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'Lou Reed's Berlin'

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BY RAFER GUZMÁN | rafer.guzman@newsday.com

July 18, 2008

Lou Reed's 1973 album, "Berlin," a rock opera about two junkies in love, isn't really a lost masterpiece. Reed deliberately misplaced it. "Berlin" was such a resounding flop upon its release that Reed never performed it live - that is, until a five-night run at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn in 2006. The event featured a distinctly Reedian mix of collaborators: the sexually ambiguous singer-songwriter Antony Hegarty, the painter-filmmaker Julian Schnabel (who designed the sets), original "Berlin" guitarist Steve Hunter and the currently popular retro-soul singer Sharon Jones.

Schnabel, who filmed the concerts on warm, grainy 16mm film, captures some gripping moments. Reed looks genuinely moved by his material, and by the opportunity to play it: During the tragic ballad "Caroline Says (II)," he works to control his trembling lips. Later, Hegarty delivers a shattering interpretation of the similar "Candy Says," and the older singer's face reveals deep gratitude and a tinge of awe. Throughout, Reed and Hunter make terrific noise with their guitars.

Overall, though, "Berlin" simply isn't Reed's best material. The songs veer from lyrically evocative to maddeningly abstruse, and the arrangements (with a small orchestra and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus) sometimes strike a faux-Broadway note. But for die-hard Reed fans, it's an invaluable document.

(PG-13)

PLOT Concert film of Lou Reed’s five-night performance of his 1973 album "Berlin" in Brooklyn

CAST Lou Reed, Steve Hunter, Antony Hegarty

LENGTH 1:25

PLAYING AT Film Forum, Manhattan

BOTTOM LINE Some fascinating candid stage moments, but this is mostly for Reedophiles.