Nico Icon (1995) User Reviews

Worth Watching, but Seriously Flawed.

[cecrle · 7/10 · 12 July 2005]

This documentary is worth watching if you're interested in Nico or related subjects (my interest in the Velvet Underground is what got me to watch it, and VU are so important to modern music history that it's worth watching just for that), but it is seriously lacking in several respects.

First of all, the movie is only 67 minutes long and ends too abruptly. Another half-hour of more extensive interviews would have greatly strengthened the film. Maybe people like Lou Reed or the surviving members of The Doors simply refused to take part in the movie, but the absence of their opinions leaves definite holes in the story. In the film's defense, maybe there's just not much elaboration anyone can give about Nico--she was pretty, had a striking voice, and was a depressive junkie; that about sums up the impression I'm left with (which probably isn't all the film's fault!). But couldn't they have at least given us Lou Reed's take on Nico, even if it was only via anecdotes shared by others?

The creation of her solo songs & albums is very glossed-over. Suddenly Andy Warhol's crew is talking about hearing a single of Nico's--the viewer is left to wonder, "Well, when & how did that recording come about?!" We are shown pictures of her solo albums while clips of her songs are played, but that's about it--no real discussion of the circumstances surrounding the writing, recording, promotion, dates of release, etc. It's left unclear how much of the actual CREATION of those songs was done by Nico herself--did she learn to play any instruments, did she direct other music writers to produce what she was envisioning? Maybe these things were addressed and I simply missed them, but if so, it was a sentence or two at most, which might have been inaudible--

--which leads us into the problem of the poor sound quality; the music sometimes drowns out the poorly recorded interviews, so that when the interviewees lapse into softer voices, mutters & mumbles (their various accents add to this problem), it can be very hard to understand what is being said. Also annoying is the cheesy method of occasionally superimposing words on the screen as they are spoken by interviewees or sung by the soundtrack. This technique feels cheap and superficial--like a commercial trying to convince us that what is being said is important or deep.

Overall, it's definitely worth seeing if you like documentaries & music/pop history, but not a great documentary by any means. I'm almost tempted to go back and change my vote to 6, but I think I'll leave it at 7 because I did enjoy watching it. Worth renting, but not worth owning.

it's best if you already like nico

[moviepinprick · 8/10 · 16 July 2005]

i can see how anyone who doesn't already enjoy nico wouldn't enjoy this film, but i thought it was great. i was first introduced to nico via her work with the velvet underground, and while nico herself isn't a very sympathetic "character" her life was extraordinarily interesting. i didn't think the filmmaker tried to her make her more lovable than she was, but instead tried to portray her as she was; interesting as well as cold, shallow but artistic. what made her unique and fascinating also made her a poor mother and an isolated individual, but her voice was different as was what she had to say. if you have an interest in her music and her work with andy warhol's factory, then i think this is a movie you'll enjoy.

spotty saga of a spellbinding siren

[najania · 8/10 · 21 January 2011]

As a long- and real-time fan of Nico's music, and one who was lucky enough to see her perform around 1980, I was delighted when I heard a documentary had been made about her, and was riveted to the (TV) screen throughout when I finally got the chance to see it. Nevertheless, I think the movie put entirely too much emphasis on her drug use/abuse. I would have preferred to learn much more about the making of her music and perspectives on it by musicians and critics as opposed to endless, dreary testimony about the depth of her involvement with smack. This is shabby treatment, and the worst of it comes near the beginning, like an initial slap in the face, complete with a low blow by James Young, who calls her a "failure" - perhaps he was thinking of his own musical career. He seems ignorant of how powerfully and magically she could - and still can - speak straight to the soul, in a voice at once detached and spellbinding. Jackson Browne and John Cale stand in welcome and sharp contrast in their thoughtful reminiscences about her and her work, and the opus at least closes gracefully with a moving performance of her "Frozen Warnings" on the piano by the latter. A must-see for all with any liking for her music, but will probably only put off those not yet acquainted. - J. Koetting

The Mystery of Nico

[ronpitt · 9/10 · 15 April 1999]

