The Velvet Underground on Apple TV +: a documentary on the legendary group by the director of I’m Not There

WELL WORTH A LOOK ?

Director Todd haynes never hid his love for music. She is also present throughout her career, from her first short film inspired by the tragic story of Karen Carpenter to Velvet Goldmine, a love letter to glam rock. There is, above all, I’m Not There, a cinematographic UFO which is interested in the different personalities of Bob Dylan, embodied by a host of Hollywood stars – Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett in the lead.

With The Velvet Underground, the filmmaker continues his obsession with rockstars. He offers a musical documentary – his first – on the journey of this legendary group which overturned the New York scene in the mid-sixties. He tells the story of the major influence of their art on rock history, the complex personality of Lou Reed, but also the insidious hold that Andy Warhol – producer of their first album – exerted on the band.

To narrate their fate, Todd Haynes – who launched the project in 2017 before getting down to directing the thriller Dark Waters – has gathered many testimonials from artists: David Bowie, John Waters, and many others, but also the two members of the group still alive, John Cale and Moe Tucker. Everything is illustrated by rare archive images, a real gold mine for enthusiasts.

Inspired by experimental cinema, the director did not content himself with staging a conventional documentary. On the contrary. He therefore chooses to create an immersive experience, sound of course, but above all visual by playing with the screen. He cuts it, uses the split screen or even stroboscopic effects to give the illusion to viewers of traveling through time and rediscovering the fervor of the New York of yesteryear. Two tips before viewing: turn up the sound and choose the largest screen.