Description
"He was the most American of artists and the most artistic of Americans," one man later said – "so American in fact that he is almost invisible to us." ANDY WARHOL – a riveting and often deeply moving film portrait of the most famous and famously controversial artist of the second half of the twentieth century – is the first to explore the complete spectrum of Warhol's astonishing artistic output, stretching across five decades from the late 1940's to his untimely death in 1987. Combining powerful on-camera interviews and rare still and motion picture footage, it is also the first to put Warhol himself – his humble family background and formative experiences in Pittsburgh, and his crucial apprenticeship as a commercial artist in New York – back into the presentation of his life.

Amazon.com
Ric Burns' Andy Warhol is a four-hour pop-culture extravaganza that will retool what you think you know about the famed and oft-parodied soup-can painter. Delving deep into Andy's impoverished upbringing in Pittsburgh, the greatest success of Burns' film is its ability to delve deep behind the façade of Andy Warhol, Pop Celebrity. Featuring interviews with an array of confidants from art dealers to artists (but, alas, no Lou Reed), Burns' film portrays an extremely insecure man who lived with his mother through much of the Factory years and constantly seeked a measure of fame akin to the Hollywood starlets whose photographs he tore out of the pages of Depression-era movie mags. Andy Warhol succeeded in achieving that fame, and along the way redefined how we think of art and culture. This film may very well redefine what you think of the man. -- Kristian St. Clair

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 5 reviews)

If Warhol knew how boring they made him seem!

Quite disappointed with this documentary. Considering that I'm very familiar with Warhol and his life, I was surprised at how boring the makers of this documentary made his life seem. Worst aspect of the documentary was the droning voice of the female narrator, quite literally lulled me to sleep. What happened to the fun, flamboyance, the entertainment in Warhol's life!!!!!!!
June 13, 2008

Inside Andy Warhol

This is a fantastic and informative documentary on the life and work of Andy Warhol. This interpretation of his life makes the most sense to me. The footage, images, and interviews are fantastic, although there is this one interviewee who occasionally tries to read into Warhol's work too much, but overall this is a fantastic guide to understanding why Warhol is the cultural phenomenon that he is.
July 29, 2007

Fairly Informative but Needlessly Dreary in Tone

I'm pleased to know that others find more value in this documentary than I did. As someone who has been fascinated by Warhol's work and life since childhood, I've always felt that a fair and comprehensive overview of the man's life was lacking, despite several biographies and some documentaries prior to this one. It seems that each biographer or documentarian has some (usually negatively judgemental) bias or point of view that they want to paint Warhol with ... somewhat understandable as the man refused to characterize himself directly. In my opinion, the value of Mr. Burns' documentary is the wonderful archival footage included, Ms. Anderson's fine narration, and some of the anecdotes of those interviewed (most revealingly, Irving Blum's recollections, and most charmingly, Billy Name's surprisingly coherent memories.) However, the tone of the documentary is quite dismal. You end up feeling like Warhol's was a tragic life, when I feel that a fair assessment wouldn't arrive at that characterization. Where is the joy? Why is the musical soundtrack so awful and in some cases inappropriate? Where are the other surviving acquaintances (e.g. Dallesandro?) Must Warhol always be blamed for the excesses of his followers? Must all charismatic people be held responsible for their groupies' lack of self control? I don't think so, but many persons besides Mr. Burns appear to hold Warhol accountable for the drug abuse and deaths of some of his 60s hangers-on. I'm not sorry I bought this DVD. I just wish it had been more well-balanced, and above all, wish that the art had been explored in depth more. Some of Warhol's major phases are mentioned, described, but with the exception of early works, are not really explored with an eye to their significance in the art world and culture at large. Others are completely missing from the documentary. In any event, it's worth seeing if you're interested. Just don't take this to be the be-all and end-all bible of all things Warhol. Perhaps it's still just too soon for a proper assessment, but I'm STILL left feeling that the self-appointed stewards of Warhol's "meaning" just don't get it, at least not comprehensively enough.
December 19, 2006

Andy Warhol - A Documentary Film.

I just received this in the mail and finally got to watch it. It is a very engaging and in-depth presentation of his life from early childhood to the late 60s. In fact it's the most in-depth documentary in the respects of his early life, pre-pop success, that I've seen. There are lots of great images and archival footage that otherwise you may not have a chance to see, but...

This documentary seems to focus mostly on the silver factory years, which lasted only from the early 60s to 1968, yet takes up most of the 4 hours of this film. Granted, those were arguably some of the most influential and important years of his career, but I wish this film contained more on his later life. The last 2 decades of his career, the 70s and 80s, took up only the last 20 minutes (credits included) of the whole 4 hours, which is only a brief summary. This is the only reason I decked one star off my rating, as the 70s and 80s are my personal favorite times in his career. There's always The Andy Warhol Diaries for that area though, which I would also recommend.

So, overall, I would recommend this to anyone interested in Andy, and to those who are already fans. Even though it's lacking in it's coverage of his later career, it excels in every other aspect, and I'm glad I got to see it.
December 03, 2006

Outstanding portrait of Warhol, 1960s, and art

This is the best portrait of an artist I've ever seen. I was completely entralled by the film. Because Warhol was both tremendously inventive and horribly cruel, I alternately felt a sense of awe and disgust. Warhol's genius and callousness are both fleshed out. Despite the turbulent content of the film, I was simply exhilerated throughout.

Having watched this excellent film, I feel a greatly enriched appreciation for Warhol's art---a sense of what it said, how it worked, and how it became a cliche. (I was particularly ill-informed about Warhol's films, which were discussed in great detail.)

The Factory--where Warhol worked (but seldom played) and where transvestites, drifters, and creative spirits intermingled--is featured in healthy portions. This locale comes across as one of those rare places in history where the geist of a era is spatially concentrated. Here, in this one extraordinary place of production, Warhol and others fomented art and a vision of a post-Fordist world. This film is essential viewing (like the Weather Underground or Berkeley in the Sixties) for those who want to ingest and comprehend the paradigm shift of the "1960s."

Warhol's cruel indifference to the self-destruction of those around him is critically revealed. While some in the Factory drank and drugged themselves to death, Warhol passively watches, always remaining cool, detached, and voyeuristic.

The attempted homicide on Warhol, his commercialism, and his later years are all mentioned. I would fault the film for not showing Warhol speak on film more often, for not really considering his cooptation by capitalism, and for skipping over his influence in art and in popular society.

I must admit though, that the film is brilliantly executed, and well worth your time and nickel.
October 10, 2006

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