A fascinating look at a sad & mysterious woman whose music was a deep, dark gaze into the pit of existence. If you have never heard Nico, then by all means, you must see this film. Fans will love it regardless, but the uninitiated have the most to gain. The facts of her life are chronicled, but numerous attempts by friends & acquaintances to describe who Nico was are fruitless. One realizes by the end of the film that Nico was so elusive, much like her music, that attempts to describe who she was tend to reveal more about the speaker, than they do about Nico. Someone says that Nico, who had been a model first, always hated being complimented on her beauty. The speaker suggests that it must have been some German perversity. He then explains how she proceeded to continually attempt to make herself ugly. Another person says "No one loved Nico & Nico loved no one" - a haunting statement that points to the isolation that Nico experienced. When she was beautiful, she was adored, so she destroyed heself & watched (& cried beautiful melodies) as everyone in her life capitulated. One of the finest scenes in the film finds Nico's Aunt looking over pictures & press clippings of the girl she helped raise. She speaks of Nico in adoring terms, referring to her as a princess. We then see her listening to Nico & The Velvets, gazing into the sky, lightly singing along, then shedding tears. It is a striking scene, as a tight & proper, matronly German figure crosses the boundary to an underground youth culture, that is so divorced from her world, yet bridged by her love for Nico. A great documentary of a performer who was well ahead of her time.

The Screech

[tedg · 15 March 2004]

Spoilers herein.

No one who survived that period can forget Nico, at least her voice in the midst of sounds that have come to define what heroin sounds like. She wasn't the only pretty face we saw get ravaged. But this was the only soul I know that did so as a deliberate act of art. At least the aura of Warhol claimed it such.

Was she a real musician? It doesn't matter to me, even if there were such a thing. She became part of my dream life, so is at least worth a revisit or two.

I waited to see this until I could see it with `Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind,' an equally insipid portrait, but of quite a different musician.

Both Joni and Nico were pretty blond singers, from the same era. Both had kids they had to give up. Both had lives with drugs and fellow male musicians. In fact, both were in New York at the same time.

Each had their own demons. But what different music! I'm not sure which was the greater artist: one gave her life to music while it was the inverse otherwise. Does passion matter! Was Jim Morrison a waste or a successful ride on an angry beast?

You won't get any of this from the dreary documentary alone. But if you were at all alive then, this effectively reminds.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Mesmerizing documentary!

[funtoosh · 10/10 · 10 December 2004]

This is one of the best documentaries I've seen so far. The weird but mesmerizing horror & occasional beauty of Nico's life & music are extremely well evoked. The most impressive scenes are the interviews with Alain Delon's mother Edith Boulogne -- who died soon after the movie was finished -- who had taken care of Alain's & Nico's son Ari, and, finally, John Cale performing "Frozen Warnings" alone on the piano. Susanne Ofteringer's film includes interview footage with James Young, the former keyboarder of her band, who has himself written a book about his time with Nico & the band. Only Alain Delon is missing ... No matter if you know or like Nico's definitely genuine, but strange approach to music, the movie is worthwhile watching for its documentary qualities.

One Of My Favorite Music Documentaries

[Jimmy_the_Gent4 · 9/10 · 30 July 2018]

I knew little of Nico when I first saw this on it's first release back in 1995,but I quickly became fascinated by this striking beauty with haunting monotone voice.

There are many great moments in this:

The interview with the musician who toured with Nico in her middle aged junkie years,saying he wrote a book to show the "failure" side of rock stardom.

Nico's aunt tearfully listening and singing along with "I'll Be Your Mirror"

Alain Delon's mother showing how modestly she lives and speaks of raising Nico and Delon's son.

Seeing the grown son Ari after hearing about his troubled childhood.

The 1965 music video of Nico singing "I'm Not Saying"

Masterpiece doumentary

[meathookcinema · 10/10 · 19 April 2021]

I first became aware of the singer Nico in 1988, ironically the year the singer passed away. I was becoming a huge fan of Siouxsie and the Banshees and a new book had been published about the band. The first few pages went through the early lives of the band members and the bands they were listening to as they were growing up. Of course one of them was The Velvet Underground and Nico. The picture published to illustrate this however wasn't one of the iconic monochromatic shots of the band wearing shades, black clothing and looking absolutely cool with it. Instead, the image was of Nico but after see had dyed her hair and wasn't the glacially beautiful blonde chanteuse anymore. The pic was from 1970 and she was dressed in a cape. 'What Goth could have become if more people had taken Nico to their hearts', I thought.

