As part of this years London Short Film Festival Rich Mix in Bethnal Green Road presented the premiere showing of Solitude, Nina Danino's film about Nico, complete with live soundtrack by Gagarin, who I first saw playing in Nico's band The Faction almost 39 years ago, back when he was usually called Dids or Graham Dowdall.
The film was introduced by Nina Danino chatting with Gagarin as they explained the soundtrack includes some playing by Manuel Gottsching of Ash Ra Tempel who passed away last December, as well as some guitar by James Creed. The film Nina explained tries to draw you into Nico's mystique while posing the question who or what is Nico? Gagarin then also explained he would be performing a live score to the film and how it is now a pleasure to be involved in keeping his old bosses music and art alive.
As she is now being discovered by a younger generation through the recent book by Jennifer Otter Bickerdike and Chris Connelly's double tribute album among other things this film is timely.
As the film opens and Gagarin starts to play his gently evocative electronica that contained lots of tape hiss, it's clear that the Solitude of the films title is because this is mainly shots of Nico sitting alone in what feels like home video footage but is actually taken from her movies with Phillippe Garrel and Andy Warhol.
As we watch Nico smoking a joint and reading a book in a most solitary unself-conscious way, this music surrounds her and Nina Danino's crystal clear voice begins reciting classic romantic poems hinting at the darkness not apparent in Nico's relaxed demeanor.
The film cuts away to a shot of the river Thames as it rushes by, as well as some blank screen as the soundtrack mutates into Nina Reading and Gagarin playing Frozen Warnings, slowly the vocals switch to Nico reading rather than singing the words.
The film then puts up the famous scene from Warhol's Chelsea Girls where on one split screen Paul Morrisey is drinking and smoking with a woman while on the other screen Nico sits looking into a shaving mirror while she primps her blond fringe endlessly, the synths building the tension between the screens as we all stare deep into the Solitude of Nico's gaze.
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Things then get totally grainy as a scene from Garrel's Un Ange Passe comes on looking even grainier and more degraded than the bootleg vhs I bought of this film in Camden market in the late 80's, Nico looks so serene, so at peace, sitting by herself, then laying about, but I just want to know what's behind the way she looks at the camera, This switches between this, the view of the Thames as well as the blank screen while Nina continues to recite poetry that brings out the isolation and Solitude of Nico's wonderfully singular existence.
For anyone expecting anything to happen this film will be rather frustrating, but if you are a long time Nico fan this film works really well, as Gagarin's soundtrack builds and the mythical lyrics to Saeta unfold it's great to watch Gagarin bring some of his percussive beats to the fore, even if these days they are played on synth pads and gadgets rather than huge cymbals with splits in the metal along with all the shakers and drums he used to play with Nico.
As the film switches between different era's of Nico sitting or lying alone on various shades of low fi video the Janitor Of Lunacy is intoned with stately grace, that makes us certain that for a large part of Nico's life really It Was A Pleasure Then as the water rushes by, the blank screen leaves me wondering what other film of Nico they could have used to fill the gaps, or were the gaps a hint at the times in Nico's life where she withdrew or disappeared to move into another sphere always moving away from the Drama that made her live her life in a constant state of exile.
I really loved hearing Gagarin's soundtrack to the film but must acknowledge that this film will only really appeal to hardcore Nico fans and would not suggest it as a way into Nico's mystique, music or acting.
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