I’m sitting here watching Lou Reed’s Berlin by Julian Schnabel and wrestling with it a bit. My own reaction is that I’m loving what Schnabel is doing cinematically. He draws us into a story via a concert enactment of a concept album by Lou Reed, of The Velvet Underground fame, called Berlin. Berlin, the album on which this performance is based, was panned critically when it came out in 1973 (according to the film’s opening titles). As I attempted to delve into the emotional landscape of the music, I understand why the critics panned the album. It’s tough. I’m not connecting. There is very little that is traditionally pleasing to the music; the “junkie lover” scenario is a bit of a stretch for us Y2K suburban honkies; and even with the “explanation” of Schnabel’s visuals, the whole of it isn’t very likable.

But I’m ahead of myself. The film chronicles a performance by Lou Reed of an album he released in 1973. It is what you might call a rock opera, and what Schnabel’s film attempts to do, is to fill in any holes left within musical and lyrical journey. This addition of a visual journey should help us to better appreciate the music via what is a largely performance-based film, but I’m sorry to say it isn’t working for me.

I had to stop by Warren’s review to see what he thought before writing my own post, and I see he had the exact opposite experience. The film gave him a new and profound appreciation for the music. I wish that were the case for me, as I love finding new ways to appreciate music, but it’s just not working for me here, though it is because of the music, not the film. Maybe the middle position is this… if you are drawn into the film right away, you will be able to follow the journey and perhaps have new appreciation for an artist with a mutifaceted musical persona. If you aren’t feelin’ it in the first 10 minutes, it ain’t gonna get any better.