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Published September 28, 2008 |
MOVIE REVIEW: Lou Reed's brilliantly depressing 1973 rock opera is brought to life and death on stage for the first time in this incredible concert film. Filmed in 2006 at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York, Berlin is a veritable time capsule of the Warhol era New York art scene. Combining a fully orchestrated stage performance with moody, cinéma vérité style film footage, Lou Reed's Berlin tells the tragic story of Caroline and Jim, a couple doomed by drug addiction and emotional upheaval. Reed spends most of his time near center stage, stoically bearing witness to the steady self-destruction of his characters. Equally compelling, though, are the musicians surrounding Reed. Almost in defiance to the dark subject matter they've been given to perform, many seem to be having an absolute blast, as though they are simply happy to be playing with Lou Reed. Who could blame them!? Much credit must go to director Julian Schnabel for blending all of these elements into a nearly mesmerizing concert experience. In addition to the original album tracks, Reed performs three fitting encore numbers. The first is the Velvet Underground's Candy Says. The second is Rock Minuet, and the final track is Sweet Jane, which is performed during the closing credits. The complete performance, for fans of the original album, will not disappoint. Likewise, Lou Reed fans who, for whatever reason, have not yet heard the original 1973 release, are in for quite a treat. Those who only know Reed's work through major hits like Walk on the Wild Side or Sweet Jane, however, may find Berlin to be an acquired taste. A.J.'s Movie Rating: 4 Stars (Excellent!) DVD FEATURES REVIEW: DVD Specs: Street Date: September 30, 2008 Number of Discs: 1 Rating: PG-13 for brief language Run Time: 81 minutes Languages: English Dolby 5.1 Subtitles:English and Spanish / English Closed Captioned An Excerpt From Spectacle: Elvis Costello With Lou Reed & Julian Schnabel: A very short but interesting interview with Lou Reed and Berlin director Julian Schnabel. Runs apx 5 minutes. Berlin on Tour: A behind the scenes, sans-commentary featurette chronicling the Berlin European Tour. Includes snippet performance clips from Italy and France. Runs apx 6 minutes. Theatrical Trailer: The original teaser trailer for Lou Reed's Berlin. Runs apx 90 seconds. A.J.'s Final Words: Well, so much for special features but - who just wants this release for the special features? It really doesn't require any. Some liner notes would have been nice, though... A.J.'s DVD Special Features Rating: 2.5 Stars (Okay Stuff!) |
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LOU REED'S BERLIN NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD! from Genius Products and The Weinstein Company as part of The Miriam Collection. |
