As Schmidt and Cosmatos shared an appreciation for German electronic band Tangerine Dream, the music of John Carpenter and Giorgio Moroder’s score for American Gigolo, they decided the Black Rainbow score should emulate the sounds of these particular composers. The retro-style analog synth score (composed and performed by Jeremy Schmidt – a member of Canadian psychedelic rock band Black Mountain) – is unsettling to say the least. With the film taking place in 1983, the cinematography by Norm Li employs old-school 35mm celluloid (rather than HD digital) – which gives the image the suitably grainy appearance of a film from that period. And there are many startlingly surreal moments here – the reveal of the child-like face of the robotic ‘sentionaut’ the melting heads in Nyle’s acid flashback the room containing limbless mutants and finally Nyle revealing his true self – a nod to The Man Who Fell To Earth perhaps? The Kubrickian minimalism of the production design incorporating the austerity of George Lucas’ THX 1138 and the gaudy oversaturated color of Dario Argento’s Suspiria creates a look and feel which is entirely unique and unforgettable. Barry Nyle, while newcomer Eva Allan plays Elena and does well with a performance which is virtually mute for much of the time – although it would have been nice to see her have more to work with as far as fleshing out her character is concerned. Produced in Canada on a budget of just over $1 million, Cosmatos used residual earnings from the DVD sales of his late father’s movie Tombstone in order to fund the production of Black Rainbow.Ĭanadian actor Michael Rogers (who bears more than a passing resemblance to Christian Bale) plays the sinister Dr. It is a trippy mash-up of early Cronenberg (particularly the explosive drug-induced telekinesis of Scanners and the clandestine medical clinics of Crimes Of The Future, Rabid and The Brood) – incorporating Lynchian soundscapes with a large dollop of Altered States’ perceptions of enlightenment through the use of hallucinogenic drugs scenario. It has been called ‘The cinematic equivalent of LSD’ and for good reason. In fact, I can definitely see how this could easily be the most turned-off and walked-out-of movie I have written about since launching this blog.īeyond The Black Rainbow is the debut feature by Panos Cosmatos (son of the late George Pan Cosmatos – director of Rambo: First Blood Part II, Cobra, Leviathan and Of Unknown Origin). For it is very much a mood piece owing more to the seminal works of David Lynch ( Eraserhead) and Darren Aronofsky ( Pi) – than a more commonplace film which may rely on the dynamics of narrative to hold the viewer’s attention. And perhaps this is the film’s major difficulty – it is more a film to be admired – than actually loved. But for those unfazed by unconventional cinema, there is much to admire here. To the average filmgoer it will undoubtedly seem slow-moving, pretentious and possibly dull. Elena seizes her chance to make her escape.įrom the outset I have to say – this is not a film for everyone. Running time: 110 mins.Įlena, an orphaned young girl with the ability to kill with her mind is drugged and held captive in an underground research facility by a psychopathic doctor who may or may not be human. Starring: Michael Rogers, Scott Hylands, Marilyn Norry, Rondel Reynoldson and introducing Eva Allan.
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