The Velvet Underground (film)

The Velvet Underground is a 2021 American documentary film directed and produced by Todd Haynes that chronicles the life and times of the rock band the Velvet Underground.^[3]

The Velvet Underground
Release poster
Directed by	Todd Haynes
Produced by	Todd Haynes Christine Vachon Julie Goldman Carolyn Hepburn Christopher Clements David Blackman
Cinematography	Edward Lachman[1]
Edited by	Affonso Gonçalves Adam Kurnitz
Production companies	PolyGram Entertainment Motto Pictures Killer Films Federal Films
Distributed by	Apple TV+
Release dates	July 7, 2021 (2021-07-07) (Cannes) October 15, 2021 (2021-10-15) (United States)
Running time	110 minutes[2]
Country	United States
Language	English

The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on July 7, 2021. It was released theatrically and on Apple TV+ on October 15, 2021, to critical acclaim.

Synopsis

The Velvet Underground was an influential band that arose from the music, art, and film avant-gardes of early-1960s New York City. Although not a commercial success at the time, it had a significant impact on underground, experimental, and alternative music and the development of punk and new wave music.^[4][5] Its core members were Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, John Cale, Doug Yule, and Maureen Tucker. Artist Andy Warhol managed and promoted the band—convincing them to add German singer and model Nico to their line-up. Haynes's film examines the cultural milieu of the band and its musical and cinematic influences. It tracks the band's history from formation to the break-up of its original line-up in the early 1970s. Interviews with surviving band members Cale and Tucker and musicians the band influenced are woven with archival music and film material.

Production

In August 2017, Todd Haynes was hired to direct and produce a documentary film about the Velvet Underground.^[6] Haynes received cooperation of the surviving members of the band including founding members John Cale^[7][8] and Maureen Tucker. Interviews for the film were shot in 2018.^[9] Doug Yule, who replaced Cale in the band in 1968, appears in voiceover but was not filmed.^[10][11]

Release

In October 2020, Apple TV+ acquired distribution rights to the film.^[12] It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on July 7, 2021.^[13] It was released theatrically and on Apple TV+ on October 15, 2021.^[14] On December 13, 2022, it was released on DVD and Blu-ray by The Criterion Collection.^[15][16]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 98% based on 132 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Velvet Underground takes a fittingly idiosyncratic approach to delivering a rock documentary that captures the band as well as its era."^[17] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted score of 87 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[18]

Some critics felt the documentary glossed over the band's 1969 self-titled album and contributions by Yule.^[19][20][21]

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
ACE Eddie Awards	March 5, 2022	Best Edited Documentary (Feature)	Affonso Gonçalves and Adam Kurnitz	Nominated	[22]
Austin Film Critics Association Awards	January 11, 2022	Best Documentary	The Velvet Underground	Nominated	[23]
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards	December 12, 2021	Best Editing	Affonso Gonçalves and Adam Kurnitz	Won	[24]
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	December 15, 2021	Best Documentary	The Velvet Underground	Nominated	[25]
Cinema Audio Society Awards	March 19, 2022	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Documentary	Juliana Henao Mesa and Leslie Shatz	Nominated	[26]
Cinema Eye Honors	March 1, 2022	Outstanding Non-Fiction Feature	Todd Haynes, Christine Vachon, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, and Carolyn Hepburn	Nominated	[27][28]
		Audience Choice Prize	Todd Haynes	Nominated
		Outstanding Editing	Affonso Gonçalves and Adam Kurnitz	Nominated
		Outstanding Sound Design	Leslie Shatz and Jahn Sood	Won
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards	November 14, 2021	Best First Documentary Feature	Todd Haynes	Nominated	[29]
		Best Editing	Affonso Gonçalves and Adam Kurnitz	Nominated
		Best Archival Documentary	The Velvet Underground	Nominated
		Best Music Documentary	The Velvet Underground	Nominated
Dorian Awards	March 17, 2022	Best Documentary	The Velvet Underground	Nominated	[30]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards	November 17, 2021	Best Music Supervision – Film	Randall Poster	Nominated	[31]
IDA Documentary Awards	March 4, 2022	Best Music Documentary	Todd Haynes, Christine Vachon, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn, and David Blackman	Nominated	[32][33]
London Film Critics' Circle Awards	February 6, 2022	Documentary of the Year	The Velvet Underground	Nominated	[34]
Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Awards	March 13, 2022	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Documentary	Leslie Shatz and Jahn Sood	Nominated	[35]
National Society of Film Critics Awards	January 8, 2022	Best Non-Fiction Film	The Velvet Underground	Runner-up	[36]
Online Film Critics Society Awards	January 24, 2022	Best Documentary	The Velvet Underground	Nominated	[37][38]
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards	January 10, 2022	Best Documentary	The Velvet Underground	Nominated	[39]
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards	January 10, 2022	Best Documentary Feature	The Velvet Underground	Won	[40]
Satellite Awards	April 2, 2022	Best Motion Picture, Documentary	The Velvet Underground	Nominated	[41]
St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards	December 19, 2021	Best Documentary Film	The Velvet Underground	Nominated	[42]
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards	January 16, 2022	Allan King Documentary Award	The Velvet Underground	Runner-up	[43]

