One of the most powerful films I’ve seen was a screening at the Dome of the silent classic The Passion of Joan of Arc with a new score by members of Portishead and Goldfrapp. The subtle, emotionally resonant music perfectly complemented Carl Dreyer’s spiritual masterpiece – so I’m all in favour of old films getting a sonic makeover. But George Lucas’s first film, set in a shaven-headed dystopian future, can best be described as “interesting“. And Asian Dub Foundation’s score breathes life into the movie in a couple of places – the pounding theme used for a car chase near the end works well – but for the most part succeeds in drowning out the dialogue, most of which was inaudible.
Robert Duvall plays the title character, a drone who works in a factory which – quite clearly – makes C3POs. But he falls in love with his roommate (Maggie McOmie) which is forbidden and so he goes on the run to various puzzling locations such as what appears to be an insane asylum which is a vast expanse of white landscape. He escapes from it with help from a hologram. I think the film is making some comment on race relations in 70s America as the hologram is the only black character we see. But then having not heard much of the dialogue I’m not 100% sure he’s really a hologram.
It’s often visually arresting – for instance a shot of some lizard creature caught in a computer’s innards is weirdly beautiful. But with no discernible narrative or any real attempt at characterisation, no amount of brilliant imagery is going to save the day.
There also seems something perverse is playing music over a film whose sound design, by Walter Murch, has been hailed as ahead of its time. To be brutally honest I’d much rather have seen the film in a proper cinema with its original soundtrack.
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