Director Julian Schnabel captures Lou Reed performing his 1973 album live in 2006. "Berlin gets the documentary it deserves: [it] instantly ranks as one of the great concert films ever shot." — Tribeca Film Festival
You weren't there, but you didn't need to be: Lou Reed's Berlin doesn't simply regurgitate a moment, it rewrites cultural history.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2008
Lou Reed's Berlin 2007
In 2006 Lou Reed gave the first live performances of his long underrated 1973 album Berlin. Artist/filmmaker Julian Schnabel contributed to the staging, and then, self-effacing in the presence of brilliance, made this gloriously unornamented film of the event.
"Lou Reed's Berlin revels in the hypnotic majesty of these dark, orchestral songs, which include classics such as 'How Do You Think It Feels' and 'The Kids'... The film lingers on Reed, as coolly shamanistic a stage presence as ever, as he leads a backing band that includes Sharon Jones, Antony of Antony and the Johnsons, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. A landmark live event, Berlin gets the documentary it deserves: [it] instantly ranks as one of the greatest concert films ever shot." — Peter Scarlet, Tribeca Film Festival.