Shortly after this I started listening to and loving The Velvet Underground starting with their iconic first album. Nico's voice was a revelation. Her teutonic vocals with her own sense of phrasing and meter were mindblowingly original. In fact, after hearing this album I bought The Marble Index and my love for Nico and her career was born.

On seeing the documentary Nico Icon on YouTube I decided to investigate further.

And I'm so glad I did. The film fully explores Nico's legacy and metamorphosis brilliantly from her time as a model (a profession she hated as she saw herself as a blonde smiling object and nothing more), her introduction to movies with her turn in La Dolce Vita no less, her introduction to singing and then becoming a staple of Warhol's Factory crowd (Andy famously described her singing style as like that of an IBM computer with a Greta Garbo accent) after being introduced to Warhol by Bob Dylan. Her stint as chanteuse on The Velvet Underground's iconic first album (not to mention her relationship with The Velvet's lead singer Lou Reed) followed shortly after this with her solo career as a result.

I wasn't prepared for the emotional pull that the documentary has. The scene in which Nico's aunt is listening to I'll Be Your Mirror and starts crying because of the beauty of the music and her late niece's vocals is incredibly moving. The fact that Lou Reed's lyrics are displayed on the screen via the film's subtitles show just how gorgeous they are.

The melancholic and reflective aspect of Nico's music is also explored with songs as achingly stirring as You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone acting as a reflection of Nico's life. She was evidently her own mirror for the world to see.

The transformation of Nico from blonde bombshell to Angel of Death is also examined. With this metamorphosis people who said to her that the change was too drastic and made her look ugly were met with joyous proclamations from the woman herself. She loved the fact that she wasn't a blonde object of beauty anymore for others to ogle, an object.

She seemed to hate life and to be looking forward to death. She infamously became a junkie with her addiction to heroine (what else for the guest singer with The Velvets) which meant she toured constantly to supplement her habit. James Young is on hand to tell tales of what it was like to be in her band during this period with one incident involving her deliberately handing him a tour's worth of used needles for him to dispose of when they were approaching border control whilst in their tour bus. 'She was the Queen of the Bad Girls', Young states. She also loved the track marks, rotting teeth and bad skin that the drug had bestowed on her body. 'That was her aesthetic', Young opines.

Nico's son Ari from her relationship with French actor Alain Delon (one of Nico's other former lovers expresses that Delon was descended from sausage makers and even though he became a famous actor there was no getting away from his true family vocation in life) is also interviewed. We hear the shocking revelation that it was her who introduced him to heroine and that whilst he was once in a coma, she came to the hospital to record the noises his life support machine made to utilise on her next album.

But throughout the documentary one thing truly shines through and that is the music itself. There has never been any other artist like Nico in terms of music and image. She was a true individual with a back catalogue that is alarmingly and consistently brilliant. Whilst her first album Chelsea Girl was material written by others for her, her second album and every subsequent album after this starting with The Marble Index, showed that Nico wasn't just an amazing singer and frontperson but also an astonishing writer. Her imagery and obsessions are just as idiosyncratic as her persona and are utterly intoxicating. Fortunately this is captured in the documentary with all phases of her music career being given an airing. And that's one of the greatest aspects of the film- it encourages the viewer to investigate further and fall full-on into the disturbing, beautiful and esoteric rabbit-hole that is Nico's oeuvre. And it's an amazing place to vacate.

Her transition from the blonde Ice Queen to the Angel of Death is extraordinary enough and reminds me of the transition that Scott Walker made from pop star pin-up to serious artist who made the kind of music that music critics can't salivate over more. Nico was even more exemplary as when she started writing her own material we were suddenly plunged headlong into her own world with it's own meanings and rules. It was a sphere of frozen borderlines, friar hermits and janitors of lunacy. What does it all mean? Who knows. But it works beautifully. We were invited into the mindscape of an island, a question mark, a true maverick and, dare I say, a genius.

This documentary is so good that not even the very pretentious device of snippets of dialogue appearing on the screen as text just as a subject is saying them can even ruin or tarnish proceedings. Thankfully this isn't employed too often but why it was used at all is beyond me.

