Themes: Rise and Fall Stories, Drug Addiction, Fashion World
Main Cast: Jackson Browne, Christa Paffgen
Release Year: 1995
Country: DE
Run Time: 70 minutes
Plot
This German documentary offers a tragic profile of the notorious "death angel," Nico. Long after her death in 1988, the German model and entertainer has remained a darkly mysterious cult figure. She was born Christa Paffgen in Cologne and took her professional name from photographer Nico Papatakis. She began modeling in the early '50s, and this led to a brief appearance in Fellini's classic La Dolce Vita. Though Nico was blessed with the rare combination of beauty and intelligence, she was depressive and utterly lacking in ambition; she spent much of her life simply drifting about through various film and commercial appearances until she met artist Andy Warhol. He introduced her to the band the Velvet Underground, which resulted in the tone-deaf beauty occasionally singing with them -- much to the discomfiture of the band members; she became addicted to heroin and eventually could no longer disguise its effects. Nico went on to become a solo act until her death as the result of a brain hemorrhage. Nico -- Icon includes film clips, commercial clips, archival photos, songs, and interviews with those who knew her, including members of the Velvet Underground, Paul Morrissey, ex-Factory members Viva and Billy Name, songwriter Jackson Browne, and avant-garde filmmaker Jonas Mekas. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Review
Susanne Ofteringer's documentary explores the manufacturing and failure of the pop culture icon Nico. The film's strength is in its dazzling rare archive footage, emphasizing the importance of the mass-marketed image on her life. Without idealizing the star, it chronicles the model/actress/singer achieving icon status and allowing her self to become destroyed by it. Photos and clips of the young model on Vogue covers and in champagne commercials are effectively linked with her haunting vocal recordings. Ofteringer emphasizes the themes of isolation and lack of identity recurrent in Nico's music by offering graphics of her lyrics over the beauty-queen images. Interviews with family members and bandmates attest to the star's hatred of her own beauty, but none claim to really understand what was going on with her. Rare footage of Andy Warhol, and interviews with various Factory regulars discuss her entrance into the Velvet Underground in relation to her image rather than talent. Missing here is an interview with Velvet Underground frontman, and Nico's supposed lover, Lou Reed. Her solo music career marked a radical opposition to the blonde beauty that made her a pop star. Addicted to heroin, her darker style is evident in concert footage, music videos, and old interviews with Nico herself. Perhaps most telling of the star's descent is through the interview with her son, Ari Bolouge. Although her plight remains shrouded in mystery, this film provides an in-depth look into Nico's reproduced images and vocal recordings, along with the contradicting impressions she left on people and pop culture. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
