Velvet Goldmine

In the seventies the glam rock star Brian Slade stages his own death as a publicity stunt. When the trick is exposed his career ends. Years later the journalist Arthur Stuart, who lived through that era himself, is assigned to find out what became of him. Todd Haynes directed. Brian Slade is not based on one person but several: chiefly David Bowie, along with Bryan Ferry, Jobriath and Marc Bolan. The main line of the story mirrors Bowie's relationships with Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. Bowie refused permission for his music, saying he intended to make a similar film about the period himself. Assessing it later, he said the gay scenes were, frankly, the only successful part of the film. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Slade, Ewan McGregor plays Curt Wild, drawn from Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, and Christian Bale plays the journalist Arthur. Toni Collette plays the ex-wife, based on Angela Bowie. It won Best Artistic Contribution at Cannes and was nominated for the Palme d'Or. Sandy Powell won a BAFTA for costume design. The box office was weak at 4.3 million dollars worldwide. It later became a cult film and found its audience among younger viewers in particular. Who it is for: viewers who like glam rock, Haynes's formal games and music films. Who it is not for: anyone wanting a straight biography. The frame is borrowed from Citizen Kane and the film never settles on a single truth.