30/05/2026
“When Todd Haynes set out to make Velvet Goldmine back in the mid-90s, the transgressive director explained he had ‘a very modest goal’ for the experimental film – ‘I want to turn every gay person straight, and every straight person gay.’
Starring Ewan McGregor fresh from Trainspotting, brooding indie-fave Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, and Christian Bale as you’ve never seen him before, the cult 1998 film offers a wild snapshot of the hedonistic glam rock era of 1970s Britain, and features more than a few characters that might seem weirdly familiar. Which is not surprising, when you realise it’s based on David Bowie’s own escapades, and would have been a straight-up biopic had he not pulled the rights to his music.
The film’s aesthetic is as wild as its subject matter, too. From huge, over-the-top concert performances (keep your eyes peeled for members of Radiohead, Pulp, Suede, and Placebo, who all appear in the movie) and surreal, avant-garde music video clips, to Haynes’ dystopian vision of 80s London and one particularly visceral, glitter-soaked moment of carnal desire, Velvet Goldmine is a visual feast from start to finish.“
— except from Dazed Digital
(Christian Bale and Todd Haynes photographed for The Village Voice, 1998.)
VELVET GOLDMINE (1998) screens next as part of the CINEMANIACS 2026 programme at The Astor.
🎞️ SATURDAY 27th JUNE at 6:30PM.
🎟️ Tickets are on sale directly at the Astor box office.
