What I Learned From Watching Velvet Goldmine

Jan 09

What I Learned From Watching Velvet Goldmine

1. Some movies are just magic. Despite the fact that I’m a film junkie and like a million different ones for different reasons, there are two that stand out to me, that have left me in awe: Almost Famous and Velvet Goldmine. I knew instantly I liked the latter when I saw Brian Slade, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, getting ready to perform. Excitement filled my chest, as he made his way through the hall and out onto the stage in full costume… in full, glorious costume. I could hear other’s reactions in my head, things like “So weird!” But, me? I was in love.

2. Britain was pretty cool way back when (it’s still cool) and suits aren’t so bad, including this funky, purple one.

Not to mention, this kiss - lucky girl.

3. I terribly, desperately want a love that’s full of passion, life, and vigor. Something wild and something free. Not a love that ties you down, but a love that lifts you up. The way Mr. and Mrs. Slade did anything and everything together, embraced each other and their selves… as souls, as people and as lovers was magnificent (with the exception of the last half of the film, obviously).

4. I still (and apparently, always will) have a thing for hippies. I felt completely mesmerized by Brian as he sang. His voice and the song, so pure; his long, flowing hair making him appear so innocent and sweet. The scene was stunning.

And so was this one.

I couldn’t believe people were booing him. You could tell that what he was doing came straight from his heart and what beats that?! Not that mumbo jumbo mainstream crap.

Then there was the dialogue bit afterward, in the tent between Brian, his wife and his manager. Seeing his wife support him and his artistic endeavors no matter what they were (including wearing a frock) was beautiful. I love that she didn’t care what anyone else thought, that she just wanted him to be happy. She believed in him, she believed in his creativity. She supported him relentlessly.

5. I also have a thing for rockers. Kurt Cobain look-a-likes. Or just men with long hair, in general. I don’t know. All I know is, I dreamt about running my fingers through some guy’s hair when I was a little girl and I’ve wanted to ever since. Maybe it was a premonition.

6. Pop culture is exciting and as non-hipster as this sounds [insert sarcasm here], there is no feeling like the feeling you get when you and a bunch of other people love the same doggone thing. I was reminded of how rejuvenating this is, when Christian Bale’s character, Arthur was running up and down the street with his friends, as a teenager getting giddy over glam rock.

Likewise, there’s no feeling like being reminded why you love something or discovering something that you love for the first time.

When Brian sees Curt Wild perform and stands there entranced and hypnotized by his performance, Curt’s unabashed bluntness, I think he remembers what he wants, who he wants to be. I also think it revitalizes his passion for the art.

7. Everything feels HUMONGOUS when you’re young. Sometimes, LIFE OR DEATH huge. But, it loses it’s edge as you get older; and sometimes, you lose you.

Watching Arthur’s face when Brian was shot right in front of his eyes and feathers went flying, I smiled a little inside. Not because he was shot and not because he was devastated, but because his shock reminded of the great admiration I had for stars when I was younger. Anything and everything that they said and did was monumental to me. As you get older, you realize how ridiculous that is.

Ten years later, Arthur’s a journalist and his boss wants him to cover the shooting, which was determined to be a fake. Nobody knows what happened to Brian Slade and quite frankly, during this scene, I was trying to figure out what happened to Arthur – he’s different. He walks different, he talks different, he dresses different - there’s something missing, he’s lost something. I think it’s childhood innocence. He’s an adult now and the life has been sucked out of him. It’s horrible, it happens – I don’t want it to happen to me.

8. I still get tickled when society gets duped. When the reporters are talking to Brian and he gives them playfully honest comebacks and basically tells the whole world he doesn’t care, I couldn’t help but want to laugh. I didn’t want to laugh at his comebacks or what he said. The words didn’t matter. I wanted to laugh, because he wasn’t giving them what they wanted. He wasn’t giving in.

The circus idea, very clever.

9. Raw emotion is what counts. Curt’s cover of Gimme Danger was out of this world. It was sexy, but not because he was shirtless. Because he felt SO much, while he was belting it out. Because he felt SOMETHING and felt it so powerfully.

10. I really, really, really want to live, I guess. Writing my reasons out, remembering what I loved about the film (and hated) has made me realize that I have an obsession with being alive. Being genuine and alive. I want to BREATHE.

Credit for the photos: http://www.christian-bale.us/ - http://ewan-mcgregor.org/ - http://jrhysmeyers.com/

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4 months ago