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- Cat.no: VCD 0012
- Cert: 15
- Running time: 118 minutes
- Year: 1998
- Pressing: 1999
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 21 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: None
- Widescreen: 1.85:1
- 16:9-enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £19.99
- Extras : Full Motion Menus, Scene index, Theatrical trailer, Teaser Trailer, Photo Gallery, Booklet,
Featurette (“Behind the Glam and the Glitter”),
DVD-ROM Printable Photo Library,
Director:
- Todd Haynes
(Poison, Safe, Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story)
Producer:
- Christine Vachon
(I Shot Andy Warhol, Kids, Poison, Safe)
Screenplay:
- Todd Haynes
Music:
- Carter Burwell
(The Big Lebowski, Fargo)
Cast:
- Curt Wild: Ewan McGregor (Blue Juice, Brassed Off, Emma, A Life Less Ordinary, The Pillow Book, Shallow Grave, Star Wars: Episode I, Trainspotting, TV: ER, Kavanagh Q.C., Lipstick On Your Collar)
Brian Slade: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (B Monkey, The Governess, Michael Collins, To Live On, The Tribe)
Mandy Slade: Toni Collette (Diana And Me, Emma, Muriel’s Wedding, The Pallbearer)
Arthur Stuart: Christian Bale (Empire of the Sun, Henry V, Metroland, Portrait of a Lady, Swing Kids, Treasure Island)
Jerry Divine: Eddie Izzard (The Avengers, The Secret Agent, TV: Cows, Have I Got News For You)
Shannon: Emily Woof (The Full Monty, Photographing Fairies, The Woodlanders)
Cecil: Michael Feast (Brother Sun Sister Moon, The Draughtman’s Contract, The Tribe, TV: Kavanagh Q.C., Paradise Club, Soldier Soldier, A Touch of Frost)
Angel: Sarah Cawood (TV: Singled Out (UK), The Girlie Show)
Malcolm: Brian Molko
Velvet Goldmineis a British film, one of many starring Ewan McGregor, which tells atale from the era of glam rock in the 1970’s in which the secret to becoming astar is knowing how to behave like one. After the false start beginning in the19th century, as the film proper begins it is 1971 and the glam rock scene isjust beginning. Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) and American rock starCurt Wild (Ewan McGregor) feel they are ready to rule the roost and takeon the world, but in 1974 Slade fakes his own death in a stunt which backfiresand he disappears from view for good.
Ten years later, journalist Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale) sets out tofind out what really happened interviewing his wife Mandy (Toni Collette),getting the low-down on his effervescent and cock-sure manager Jerry Divine(stand-up comedian Eddie Izzard) and the man who used to aid his career,Cecil (Michael Feast). Notable cameos in the cast include SarahCawood from Channel 4’s The Girlie Show as one of Jerry’s PR girlsand Brian Molko as Malcolm from The Flaming Creatures, who is no strangerto pop music, being the lead singer of Placebo who came to the fore inFebruary 1997 with the No.4 hit, Nancy Boy and another new set of songseighteen months later when the striking Pure Morning hit the same chartposition in August 1998.
The picture quality is mostly perfect on this disc with very few artifactson view and even then these won’t be particularly noticeable from the normalviewing distance. The film is presented in its original theatrical ratio of1.85:1, the picture being 16:9-enhanced for widescreen televisions and ithas a very good average bitrate of 7.51 Mb/s, regularly peaking at over 9Mb/s.The disc is also dual-layered.
The sound comes across fine but doesn’t make you jump out of your seat.As the tone of the film would indicate you’ll know what sort of music to expectbut the music by Carter Burwell is nowhere near as memorable as hissuperb effort for Fargo. It comes in Dolby Digital and Dolby Surroundformats depending on your equipment, but in typical VCI/Film Four fashion,the only language available is English.
Extras :Chapters & Trailers :There are 21 chapters available for selection during the two-hour film whichisn’t quite enough but the disc does include the original theatrical traileras well as a teaser trailer which highlights the main characters from the film,that trailer appearing in a matted 2.35:1 ratio.Languages/Subtitles :As is usual with VCI and FilmFour releases, subtitles are an alien conceptand there is just the one language spoken, albeit in Dolby Digital. In theory,there are brief subtitles but they come during chapter 6 translating sometwisted dialogue.Featurette :Included on the disc is a 26-minute featurette featuring behind the scenesfootage as well as cast/crew interviews. As I understand it, the AmericanRegion 1 release does not include this piece which makes it a coup for theUK market.Photo Gallery and DVD-ROM content :The principal cast members, Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, ToniCollette, Eddie Izzard and Christian Bale each have a 6-shotphoto gallery which can be viewed on your TV screen or printed out when thephotos.htm file is run from a DVD-ROM player.Booklet and Packaging :In keeping with the theme, purple is the colour of the enclosed booklet andluxurious-looking packaging, the former including plenty of detailed informationabout the film itself as well as main cast and crew members, not to mentionan entire reprint of the end credits on the back of the booklet, somethingwhich is most welcome and sorely missing from every other DVD I’ve seen to date.Menu :On booting up the DVD, if you thought you can’t skip past the VCI and Film Fourlogos and copyright info, then think again. I pressed STOP on my DVD-ROM player,then selected “Title Menu” and it bypassed the whole lot which normally seems togo on for ages, taking you straight to the start of the film. Alternatively,if you have previously saved a bookmark then you can run it at any time.
Clicking on the menu options is rather a hap-hazard affair but perseverancedoes have its rewards. All the menu screens are animated, usually in a subtlefashion except for the photo gallery and all contain music.
Overall, while this release has excellent presentation with a decent amountof extras, even though a director’s commentary track wouldn’t have gone amiss,it doesn’t disguise the fact that the film just isn’t very interesting.
Most of the cast look like they’re whacked out of their heads on drugs orare suffering severe insomnia, while Eddie Izzard looks the same as he alwaysdoes but with a dodgy 70’s wig while he goes through his usual stylisedperformance. Even the usually reliable Ewan McGregor can’t save the film sincehe starts off promising enough but spoils everything by leaping up and down onstage with his John Thomas flapping about in the breeze.
If you have seen this film before though and you enjoyed it then this releaseis worth a look, but for everyone else I’d advise you to rent it before buying.I’ve given the film a mere ½ out of five as I have a policy that no filmcan be as bad as Fellini’s Satyricon which scored a great big zero inmy book as it is the worst film I have ever seen, despite how many other filmscould’ve been a contender.
FILM : ½PICTURE QUALITY : ****SOUND QUALITY : ****EXTRAS : ***½——————————-OVERALL : ***Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1999.
Check out VCI‘s Web site.
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.