Proceedings are rounded off with a rendition of Frozen Warnings from the album The Marble Index sung by John Cale at the piano. It's an apt tribute to a singer who Cale saw as someone truly exceptional even if the world is still catching up on Nico's genius. But with a new biography coming out soon it appears that the wheels are in motion regarding this. This documentary is a great starting point for the uninitiated and familiar alike.

Essential and one of the best documentaries about one of the best and beguiling subjects ever to grace the arts. Even Siskel and Ebert gave the film two thumbs up. But don't let that put you off.

Extremely bad "documentary" that only tells lies, avoid it!!

[liderc · 1/10 · 16 August 2001]

In my former comment I wrote that this "docu" is nice. Well, now I have more insight into the topic of Nico and I must post another comment, since this documentary is no documentary at all! First of all, from the technical aspect: The "narration" jumps around in time without any proper explanation, there are important video clips ("i'm not saying" and "evening of light") that *every* nico fan will want to see at full lenght and that are of course *not* played at full lenght, and the visual design, especially in the part when only v.u. music is played in the background and the lyrics are on the screen with some background images of a cemetery, is completey ridiculous and sometimes you have the feelings was only done to add time consuming footage. And now to the documentated facts: This "documentation" is no documentation at all, nearly everything said is a lie!! Here are the facts: Nico was a highly talented singer/songwriter/actress, that released three solo albums from 1969-1974, then continued her career as actress in the movies made by her longtime partner Phillipe Garell in the seventies, and continued her musical career in the 80s with two solo albums (where one ("drama of exile") was released in two versions) and lots of live albums from her world tour that spanned over 1200 live performances in japan, australia, europe. She had a unique style and a unique appearance. At the beginning of her career, when she was not writing her songs yet, she once sang for the group "the velvet underground" to gain experience in the music bussiness and that was it. she didn't like the band nor the music they played. And now, the maker of this pile of trash called "nico icon" wants to give us the illusion that Nico was unsuccessfull, insane, nothing but a junkie, ugly, a freak and the only good thing she made was that album with the velvet underground . . . At the beginning, her former manager from the 80s is asked about her and tells us how sick she was and that she was a freak. He of course doesn't tell us that he was deeply in love with her, but that she didn't want him and he then completely snapped and started things like running on stage during her performances and shouting "you are the devil!" (all documented in the book "songs they never play on the radio") There is a live performance clip shown that shows Nicos unique performing style that is misinterpreted as a proof of her being a freak, altough it is clearly obvious to anybody watching that she is a wonderful performer, even if she looks a little bit tired in the clip (which is no wonder if you have watched the FULL length of the video (it is available on a dvd called "nico: underground experience + heroine") and see there that she performs in a bar where it is extremely hot and she is very sweaty and tired because of this). Then we see an interview with James Young, who once played keyboard for her and now wants to make the most money out of this and you have the feeling that he will tell any lie for money. He wants to make us believe how ugly and unhealthy Nico wasn't (although you just have to look at a picture of her to know how beautiful she was...). The rest of the documentary is only bla bla about her being oh so much addicted to drugs and being oh so strange, and that is was such a shame that she didn't want to be a blonde model anymore bla bla bla, but nothing about her *unique* music, her acting, her vision of art etc. If you believe the docu, Nico didn't do anything else except taking drugs. Quite the opposite it the truth: She was a busy performer and busy writing songs and releasing albums, she had her own strict priniciples and believes. Susanne Oftertinger didn't even care to dig out Nicos last film performance, altough it was in a german film that should be easy to find!! Every fan of Nico watching this docu will be angry about this unnecessary lies, and everybody who doesn't know her will think her as a freak (as the movie obviously wants to). Believe me this is just like if you make a documentary about Romy Schneider for example and tell there that she was a cheap bad actress. Ok so the best thing is to watch this extremely bad researched movie (did Oftertinger do any research herself at all? For example: In the list of Nicos albums once appearing in the movie and as extra on the DVD, the "drama of exile" album and it's making is *never* mentioned!! Oftertinger doesn't seem to know *anything* about Nico, just the lies people like Young and her manager like to tell) without sound, so that you at least can see some pictures of the beautiful Nico. But it gets worse: The German DVD version is edited, there are the clips from the Garrel movies missing (maybe he forbid them to have clips from his movies in there after he saw what lies they tell about his beloved Nico) and some beautiful still-pictures. Of course the two music video clips are not included as extra on the dvd, I mean *as if* they would be interesting to Nico fans... SO: AVOID IT!!! DON'T BELIEVE IT!!

