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Todd Haynes

I’m Not There * Todd Haynes (2007)

I'm Not ThereI like music films, also of musicians that I never really listen to. Often you hear that this is a film about Bob Dylan, but that is not entirely true, it is a film “based on the music and many lives of Bob Dylan”. Different stories, different characters and mostly a list of actors that “are all Bob Dylan”. The result is sometimes confusing, since a little black boy, an old man, a woman-like rockstar, etc. are all supposedly the same person. Of course there is a lot of music, quite a lot is said about the musical currents of these days, social and artistic movements, etc. The result is slightly weird and enjoyable.

Velvet Goldmine * Todd Haynes * 1998

This film had been on my wish-list for quite some time. After films such as “24 Hour Party People” and “Almost Famous” I really wanted to see this one too. This time the subject is “glam rock”, more in particular the singers Brian Slade and Curt Wilde (a great part by Ewan MacGregor). Like the other mentioned films this one plays in the 70’ies. Glam rock was a reaction to the love and peace hippie-movement of the 60’ies. On some point the glamrockers took a step ahead. Speaking about free sex became action and also a trend to be bisexual arose, the clothing/look became very confronting and the overall image as well. The film is full of men looking like women and it is obvious that the image of several bands made a big impression on the “gothics” that would follow in the next decade (also see “24 Hour Party People“) and which are still very present in the underground music scenes. The music isn’t much of my liking this time, but I do again like the impression of the time, the combination of film and music and the ‘history lesson’ that I got. Just like the other two, you only get a snippet from a very large and wide musical movement that was present in the 70’ies, so you may have to watch all these films (and add some punk-films such as “Sid and Nancy”? to get a better idea of the time as a whole. But still, this one is recommanded too. <17/4/06><4>