I Shot Andy Warhol **** (1996, Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, Martha Plimpton, Tahnee Welch, Myriam Cyr, Stephen Dorff) – Classic Movie Review 820

Co-writer/director Mary Harron tells the thoughtful and provocative true story of how the dangerously unbalanced Valerie Solanas (Lili Taylor) ingratiated herself into Andy Warhol’s weird circle of artists and intellectuals, freaks and fakes, and then, bitter and alienated when he grew tired of her, turned on the late-60s New York art king. It was her one shot at fame, or infamy at least.

The acting is spot on, but, with its telling script and eerie re-creations of the people and their artefacts, the film is most remarkable as an incisive look into the American art world of the day.

In a clever, riveting performance, Taylor is chilling, while Jared Harris exactly captures the look, sound and mood of Warhol. And Tahnee Welch submerges herself, virtually unrecognizable, into her role as Warhol’s most famous starlet Viva.

And Stephen Dorff gives a brave, impressive turn as American actress and Warhol superstar Candy Darling, who died at 29 (November 24 1944 – March 21 1974). You probably never expected to see Dorff as a trans woman, but here he is as Candy, who starred in Warhol’s films Flesh and Women in Revolt, and was a muse of the protopunk band The Velvet Underground.

Valerie Solanas: ‘You’re a guy? My god, I thought you were a lesbian.’ Candy Darling: ‘Thanks, a lot of people say that.’

Overall, this extraordinary film is far more successful and impressive than the simultaneously made Basquiat, which intriguingly covers similar territory.

As you’d expect, there’s some extreme language, as well as depictions of sex and drug use.

Harron and Daniel Minahan’s screenplay is based on the life of Solanas, a nutty 60s radical preaching hatred toward men in her Scum manifesto. She wrote a screenplay for a film she wanted Warhol to produce but, when he continued to ignore her, she went ahead and shot him at his infamous New York City office/hangout The Factory.

The writers acknowledge research by Diane Tucker, as well as using Jeremiah Newton’s book The Letters and Diaries of Candy Darling, 1992, for additional scenes dialogue.

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© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 820

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