I've been thinking. (Shut up!)
Yesterday evening while looking for a bit of inspiration, I stopped by one of my favorite non-movie blogs Cover Me: a site dedicated to the art of the cover song. Last night I got a smile as I listened to an evocative arrangement of one of my least favorite Springsteen songs.
This got me curious - what if there was such thing as cinematic cover songs?
Now I understand that what I'm suggesting sounds a lot like the remake phenomenon we have to endure...or worse, Gus Van Sant's PSYCHO. But follow me on this for a moment. It's entirely possible that if you handed a lauded project over to another director, you'd get something like this. But is it possible that that second director could come back with something else?
On a recent /Filmcast, SPLICE director Vincenzo Natali spoke about a film school exercise where a dozen directors were all given the same script and they came back with six very different takes on it. You hear it all the time: "I envisioned that differently". So what's to stop...let's say Natali...from taking a crack at something left a little wanting. Like SALT?
On the one hand, perhaps a fresh perspective could correct some of the things that went wrong. Give someone a mulligan and they could rearrange some chords, pick up the tempo, and create a catchy ditty. Then again, they might come back with something even worse. On top of that, i suppose it's unlikely that any sort of audience would fork out to see the same story a second time. The toughest part of all would be for the director ignoring what's already been done (which, while I love it, is what holds back LET ME IN).
Still, on some sort of an experimental level, I'd love to see this...even just a scene or two. How would that kiss in the rain in THE NOTEBOOK go if it was directed by Lars von Trier? Or how's about Baz Luhrman taking a hack at EDWARD SCISSORHANDS?
Who knows, you could end up with something classic.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
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13 comments:
This is akin to something I've been thinking about with stage plays. I've seen THE WOMAN IN BLACK three different times, in three different theatres, by three different casts, directed by three different directors. Each time, although I knew the story well, it still chilled me to the bone. But each time I saw it, it was staged a little differently than the last. The directors chose to block it this way, or the actors chose to act it that way, or the prop department went minimalist to suit the surreal nature of the play versus the other production with more real props.
Similarly, think back to the times you and I have walked about with our cameras and pointed them at the same thing but seen it in a completely different way. Objects (scripts, songs, architecture) are subjective to artists, and the resulting art is subjective to it's audience.
The drawback with film is that with so much money riding on the production end, to make a cover film you'd have to be certain it would succeed, yet not be a remake. 'Cause yeah, who wants to pay to see a cover that may or may not be as good, when you can go home and pop in the DVD?
Cover films could be great, but when the people with the money (i.e. studios) don't see a point to doing it again, then they won't happen.
And I think I just reiterated your whole post in my comment. Coffee has yet to kick in...
I know I am a nag but I listened on the brilliant podcast with Lady Hatter. I am sorry dude she needs a column on Dark of the Matinee! Thats a fact...
Hmm... Perhaps I needed a sexier title as this one didn't seem to get many people's attention today...
@ Cheshire... They would cost a lot of loot, but then again you touched on something interesting in your comment. Look at how many Broadway revivals get made in a year, and those aren't cheap! Sometimes, in the case of shows like CHICAGO they become the definitive version.
@ Joel... I mentioned your fandom to her, but unfortunately she only listens to about 2/3 of what I say.
Well its like this. You guys have great chemistry and she is always interesting even if it only means shouting something from the room next door.
I actually thought about these reel geezers clips when listening in on that first brilliant matinee cast of yours.
http://www.joelburman.com/2010/11/reel-geezers/
I actually read the post this time. You are right, that picture with the word coversong scared me away the first time.
Its a great idea that is actually taught on several film schools. On a scandinavian film school seminar I attended in Gothenburg 2007 the Danish school from Copenhagen had a practical task that was built up entirely like this.
It was really interesting to see the result but I was skeptical when hearing the approach without having seen any action at first.
There was actually an exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens (in 2004, at least) where you could kinda do this. You could set different movie scenes to different types of music to totally alter the mood and meaning. Very cool.
Also, "Dancing In The Dark" is one of your least favorite Springsteen songs? Is it just because of the synth? I've always loved that song, the lyrics, the neediness of his voice.
@ Joel... I asked her again - she likes the idea but doesn't see herself actually sitting down to write with any sort of regularity.
PS - Pretty sure you're my first Swedish reader...or at least my first regular Swedish reader.
@ Nicholas... I've seen that before. One of my favorites was when you set the opening of THE SHINING to "On the Road Again".
And yes, it is the synth arrangement that makes me dislike "Dark". I imagine if Bruce sang it the way that woman sang it, I'd love it...and my love of his stripped down "Born in the USA" is proof of that.
I am honored to be the 1st reacurring Swede in here. I actually added you on my blogroll because your domain is not that easy to remember and I am to lazy to google.
Let me know if you need suggestions for Swedish films that aren't to famous.
The way I see it there are two types of cover song; a tribute to great song, the second is a cynical attempt to make as much money as possible. On the idea of “cover movies” do you think studios fall into the tribute or money making camp?
On the Springsteen subject, Born in the USA was the album that got me listening to him way back in the 80s when I was a kid but as I look back now it is far from my favourite of his work. I just purchased The Promise this week and am really loving it.
Other choices of movies to give this treatment:
Rocky
Saturday Night Fever
Better Off Dead
Real Genius
E.T.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Superman
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Romancing the Stone
Wall Street
Tombstone
The Big Chill
Some ideas...
The Godfather directed by Sergio Leone (almost actually happened, but Leone declined as he had another mob movie in mind, Once Upon a Time in America)
Batman and Robin directed by David Fincher instead of Joel Schumacher
Superman directed by Fritz Lang (let's put the Metropolis back in Metropolis)
Raiders of the Lost Ark directed by Ridley Scott
@ Joel... I could count the number of Swedish films I've seen on one hand, so if you wanna email me a list of Swedish cinema essentials, please do!
@ Fandango... USA was the first one I lustened to way back when, but as the years went on, my Bruce appreciation started leaning to the rest of his catalogue - specifically 'Born to Run', 'Nebraska' and more recently 'Magic'
@ Perplexio... I would hand over good money to see *any* of those cover films. Great ideas!!
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