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What a powerhouse score!! Especially the last long track YOU HAVE THE POWER is sheer orchestral madness. The movie itself is brillant in its darkness and film noirish way of portraying a future city that has a deadly secret. A great,great work by Alex Proyas and by Trevor Jones!
Philipp
np: "dark city" (trevor jones)
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It's a fitting score. The film is brilliant, and deserves all the praise the Matrix got. A real visionary work.
A masterful film... and score. Even Saint Roger Ebert felt it was THE Best movie of its year... and contributed his own comentary on the DVD.
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A masterful film... and score. Even Saint Roger Ebert felt it was THE Best movie of its year... and contributed his own comentary on the DVD.
Ebert? The same Ebert who also adores 'Anaconda' and 'The Cell'? The same Ebert who thinks 'Blade Runner' is emotionally empty? Please, don't make me laugh.
Ebert is a mass reviewer and the fact that the masses think the world of him only demonstrates the poor times we're living in.
That said, 'Dark City' is visually impressive and it might be even a good mystery film, but its leads and villains are ... empty. Hollow shells with no depth.The style? Well, the Future Noir style is robbed from 'Blade Runner'. The look of the villains is robbed from Hellraiser. The Nazi-like doctor played by Kiefer Sutherland is campy. The part of Jennifer Connely is poorly written and so redundant that the film practically shuts her out. She's just there doing the femal lead thing but it feels forced and artificial. She can't replace the fragility of Rachael in 'Blade Runner' or monumental Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger) in 'L.A. Confidential'.
I'm sure its score is very good but as neo film noir 'Dark City' is far from a masterpiece and only better than average. 'Dark City' did not break any new ground.
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Alex Cremers
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Ebert? The same Ebert who also adores 'Anaconda' and 'The Cell'? The same Ebert who thinks 'Blade Runner' is emotionally empty? Please, don't make me laugh.
........... I'll feel terrible if I do!
Ebert is a mass reviewer and the fact that the masses think the world of him only demonstrates the poor times we're living in.
............ I take it the "Sainted" part of my post didn't drip in the intended sarcasm I had hoped?
That said, 'Dark City' is visually impressive and it might be even a good mystery film, but its leads and villains are ... empty. Hollow shells with no depth.The style? Well, the Future Noir style is robbed from 'Blade Runner'. The look of the villains is robbed from Hellraiser. The Nazi-like doctor played by Kiefer Sutherland is campy. The part of Jennifer Connely is poorly written and so redundant that the film practically shuts her out. She's just there doing the femal lead thing but it feels forced and artificial. She can't replace the fragility of Rachael in 'Blade Runner' or monumental Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger) in 'L.A. Confidential'.
I'm sure its score is very good but as neo film noir 'Dark City' is far from a masterpiece and only better than average. 'Dark City' did not break any new ground.
........... I liked it a BUNCH. Great movie. Try watching it with Ebert's commentary... I have to admit, he's pretty on the mark with this great film. Very stylish... closest thing to Blade Runner I have seen.... ;-)
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I didn't have a problem with Jennifer Connelly's character - wasn't the point of her character to show someone close up who wasn't aware that their personality was changing all the time? Detectives Bumstead and Kochinsky started to see through things, and John Proctor is figuring it all out, while the Doctor has known all along what is happening. There needed to be a major character who became a clean slate every time the city was refashioned. Admittedly she could've been directed a bit better, but it was an ok performance.
And Lyn Bracken is good, but a tad overrated.
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............ I take it the "Sainted" part of my post didn't drip in the intended sarcasm I had hoped?
Sorry, I must've missed it. But now that you mentioned it, hahaha, Saint Ebert.
I've seen the movie two times and when I recall the characters (all of them) I find that there's not one that has captured my heart. I have nothing but cold images of them. "Characters" is the Achilles Heel of "Dark City". And it's probably why I have difficulty forgiving "Dark City's" other "faults" (like its campy, Hammer-styled B-movie ending of a hocus pocus fight).
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I didn't have a problem with Jennifer Connelly's character - wasn't the point of her character to show someone close up who wasn't aware that their personality was changing all the time?
Chemistry! In my book, Alex Proyas, as a director, still hasn't found a way to make his characters "radiate" (for Pete's sake, look at "I, Robot". What an un-classy act!). The least interesting aspect of 'Dark City' were its characters. That's why it's a "Blade Runner Light".
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Alex Cremers
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Great movie. Loved the surprise ending in particular. I don't have the soundtrack, but I'm on the lookout for it. How much score is there on it, and how many songs? What are the songs like?
One song is nice, since it is featured IN the film: "Sway". There's enough of the score on the disc as well. The film is remarkable in the scoring since the music pulsates for the first 20 minutes, propelling the viewer forward... and, uniquely, leaving the viewer puzzled as to WHAT IS GOING ON... but the music keeps you on the the edge of your seat along with that "flickering" light effect. Isn't the score available anymore?
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Chemistry! In my book, Alex Proyas, as a director, still hasn't found a way to make his characters "radiate" (for Pete's sake, look at "I, Robot". What an un-classy act!). The least interesting aspect of 'Dark City' were its characters. That's why it's a "Blade Runner Light".
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Alex Cremers
Sorry you didn't like the film Alex, but as much as I adore Blade Runner I think Dark City had more plot and mystery going for it. Apples & oranges neverthless.
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Sorry you didn't like the film Alex, but as much as I adore Blade Runner I think Dark City had more plot and mystery going for it. Apples & oranges neverthless.
More plot and mystery, sure, afterall, BR isn't a mystery, but DC has less movie magic and subtext (storywise, BR's surface is quite uninteresting).
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Alex Cremers
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I thought DC was oozing movie magic out it's pores, man. Great sets, costumes, a wonderful pulsating score with an incredible climax, and that gorgeous love theme at the end.
I thought the reveal of just where you were was pretty neat, too. But then again, I'm not one of those that had The Sixth Sense figured out after the main titles got done playing.
I figured out The Sixth Sense during the restaurant scene, where he sat down without moving the chair... the director of Dark City was not pleased that the studio SUITS made him add the preamble narration at the beginning... but it didn't give away the neat twists and turns along the way... the story reminded me very much of a 1970's novel by a British author named Edmund Cooper...
Michael was quite young when he discovered that some of his playmates bled if they cut themselves, and some didn't. For a long time he didn't think about it. Nor did it seem strange to see Zeppelins being attacked by jet fighters above London's force field, or glimpse Queen Victoria walking with Winston Churchill in the Mall. Not at first
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More plot and mystery, sure, afterall, BR isn't a mystery, but DC has less movie magic and subtext (storywise, BR's surface is quite uninteresting).
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Alex Cremers
Again, Alex, I think you might have some fun if you listen to the Dark City commentaries... there actually IS more at work in that film than first meets the eye... especially the opening camera work and subsequent symbolism.. pretty neat stuff. Just give it a listen and report back.. couldn't hurt, right?
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Listening to the score on my mp3player right now. I forgot how good it is. Any news on a expanded release? We have seen so many expanded releases this year, and I think this one really deserves such a re-release. There's only 35 minitues of original score on the commercial cd released in 1998. I know there are at least two unmentionables floating around on ebay with more music.
Doesn't have to be a complete release, but, say, 20 min. more (including the main titles and end creidts) would be great.
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Wauw! Stravinsky was clearly more than inspired by Jones 
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But yes there is more than enough music to release an expanded score. Question; was the music performed outside the US if so then hopefully an expanded release might be possible in the near future? 