Femme fatale

[dbdumonteil · 4 July 2007]

"Nico Icon" is a movie which will not satisfy Nico's fans cause the essential,that is to say,the musical side ,is minimal .Both her short stint with the Velvet and her solo career are botched.

On the other hand,we hear Edith Boulogne, actor Alain Delon's mother talk for a long time of her grandson Ari -who appears himself too- .There was a world between Nico, an avant-garde artist and a simple woman such as Mrs Boulogne who complains "cause she was always feeding him with crisps ".The boy seems to despise his grandma who raised him though.

In his biography of Delon (2000),(I do not know if the book has been translated into English) Bernard Violet devoted the end of a chapter to Nico's son: "Le cas "Ari Boulogne" ".

Everybody's Icon, Nobody's Fool

[NoDakTatum · 10/10 · 29 October 2023]

Susanne Ofteringer writes and directs a haunting documentary about the life of pop icon Nico. Nico was born Christa Paffgen in Germany, and her father was killed under mysterious circumstances during World War II. She was a gorgeous woman, hitting the modeling circuit right away, and ending up in Paris, where she was named Nico after showing dislike for her own name. From Paris, Nico headed to New York, and Andy Warhol's Factory. She was quiet, gorgeous, and full of hatred of her own beauty. A fling with French actor Alain Delon produced a son whom Delon would not acknowledge, and the boy was raised by Delon's parents. Nico was teamed with the band the Velvet Underground, where her deep accented voice complemented Lou Reed and John Cale's new sound. Nico went solo, and drifted from lover to lover, including Jim Morrison and a very young Jackson Browne. She continued to record music, throwing in strange songs that would be lyrical and sometimes difficult. Nico began taking heroin, even getting her son Ari hooked on it, and cleaned up too late before dying of a brain hemorrhage at 58.

Ofteringer's documentary is riveting. She begins with Nico's last days touring in the mid-1980's- Nico looks old and tired. Her keyboardist James Young describes how she had needle tracks running up her arms, often pulled a knife on people over the slightest or no provocation, her teeth were rotting, and she would shove heroin up her anus at border crossings to avoid arrest. Ofteringer then traces Nico's beginnings, getting incredible interviews with a favorite aunt who raised her, a manager, Cale, Paul Morrissey, Browne, and even her son, Ari. The film is only sixty-seven minutes, but Ofteringer says more than enough without dragging the tragic story out. Footage of Nico's final years is especially difficult to watch, as she gamely tries to sing The Doors' "The End." It is not a great cover, but the pain in her voice is honest. Nico did not like people, did not like herself, and used her anger and imaginary lesbianism to build a wall around herself. This was a sad life, and after watching "Ciao Manhattan" and seeing Edie Sedgwick self-destruct onscreen, you begin to wonder how "glorious" was it to be a part of Andy Warhol's Factory, and the hard drug scene in general. Nico's songs are hard to forget, as is her deep voice. Truly an exceptional piece of work.

Nice, but could have been much better

[liderc · 1/10 · 11 July 2000]

As a big fan of this Artist I was very interested what this documentation will tell me about her. I didn't tell much. If you don't know anything about her before you see this film, you will get no real info at all about her and a distorted impression about her. The interviews are nice, but are missing background info. I only detested James Young who calls her a "failure". Much time is wasted which odd images which texts from her songs over them. Why is the music video for "Evening of light" or "I'm not saying" not played in full length? For a real fan this would be very interesting. This docu also has no real chronological order, but just jumbles around with no connection. Important facts (especially about her death, her last concert, her last movie, her music, her albums) aren't told. Important people don't show up in this movie, like Antoine Giacomoni. Why is Nicos album "Drama of Exile" totally ignored in this Docu. What about her alleged Mafia connections? etc etc etc. Sure, the cuts from interviews with her are very interesting, but this docu is still very sloppy.

