Lou Reed recorded the album Berlin in 1973. It was a commercial failure. Over the next 33 years, he never performed the album live.”
These comments were made by the director of the documentary in question, Julian Schnabel, who filmed Lou Reed in December 2006 at St Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York where he played the seminal record in its entirety for five nights.
There is no shame to be had if you’ve listened to Berlin and found it slightly depressing, tackling as it does subjects like suicide, drug addiction and general self destruction. It’s a record that isn’t for the faint hearted.
With this filming of the concert, Schnabel brings all these themes to light. There is a backdrop of a hotel with greenish walls where Schnabel’s daughter Lola projects the story of the self-destructive character Caroline, played by actress Emmanuelle Seigner. But unfortunately, the fictitious life of the “heroine” (ba-dum tish!) Caroline which is played out whilst Lou is performing his album sometimes borders on the farcical, and at times, even worse, Sienna Miller’s performance in Factory Girl.
Quite unnervingly also, Lou is accompanied by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and guest vocalists like Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons who joins in for ‘Candy Says.’ Not only might Antony’s warblings not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he also seems to have been over-zealous with the bottle of black hair dye.
Though the film and this performance has its flaws, its difficult to knock the Velvet Underground legend and all round sacred cow Lou Reed, as he is a man who has clearly been through a lot, both mentally and artistically, with the whole Berlin project. ‘Sweet Jane’ at the end is a particular plus point, but as a film, this is very niche, and very much for the fan