The Velvet Underground
Todd Haynes crafts an immersive, formally adventurous portrait of the Velvet Underground and the radical New York art world that made their music possible.
Overview
Discover the origins of a groundbreaking band that changed the face of rock music forever.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- idiosyncratic
- immersive
- intellectual
- music discovery night
- arthouse documentary viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the documentary's idiosyncratic form, archival richness, editing, sound design, and evocative portrait of the band and its era.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The documentary follows the converging influences, collaborators, artists, and cultural currents that formed the Velvet Underground.
Archival footage and layered editing evoke the band's world and its surrounding era with an idiosyncratic visual approach.
The film connects the Velvet Underground to experimental art, underground music, and 1960s New York counterculture.
The film's acclaimed editing and sound design shape its portrait of the band and its artistic environment.
Films like The Velvet Underground, and why
Dig!
experimental music documentary with an idiosyncratic structure and strong cultural-era portrait
Echo in the Canyon
archival rock documentary focused on artistic collaboration, counterculture, and musical legacy
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
stylish nonfiction portrait of a groundbreaking musician and the creative scene surrounding him
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
formally inventive music documentary blending archival material, performance history, and cultural context
Movie Details
- Director
- Todd Haynes
- Release Date
- 2021-10-15
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (125)
Cast
- Lou Reed
- John Cale
- Sterling Morrison
- Maureen Tucker
- Jonas Mekas
- Jonathan Richman
- John Waters
- Nico
- David Bowie
- Doug Yule
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Apple TV, Apple TV Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Velvet Underground about?
- Todd Haynes crafts an immersive, formally adventurous portrait of the Velvet Underground and the radical New York art world that made their music possible.
- What is The Velvet Underground like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Velvet Underground as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Velvet Underground violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Velvet Underground.
- What did critics think of The Velvet Underground?
- Critics broadly praised the documentary's idiosyncratic form, archival richness, editing, sound design, and evocative portrait of the band and its era.
- Which films are like The Velvet Underground?
- Films with a similar feel include Dig!, Echo in the Canyon, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, and Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).
- How long is The Velvet Underground?
- The Velvet Underground runs 121 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Velvet Underground?
- In United States, The Velvet Underground streams on Apple TV, Apple TV Amazon Channel.
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