Sienna Miller has a gift for popularizing the offbeat. A few years ago it was cowboy boots and “boho”, and in the past year leading up to now it has been 1960s It-girl, Edie Sedgwick. Amidst the anticipation of the release of the Edie biopic, Factory Girl, the deceased Warhol muse has re-achieved icon status, gracing Urban Outfitters tees and inspiring girls to rock the black tights and leopard prints. Unfortunately, no one who admires Edie has any true insight as to who she was, but there are enough opinions floating around about her to see her portrayed on the big screen. While the exploitative 1972 film Ciao Manhattan featured Edie “playing” a character based on her painfully cracked out and degenerated self, Factory Girl instead paints a picture of a poor little rich girl. I surprisingly prefer the latter.I have been turned off by the Edie mania for a while now, unable to stomach the worship of such a tragic and unsympathetic figure (though stylish she certainly was) who did nothing but allow herself to be manipulated by catty gay/asexual, Andy Warhol. And yes, I was afraid of Factory Girl making a mockery of an era that I've always felt transcends all others. But I felt compelled to see this film the moment it was released because I couldn’t deny the glamour and magnetism of Edie. I just knew that if I kept my expectations low, I wouldn't have to feel so guilty about watching the desecration of a dead icon. It wasn't like that at all though.
I was fascinated by Sienna Miller’s performance. Though she never fully channels Edie, her ability to emulate Edie’s own gestures and vocal qualities is enough to finally prove herself as a real actress and not just a media-induced phenomenon. In fact it wasn't just Sienna--I was struck by the entire ensemble and the way they make the Factory and 60s New York come to life. Guy Pearce as Andy Warhol is nothing short of brilliant, with his blotchy skin and his vicious yet vulnerable persona. Even Hayden Christiansen as "Billy Quinn" (really Bob Dylan, but renamed for legal purposes) is tolerable and actually quite charismatic. Director George Hickenlooper did take some liberties with the whole Velvet Underground thing. It was cheesy the way they portray Nico as some sort of mysterious Viking woman, or whatever they call her in the film when she appears for a hot second. And I did have a problem with some of the wardrobe choices. But overall it was a treat for me to see all the characters--Ondine, Gerard Malanga, Brigid Berlin, and all the Warholstars.
I expected Factory Girl to be an arty and superficial piece of fluff, full of gratuitous drugs and sex. I'm relieved that George Hickenlooper didn't do that. To me the 60s was about style, creativity, and the avant-garde. That's what Edie Sedgwick represents, but she was clearly more than that to many people. Yes, she was a poor little rich girl and this film does make a lot of excuses for her. Though Sienna Miller might not have captured the real Edie completely, at least we can see her as more of a human being rather than what she's been portrayed as in the past--B-movie actress, Andy Warhol's trophy, drug-addicted sideshow, etc. She was the face and spirit of the 60s, and thanks to this film, lovers of that moment in time can feel like they are right there with Edie and Andy.