Pretty nice to look at, but not that representative

[Boris-57 · 25 February 2003]

As a big time nico-fan who has spent an unreasonable amount of money on all sorts of semi- and unofficial stuff of her, I must say that, when I came out of the movie theatre, I had quite a good feeling about this docu. Some call it a lie, but then again, wasn't Nico one of the first to invent/reinvent any part of her life as she saw fit? To add some drama? This piece of docu is pretty nice to look at, and, despite being not entirely chronological, forms a whole to me.

This said, it is indeed true that it is not that representative, and that the "whole" it constructs might not exactly be Nico. But still. Indeed, there is a lot of focus on negative aspects of her life, but then again, you can hardly find a career of 6 studio albums and some unfinished material for a potential new one in the span of 20 years prolific, can you? And it is a fact that, while before she got hooked on H she recorded 3 albums in 3 years (two of which were astonishing pieces of unheard of music that she wrote entirely by herself), once she got addicted her creativity went downhill, if not as much in quality than in quantity. The touring became a way of bringing home the bacon, while performing the same songs over and over again. In an impressive way, alright, but still the same. Frequent touring is no substitute for creativity. Look at what John Cale has been doing for the last 15 years. He has accomplished some impressive creative feats, true, but a lot of his stuff is soundtrack-muzak and the shows are copies of his first solo shows in the early 80's.

But back to the documentary. Indeed, more unique footage would have been welcome and the complete omission of Drama of Exile is unforgivable. Furthermore, this story would have clearly illustrated how deep downhill it had gone, since Nico sold the incomplete master tapes because she needed the money (guess what for) - and they recorded a second version. But still, it's negative. With the Lutz Ulbrich-interview you get the impression that they leave a lot out of the picture and instead focus on the point where Ulbrich says he can't understand how a mother could introduce her own son to the needle (true...). What about Ulbrich's involvement in her last show (on cd as Fata Morgana), for which she seemed to have taken a new start, with wonderful new material!

What's more important, it does not, apart from a few things, shed any light on the why and how of Nico's oeuvre. And this may indeed be a very difficult task, mainly because Nico was not exactly an art-explainer, which is good. That's why one might say that this documentary, as a provider of information on Nico, falls short. The beauty was in the music, and it was and is exactly its force that it needs no further explanation. Furthermore, the docu will leave fans unsatisfied and will not gain Nico a new audience, for with her music it's simple: you love it or you hate it to bits. And anyone open to its unworldly beauty will inevitably find it, documentary or not. The others will keep away, and this docu will not change their minds.

But, after all, it's nice that at least a documentary is made on her. It would be greater still if in some future, the excellent interviews would be used by someone else to make a real, full documentary, with a focus on the work and its evolution, and not on her personality problems, for though they were part of the process, they were no part of the results.

a behind the music masquerading as a documentary

[FilmBoy999 · 21 April 2001]

this film is truly anything but a real documentary. How anyone could take as interesting a subject as Nico and so incomprehensively make a film that purports to go inside her life is beyond me? It seems like this film was thrown together at best. I had no understanding of the real chronology of Nico's life, as the timeline jumps around repeatedly. The interviews seem largely to rely on one interview with John Cale, and it's just quite clear that the filmmakers didn't do any research whatsoever. Instead the filmmaker's come up with the dull technique of using superimposed titles throughout the film to highlight the un-insightful interviews. So superficial, so dull-looking, so without any kind of understanding of what must go into a posthumous documentary that it is really sad. A wasted opportunity. Shooting photographs for an hour or so and playing the Velvet Underground and Nico album over it is hardly the stuff of insightful or talented documentaries.

Don't waste your time.

[Doctor_Bombay · 6 May 1999]

Came to this film, with a few good recommendations, but no knowledge at all about the woman, Christa Paffgen (NICO) about whom this documentary is based.

NICO, a young German woman, model, created an image in conjunction with Andy Warhol and his group as an asexual junkie. As a biography, the film is weak, short on information, with a limited and jaded perspective.

As a tribute, it fails miserably. I'm still uncertain where ICON fits in the whole picture aside from looking good in the title. There is little substance in the film to suggest she 'earned' any sort of recognition, stature, or approval from anyone but miscreants and lost souls. From my vantagepoint her life seems little different than many misguided college youth who gave up their lives to confusion and drugs, far too early. It's a tragic tale, I guess, but far from distinctive.

The whole deal is some sort of inside joke and I sit outside, unfortunately--maybe it all got lost in the translation.