Superstar: the life and times of Andy Warhol

This documentary on Pop artist Andy Warhol, garnered accolades due to its audacious layering of media messages with archival footage from the art scene of the 70s and 80s. Rather than attempting a literal explanation of the enduring appeal of Warhol’s art, and the public’s fascination with the fabulous nobodies who populated his New York studio, the filmmaker presents a meditation on fame and celebrity, exploring the zeitgeist of the times. Features many intriguing archival interviews with Warhol, which exacerbates his image as a vacuous artist, whilst failing to expose the man behind the myth. Also investigates Warhol’s films that confounded cinemagoers of the day. The unpretentiousness of Warhol’s Pennsylvanian family, who are interviewed at length, contrasts with his high-profile celebrity laden life in New York. Interviews with Warhol’s contemporaries (some archival) include Lou Reed, Joan Quinn, Ultra Violet, Viva, Tom Wolfe, Roy Liechtenstein, Henry Geldzahler, Dennis Hopper, Gerard Malanga, Taylor Mead, John Coplans, David Hockney, Allen Ginsberg, Holly Woodlawn, Bobby Short, Shelley Winters, Sylvia Miles, Paul Morrissey, Fran Lebowitz and Sally Kirkland. Features the music of Blondie, Velvet Underground and Kate Bush.