film
prophecy theme by brian eno
Any regular readers out there will probably groan as Brian’s name is mentioned here once more. Its most recent appearance in this blog was a quote from him on a poster for Penguin Cafe. This time, it’s because I recently went to see David Lynch’s’Dune’, some thirty years on since its original release, and he appears early in the pre-film credits: “Prophecy Theme by Brian Eno”.
The Arts Picturehouse’s publicity described the film as “under-valued”, but I was keen to see it again on a large screen, and I certainly wasn’t the only one as the cinema was virtually fully-booked.
Yes, the film was still a disastrous mishmash of exposition giving its stars very little to do, and its battle scenes cling to old, out-dated war films, so it doesn’t stand up well to expectations of emotional involvement in the action, but I still like its art direction vision of a futuristic Edwardian art deco.
So, what of Brian’s prophecy theme? It was understated and subtle, especially in comparison to the rest of the soundtrack by Toto, almost to the point of being unnoticeable under the pumping sound levels pounding through the cinema like thumpers summoning giant worms.
filmed in supermarionation
It’s going to be a puppet-filled few days: firstly ‘The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer‘ at Cambridge Junction tomorrow, then the National Theatre Encore Broadcast (As Live) of ‘War Horse‘ at The Picturehouse on Tuesday. I’ve been waiting to see the stage version of War Horse since 2011.
one hundred years of solitude – g g marquez
No, I haven’t posted in a long time. Just haven’t felt the need. But here’s a short video that’s worth watching several times: a brief history of cinematic visual effects.
look on my works, ye mighty, and despair
James Cameron’s forthcoming Avatar and a 3D remake of Yellow Submarine… Proof, if required, that Hollywood is equally good at producing expensive new trash and messing about with old classics.
looking back to the future
My heart sinks at the trailer for Tron Legacy. Apart from purely commercial reasons, why would you want to create a futuristic aesthetic based on something that might have looked interesting twenty years ago but was still highly flawed?
I’m not against retro-styled futurism per se. The Edwardian look in parts of David Lynch’s Dune worked well, as did the 1940s styling of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, but they were both conscious attempts to create something new that was influenced by the past. Both, too, had major weaknesses, but they felt like genuine attempts to try something different.
The Flash Gordon film was a more self-conscious tongue-in-cheek echo of the 1950s, and suffered as a result. Perhaps we’re due a 1960s based vision next? Then we’ll be back to the 1970s and Space 1999, which is currently being broadcast on ITV4 and looks badly dated.
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