one of the most influential bands in rock and roll.
Directed by Todd Haynes.

The Velvet Underground is a documentary about the relatively short-lived but wildly influential band The Velvet Underground, helmed by Lou Reed. I am not very familiar with their work, so it was interesting to learn more about them, particularly their ties to Andy Warhol and the 1960s avant-garde art scene. The film is put together in a much more visually intriguing way than most documentaries, really tying into the vibe of Warhol's films and other experimental artwork. My biggest complaint about it might be the rather unexpected one that there isn't actually that much music in it -- the film takes much more care with its visual aesthetic than the aural, and as a result it doesn't really leave me wanting to look up their music further so much as wanting to explore the art culture of the 60s in general. But it does feel like this doc is intentionally trying to be expansive and go beyond other music documentaries' focus on the actual sounds of the band, so I don't know that I actually mind this choice. Like most documentaries, I don't know that I'd revisit it any time soon, but I did feel like I learned a lot.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Velvet Underground > Fun with Dick and Jane (1977)
The Velvet Underground < Anna Karenina
The Velvet Underground < Die Hard
The Velvet Underground < Fanboys
The Velvet Underground < The Mummy (1999)
The Velvet Underground > Griff the Invisible
The Velvet Underground > The Lost Skeleton Returns Again
The Velvet Underground > Kiss the Girls
The Velvet Underground < Hail, Caesar!
The Velvet Underground > The Cable Guy
The Velvet Underground > The Firm
The Velvet Underground < Deceiver
Final spot: #1755 out of 3726, or 53%.

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