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The Velvet Underground (2021)The Velvet Underground (2021)

The Velvet Underground (2021)

Much like the music pioneered by the band, this documentary is experimental, artful, and a bliss to experience

Documentary, Drama, Music

7.5

movie

United States of America
English
Challenging, Original
2021
Todd Haynes
Allen Ginsberg, Amy Taubin, Andy Warhol
121 min

Synopsis

rotten tomatoes
imdb
wikipedia
Experience the iconic rock band's legacy in the first major documentary to tell their story. Directed with the era’s avant-garde spirit by Todd Haynes, this kaleidoscopic oral history combines exclusive interviews with dazzling archival footage.

Our Take

7.5
The Staff

Directed by Todd Haynes (I’m Not There, Carol), The Velvet Underground takes an avant-garde approach to tell the story of the 1960s rock band. Like their music, nothing about this documentary is linear and expected. Screens are split to show two different things at once, seemingly unrelated clips are stitched to create a patchwork of feelings, and strobes of light flash multiple times onscreen. It’s like an art installation come to life.

The film is dynamic and dazzling, infused with the same underground atmosphere as their early performances. If you’re looking to know more about the band, this film might not be for you. But if you’re looking to experience the band, to feel and see and hear what it was like to catch them at their peak, then this is for you.

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