Lou Reed's Berlin (2007)

78% of critics liked it
(32 reviews)
83% of users liked it
(516 ratings)

Thirty-three years after his ambitious concept album Berlin was pronounced dead on arrival, Lou Reed reteams with producers Bob Ezrin and Hal Willner to stage live performances of the now-classic release at concert venues all across the globe. The album, which was savaged by critics upon release,… More Thirty-three years after his ambitious concept album Berlin was pronounced dead on arrival, Lou Reed reteams with producers Bob Ezrin and Hal Willner to stage live performances of the now-classic release at concert venues all across the globe. The album, which was savaged by critics upon release, was scored with orchestral arrangements and follows several characters as they experience jealousy, rage, and loss. While many turned their backs on the release back in 1973, the tide eventually turned and Berlin was even named by Rolling Stone as one of the top 500 albums ever released. Filmed during a five-night stint at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., this belated, live rendition of Berlin features an impressionistic backdrop filmed by director Julian Schnabel's daughter Lola and haunting backup vocals courtesy of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 21 min.
Directed By: Julian Schnabel
Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Documentary

In Theaters: Jul 18, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Sep 30, 2008
Studio: The Weinstein Co.

Critic Reviews

Sam Adams, Los Angeles Times
Reed's dour, bombastic song-suite about the lives of the drug-addicted and downtrodden steadily acquired cult cachet over the decades, peaking with its staging as a complete-album concert in 2006, which Lou Reed's Berlin documents.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Who could have guessed that nearly 35 years after its release, Lou Reed's once-reviled concept album Berlin would inspire a sold-out concert, shot with loving awe by Julian Schnabel?
Kyle Smith, New York Post
Your enjoyment will hinge entirely on whether you think the album is a masterpiece or a bore.
Rafer Guzman, Newsday
For die-hard Reed fans, it's an invaluable document.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
In Julian Schnabel's grimly majestic concert film Lou Reed's Berlin, Mr. Reed wears the deadpan smirk of a Zen master who has endured punishing Buddhist training.
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
This luminously shot concert movie reveals that Berlin is far from the lost masterpiece the movie wants it to be.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A Lou Reed concert film that I connected with despite it being a downer.
Leo Goldsmith, Reverse Shot
Schnabel's set design, onstage projections, and postproduction add a good deal of visual noise to Reed & company's aural variety, which reproduces the album with a mixture of professional exactitude and unpredictable cacophony.
Bill Gibron, PopMatters
While not a great cinematic statement, Berlin...is still an unbelievably effective concert.
Derek Malcolm, This is London
Those who admire Reed will find that Schnabel's film allows the music to speak for itself against its rather messy background.
Anthony Quinn, Independent
It's Reed's gruff and tuneless delivery that challenges one's enjoyment.
, Daily Mirror [UK]
Reed, who's looking more and more like a Bond villain, comes close to smiling at one point, although the chances are you won't.
Mike McCahill, Daily Telegraph
For devotees only, I'm guessing.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
Reed's unmistakable lilting groan has real pain in it, hinting at a real but undisclosed personal story behind the music.
Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
An entirely watchable concert movie, providing depressing songs are your thing.
, Total Film
If you don't like the music, there's nothing to see here.
Mark Bell, Film Threat
If you love Lou Reed or even like Lou Reed a little, musically this film is worth your time and, unless you've got an amazing audio system at home, it should be experienced in a theatrical setting.
Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.net
Performed live, the haunting material finds new life ... Schnabel has created an incredibly artistic experience out of the concert with many moments that will give you goosebumps.
Shlomo Schwartzberg, Boxoffice Magazine
A well made concert film that will, nevertheless, fail to satisfy Reed's many dedicated fans.
Christopher Campbell, Cinematical
Once again a concert documentary allows those of us unable to have witnessed a monumental event to see it seemingly exactly as it took place.

Read all 21 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

"Lou Reed's Berlin" is a concert performance by Lou Reed and lots of friends of his critically panned 1973 album at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn. The concert is enhanced by footage(featuring Emmanuelle Seigner) to tell the narrative of the concept album but… More
"Lou Reed's Berlin" is a concert performance by Lou Reed and lots of friends of his critically panned 1973 album at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn. The concert is enhanced by footage(featuring Emmanuelle Seigner) to tell the narrative of the concept album but director Julian Schnabel only goes halfway. A truly immersive multimedia experience would have been the way to go, for a lot of the images are projected onto the back wall behind Lou Reed which was never intended for that. In fact, the final songs work best with no projections or any other distractions. As with any concert film, simple is best and while the lack of audience reaction shots is refreshing, the camera technique is not the best. And while I usually do not recommend this, some interview footage would have gone a long way towards explaining the album's history. As it is, Julian Schnabel's perfunctory introduction provides only scant information. By the way, I am not particularly a fan of Lou Reed but went into this with an open mind. So, that probably explains why I have had the Aimee Mann song "Goodbye Caroline" playing in my head all day.
William G

Schnabel's indulgent and artsy flourishes distract from the potent enough power of Reed's music.