References

1. Heidsiek, Birgit (June 12, 2018). "Every Story Has its Own Language". British Cinematographer. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
2. "The Velvet Underground". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
3. Strauss, Matthew (October 21, 2020). "The Velvet Underground Documentary, Directed by Todd Haynes, Is Coming to Apple TV+". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
4. Kot, Greg (October 21, 2014). "The Velvet Underground: As influential as The Beatles?". BBC. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
5. Unterberger, Richie. "The Velvet Underground – Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
6. Kreps, Daniel (August 7, 2017). "Director Todd Haynes Plans Velvet Underground Documentary". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
7. Siegel, Tatiana (May 15, 2019). "Cannes: Todd Haynes to Direct Doc on The Velvet Underground (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
8. Day-Ramos, Dino (January 27, 2018). "Todd Haynes To Direct And Produce 'The Velvet Underground' Feature Docu For Polygram, Verve". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
9. Radish, Christina (December 6, 2019). "Director Todd Haynes on 'Dark Waters' and His Upcoming 'Velvet Underground' Documentary". Collider. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
10. Vincentelli, Elisabeth (October 15, 2021). "The Velvet Underground Meets Its Match in Todd Haynes". The New York Times. p. C1. Archived from the original on October 15, 2021.
11. Richardson, Mark (October 12, 2021). "'Velvet Underground' Documentary Review: Rough-Edged Rockers". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021.
12. Donnelly, Matt (October 21, 2020). "Todd Haynes-Directed 'Velvet Underground' Documentary Lands at Apple (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
13. "The films of the Official Selection 2021" (Press release). Cannes Film Festival. June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
14. Blistein, Jon (August 30, 2021). "The Velvet Underground Chart a Singular Path in Trailer for Todd Haynes' New Documentary". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
15. "The Velvet Underground". The Criterion Collection. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
16. Duralde, Alonso (December 14, 2022). "What's New on DVD/Blu-ray in December: 'Bros,' 'The Velvet Underground,' 'Nasty Women' of Silent Cinema and More". TheWrap. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
17. "The Velvet Underground". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
18. "The Velvet Underground Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
19. Glieberman, Owen (July 7, 2021). "'The Velvet Underground' Review: Todd Haynes' Music Documentary Is a Dazzling Historical Collage, but Not a Definitive Portrait". Variety. Archived from the original on July 7, 2021.
20. Golsen, Tyler (October 23, 2021). "The Velvet Underground album that Todd Haynes' documentary ignored". Far Out. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021.
21. Power, Ed (October 26, 2021). "The Velvet Underground owe so much to Doug Yule – why was he written out of history?". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021.
22. Desowitz, Bill (January 27, 2022). "ACE Editing Awards Include Dune, Belfast, No Time to Die, The Power of the Dog". IndieWire. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
23. Partridge, Jon (January 4, 2022). "2021 Austin Film Critics Association Award Nominations". Austin Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
24. Feeney, Mark (December 12, 2021). "Drive My Car big Boston Society of Film Critics winner". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
25. "Steven Spielberg's West Side Story Leads Chicago Film Critics Association 2021 Award Nominations". Chicago Film Critics Association. December 13, 2021. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
26. Giardina, Carolyn (January 25, 2022). "Dune, West Side Story Among Cinema Audio Society's Sound Mixing Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
27. Murphy, J. Kim (March 1, 2022). "Flee Wins Top Prize of Outstanding Nonfiction Feature at Cinema Eye Honors for Documentaries". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
28. Grobar, Matt (November 10, 2021). "Flee & Summer Of Soul Lead Cinema Eye Honors Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
29. Lattanzio, Ryan (October 8, 2021). "Ascension and Summer of Soul Lead Critics Choice Documentary Nominations". IndieWire. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
30. Beresford, Trilby (February 22, 2022). "Dorian Film Awards: The Power of the Dog Leads Nominations From LGBTQ Entertainment Critics". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
31. "2021 Music in Visual Media Nominations". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
32. "Nominees Revealed for the 37th Annual IDA Documentary Awards". International Documentary Association. November 15, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
33. Hipes, Patrick (January 6, 2022). "IDA Awards Shifts 2022 Ceremony To March As Virtual-Only Event". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
34. Yossman, K. J. (December 16, 2021). "Female Filmmakers Shine at London Critics' Circle Film Awards With Nominations for Jane Campion, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Joanna Hogg". Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
35. Pedersen, Erik (January 24, 2022). "Golden Reel Awards: Sound Editors Crank Up Nominations For 69th Annual Ceremony". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
36. White, Abbey (January 8, 2022). "National Society of Film Critics 2022 Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
37. "2021 Awards (25th Annual)". Online Film Critics Society. January 19, 2022. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
38. "OFCS Presents: 25th Annual Nominations for 2021". Online Film Critics Society. January 18, 2022. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
39. "2021 San Diego Film Critics Society Nominations". San Diego Film Critics Society. January 7, 2022. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
40. "SFBAFCC 2021 Awards". San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
41. "2021 Nominees". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
42. "Annual StLFCA Awards". St. Louis Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
43. Curran, Sarah (January 17, 2022). "Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Lost Daughter Wins Big At Toronto Film Critics Association Awards". ET Canada. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.

External links

• The Velvet Underground at IMDb