"Dark City" - 03/02/03 - 03/08/03

[Morticia]

This is a thread to discuss the technical and/or thematic merits of "Dark City".

The purpose being to foster intelligent discussion of films without resorting to "It's a piece of crap." or "It's the greatest film ever." (And so that we all can gain a bit of a film education from everyone.)

We'll discuss a new film each week. Either slade or I will post the film in this forum in advance, and lock the topic until the first day of discussion.

Thanks everyone. We are open to any ideas about running this forum.

****SPOILER WARNING**** of course this entire thread is going to be full of spoilers.

[Monterey Jack]

This is a brilliant, dazzling piece of sci-fi, one of the best of the 90's (and Roger Ebert's favorite film of 1998). Alex Proyas is an underappreciated treasure. The Matrix is fun, but can't match the visual and metaphysical grandeur of this film. Some thoughts:


-Does anyone else notice the bizarre similarity between the final shot of the film, with Jennifer Connelly on a pier, looking out into a dazzling sunset, and the recurring Jared Leto dream imagery in Requiem For A Dream, in which he sees Jennifer Connelly waiting for him, back turned, at the end of a pier? Odd.

-I love Kiefer Sutherland's Peter Lorre imitation.

-What do you think happens to John Murdoch after the events of the film, not to mention the countless people who live in "Dark City"? Does he become a kindly dictator over all? Or does the ending suggest that he simply wants to live his life unaltered by higher forces?


Again, spectacular movie. I should pop in the DVD again...

[The Mobius]

One of my favorite movies of all time (at least in the top 5), I saw this "blind" at the cinema - turning up with a group of friends on a Sunday without a clue what to watch. Saw a poster for Dark City, and got absolutely blown away by it.
It seemed to be a movie that divided the sexes (at least in my small group) - the guys loved it, the girls hated it. I think that's due to its heavy sci-fi slant, although I can't remember any specific reasons. Probably because the entire film is about discovery, of oneself and what one is able to do with human potential (if you suspend the sci-fi for a second). The film builds to an extremely satisfying crescendo, which can unfortunately also be seen (by some, not me) as too neat and hokey for the dark mood that came before. I feel that this short sharp burst of "light" at the end instead gives the film balance, whilst maintaining an ethereal quality.

When I subsequently saw the Matrix, all I could think about during it was "they ripped off Dark City". Subsequent viewings show them both to be very different films, however, they simply have a similar theme of self-discovery.

The DVD of Dark City opened my eyes to Metropolis, which made me realise how much of not only Dark City but also most of modern sci-fi owes to Fritz Lang's vision of film.
The DVD also features an amazing audio commentary by Roger Ebert, which does at times feel like a worship session for Alex Proyas, but revealed even more hidden depths of the film to me. I've only managed to get through the commentary once, though not for the lack of trying - 3 or 4 previous attempts ended with me switching to the main audio after less than 30 minutes, as this film is so compelling to watch properly.

[airjosh]

I too think that this often-overlooked film is brilliant. I knew going in that I would love the film, I could feel it, but I did not have any idea what I would encounter. It was quite different then I expected, but better.

Even though the film pays homage to all things gothic and noir, it still stands on it's own in a way that doesn't feel copied from somewhere else. Lang's films like Metropolis (the obvious) and M are certainly represented, as is Gilliam and Brazil. Crime noirs of the 40's are also an influence here as well as author Clive Barker. In the hands of a lesser director, this movie could have drowned in it's own gushing adoration of the genres it covers, but instead it shines in it's own corner of science fiction.

The smokey crime noir feel of Bumstead and his accordian, the sexy and sultry nightclub singer, Emma blend seamlessly with the gothic strangers that are searching for what makes us human. The palette of the film is surprisingly detailed considering how muted and dark the film is.

Parallels have been made also with Les Miserables and the life of Jesus Christ. The room where Murdoch wakes up is 614, and John 6:14 speaks of the coming of the savior. Also, a man's sacrifice to free his people ultimately takes him home.

At first I thought I would be distracted by Sutherland's performance, clearly emulating Lorre, but in the end I enjoyed his character very much.

It is interesting that people draw parallels with The Matrix, as I don't see too many similarities other then the obvious. People take any dark sci-fi film and compare to Blade Runner as well (including Matrix). Thematically, they may have strings of similarity, but I think the films stand on their own. Interestingly, some of the rooftops created for Dark City were used in The Matrix.

At any rate, I could talk about this film all night, but I don't want to ramble.

SLEEP NOW...

[Soggy Bagel's Revenge!]

For me, the #1 thing in a film that decides just how much I love it is the atmosphere that the film is able cast. "Dark City" had such a unique atmosphere that I will forever remember it, even if I can't remember what the movie was about. Oh, and I can't. I haven't seen this for forever, and honestly don't remember anything about the plot -- it's the images that stick in my brain. The dark, dramatic lighting and murky color scheme was just stunning. Costume design, art direction, and cinematography all work together flawlessly to create some of the most haunting and perversely beautiful images in any film EVER. What I find interesting is that the actors, as well, seem to fit perfectly with the atmosphere. I have a feeling that Jennifer Connely was cast primarily not for her acting ability (don't get me worng, though - she's a talented actress), but because her facial structure created the perfect atmospheric effect for the film.

Arigato,
Brook

This is a wonderful movie. I wasn't expecting anything, and I got a ton. My only qualm: Where did the people come from? Did the guys just swoop down upon a hapless city and take them all? Will they every get home? Do they really care? And does everyone get their correct memories back? So many questions, this is probably the only bad thing about the movie. It reminds me of a few short stories I've read where it starts kinda in the middle, instead of the beginning, and never gets to the end before the writer stops writing. Kinda like watching "The Empire Strikes Back" and that's it.

[airjosh]

Originally posted by bune duggy
This is a wonderful movie. I wasn't expecting anything, and I got a ton. My only qualm: Where did the people come from? Did the guys just swoop down upon a hapless city and take them all? Will they every get home? Do they really care? And does everyone get their correct memories back? So many questions, this is probably the only bad thing about the movie. It reminds me of a few short stories I've read where it starts kinda in the middle, instead of the beginning, and never gets to the end before the writer stops writing. Kinda like watching "The Empire Strikes Back" and that's it.

The unanswered questions is one of my favorite aspects of the film. I think it would have been a much different (and bad) film had they tried to fill in the past and the future.

[Miggy]

bune,

There's no clear answers to any of your questions, just your interpretation, which is a good thing. I would say, though, that none of the people are going to get their real memories and identities back because all of that was destroyed. Unless John later on figures out a way to reconstruct it. I would doubt it, though, and it doesn't matter because all the people are still essentially the same even if their memories are different. Must suck for the people who happened to be switched to living in the gutters at the end

I have said before and will say again that I think the trailer for this movie is one of the best ever. I saw the trailer at the theatre (don't remember what movie I was watching) and I knew then I would buy the DVD. Even if the movie wasn't that great, I wanted the trailer on DVD. Luckily, the movie was just as good!

Miggy, the Thief

[airjosh]

Miggy, you are right, the trailer for this film was incredible. The music and timing were awesome. I love the soundtrack/score to this film.