Lou Reed's Berlin (2007)
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78% of critics liked it
(32 reviews) -
83% of users liked it
(537 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
- Directed By
- Julian Schnabel
- Genres
- Musical & Performing Arts, Documentary
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Jul 18, 2008 Wide
- Studio
- The Weinstein Co.
Critic Reviews
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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.
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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?
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Kyle Smith, New York Post
Your enjoyment will hinge entirely on whether you think the album is a masterpiece or a bore.
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Rafer Guzman, Newsday
For die-hard Reed fans, it's an invaluable document.
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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.
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