Review of "Factory Girl"
FACTORY GIRL (2006)
Directed by George Hickenlooper
Written by Captain Mauzner, from a story by Aaron Richard Golub, Captain Mauzner and Simon Monjack
Starring Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, Hayden Christensen, Jimmy Fallon and Jack Huston
This controversial film is based on the life of American actress, artist, socialite and heiress Edie Sedgwick (Miller). The film opens in 1965 as young art student Edie moves to New York, where she soon meets legendary pop artist and film-maker Andy Warhol (Pearce) who is instantly fascinated with her and casts her in one of his experimental films. She soon becomes drawn into the glamorous and decadent world of Andy Warhol and his various "superstars" in Warhol's studio The Factory. However she soon finds herself too far in the world of drugs and high living, which is further complicated by her relationship with a famous rock-star (Christensen).
From the outset the film was the subject of heavy criticism, probably most notably from Lou Reed (whose group the Velvet Underground was produced by Warhol) and Bob Dylan (who threatened to sue the film-makers because the character that Hayden Christensen plays was originally Dylan, but they changed the character's name to Billy Quinn). Visually the film is quite inventive using a variety of cinematic techniques such as varying film stocks, switching from colour to black and white and brief animation. The problem with the film is that the characters are fairly one dimensional and the storyline is the basic rise and fall, the ending of which most viewers will be able to guess well in advance even if they don't know anything about Edie Sedgwick. The film is often quite simplistic in the way it has innocent Edie corrupted by big bad Warhol and his gang (for example the film has Edie introduced to drugs by the Factory crowd, when in reality she was apparently into drugs long before she met Warhol). Miller and Pearce are good, Pearce in particular nailing the look and mannerisms of Warhol. Hayden Christensen is disappointing as the musician, in fact he seems to be doing a bad James Dean impression throughout. There is a truly great film waiting to be made about the Warhol set but this isn't it. Although for anyone interested in Warhol and the Factory, Mary Harron's film I Shot Andy Warhol (1996) is definitely recommended.
Four out of ten
Directed by George Hickenlooper
Written by Captain Mauzner, from a story by Aaron Richard Golub, Captain Mauzner and Simon Monjack
Starring Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, Hayden Christensen, Jimmy Fallon and Jack Huston
This controversial film is based on the life of American actress, artist, socialite and heiress Edie Sedgwick (Miller). The film opens in 1965 as young art student Edie moves to New York, where she soon meets legendary pop artist and film-maker Andy Warhol (Pearce) who is instantly fascinated with her and casts her in one of his experimental films. She soon becomes drawn into the glamorous and decadent world of Andy Warhol and his various "superstars" in Warhol's studio The Factory. However she soon finds herself too far in the world of drugs and high living, which is further complicated by her relationship with a famous rock-star (Christensen).
From the outset the film was the subject of heavy criticism, probably most notably from Lou Reed (whose group the Velvet Underground was produced by Warhol) and Bob Dylan (who threatened to sue the film-makers because the character that Hayden Christensen plays was originally Dylan, but they changed the character's name to Billy Quinn). Visually the film is quite inventive using a variety of cinematic techniques such as varying film stocks, switching from colour to black and white and brief animation. The problem with the film is that the characters are fairly one dimensional and the storyline is the basic rise and fall, the ending of which most viewers will be able to guess well in advance even if they don't know anything about Edie Sedgwick. The film is often quite simplistic in the way it has innocent Edie corrupted by big bad Warhol and his gang (for example the film has Edie introduced to drugs by the Factory crowd, when in reality she was apparently into drugs long before she met Warhol). Miller and Pearce are good, Pearce in particular nailing the look and mannerisms of Warhol. Hayden Christensen is disappointing as the musician, in fact he seems to be doing a bad James Dean impression throughout. There is a truly great film waiting to be made about the Warhol set but this isn't it. Although for anyone interested in Warhol and the Factory, Mary Harron's film I Shot Andy Warhol (1996) is definitely recommended.
Four out of ten