![]() ![]() He opted instead to only talk to people who were there at the time. (The documentary does include extensive new interviews with former band members John Cale and Maureen “Moe” Tucker.)Īnother limitation was self-imposed: Haynes did not interview any current figures to provide commentary on the band’s legacy (say, by talking to music critics or younger musicians). One obvious hurdle was that several central members of the band could not be interviewed because they have long since passed away (Nico died in 1988, Sterling Morrison in 1995, and Lou Reed in 2013.) Copious archival photos, footage, and interviews were used to fill in the gaps. In The Velvet Underground, Haynes dispenses with many of the usual documentary conventions, in part out of necessity. John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Lou Reed, from archival photography from The Velvet Underground. He takes a sideways route to his subject matter here, as he has done with all of his music movies-whether it’s telling a tragic story with Barbie dolls ( Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, released in 1987) creating a glam rock biopic modeled on David Bowie, without Bowie’s involvement or approval ( Velvet Goldmine, 1998) or exploring Bob Dylan’s life and psyche in a nonlinear narrative, refracted through six different actors and actresses who all play him ( I’m Not There, 2007). Todd Haynes has made several films dealing with music, but The Velvet Underground, a grandiose monument to the group released for Apple TV+, is his first documentary. ![]() They mostly labored outside the musical mainstream, and did not have great financial success over their relatively brief lifetime. They dealt with dark, transgressive subject matter, and while they had many sweet melodies, they weren’t afraid to verge on the unlistenable, with extended dirges and long cacophonous passages. Very little footage of the group exists, especially compared to other famous rock bands from the 1960s, such as the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, whose performances were extensively documented.īut the Velvets weren’t the Rolling Stones or the Beatles to this day, finding them on a classic-rock radio station is a bit of an oddity. The Velvet Underground, directed by Todd Haynes, in theaters and streaming on Apple TV+Īs renowned as the Velvet Underground are as a band, something about them still feels deeply mysterious, nearly sixty years after their inception in 1964. That already consists of titles like Boys State, Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds, Beastie Boys Story, and many others.Moe Tucker, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Lou Reed, from archival photography from The Velvet Underground. When it does arrive, the new feature documentary will bolster Apple TV+’s documentary library. So we’re still a ways away from this one premiering on the streaming service. While Apple has secured the rights to release The Velvet Underground, there’s no official trailer to show today, and Apple didn’t reveal a release date - other than sometime in 2021. ![]() It will feature a “treasure trove of never before seen performances”, in-depth interviews with “key players of that time”, and a “rich collection of recordings”, Warhol films, and additional “experimental art that creates an immersive experience”. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Todd Haynes, “The Velvet Underground” shows just how the group became a cultural touchstone representing a range of contradictions: the band is both of their time, yet timeless literary yet realistic rooted in high art and street culture. The Velvet Underground created a new sound that changed the world of music, cementing its place as one of rock ’n’ roll’s most revered bands. The new documentary is produced by Killer Films in association with Federal Films, with Motto Pictures also producing. Today, Apple officially announced that it has secured the rights to the feature documentary The Velvet Underground, which is from Academy Award-nominated director Todd Haynes ( Dark Waters, Carol). Apple is not a stranger to documentaries for its Apple TV+ streaming service, and now the company has yet another coming soon to the platform. ![]()
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