The history of cinema is teeming with stories of wild and wonderful films which never quite made it to the finish line. Films such as Stanley Kubrick’s Napoleon, David Lynch’s Return of the Jedi, and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Dune, are famously unproduced masterpieces; masterpieces simply because they can only ever exist in imagination…until now.
Combining live performances of music alongside ambitious visual projections, The Unfilmables is a response to the greatest films never made; it will be a commissioning of musicians and sound artists to create a soundtrack for a film which doesn’t exist. The concept will see Wrangler (Cabaret Voltaire’s Stephen Mallinder, Benge and Phil Winter from Tunng), and Academy Award nominee, Mica Levi (Under the Skin OST, Jackie OST, Micachu & The Shapes), in collaboration with her sister and video artist Francesca, tap into this tantalising, imagination-firing quality of these ‘what if?’ scenarios to create highly original, artful, and fantastic musical and visual impressions of some of the greatest films which were never made. Have a read through the two featured audiovisual scores below, then get yourself to your local performance in Manchester, London or The Brighton Festival, of this not to be missed event, coming May 2017.
The Tourist
As imagined by Wrangler. Visuals by Chris Turner and Dan Conway.
Wrangler Kolaz
Regarded by many as one of the greatest sci-fi scripts never made, The Tourist tells the story of a sex-charged alien underworld in the heart of Manhattan. Having attracted attention from luminaries of the film world including visionary director Francis Ford Coppola, and Quadrophenia’s Franc Roddam, the film ultimately fell into production limbo.
Centred around Stephen Mallinder’s position as one of the world’s foremost electronic music pioneers, through his work with Cabaret Voltaire and featuring Phil Winter of Tunng, and acclaimed electronic producer Benge; Wrangler will provide a live soundtrack to the dark script with visuals from Chris Turner and Dan Conway.
Stephen Mallinder of Wrangler said: “The idea of ‘imagining’ a film that has never actually been made, is fascinating if a bit daunting. It was always going to be a sci-fi film I think, as it lent itself to our live ‘electronic’ sound. It’s not an attempt to make the film, but rather abstract the ideas behind it – to reduce the original design and story to a series of visual and sonic cyphers – an alien lost amongst us. I loved the very sultry and eerie feel of Clair Noto’s story, but we’ve switched from a sweltering Manhattan in the 80s, to dark dystopian London (understandably). What happens is a live visual mix, with an improvised electronic soundtrack, to compliment what is happening on screen. I thought the Tourist’s intent to spotlight “corruption, humanity and xenophobia, of human vs. alien struggling to co-exist on Earth”, seemed very pertinent right now.”
Mica & Francesca Levi
The Colour of Chips
As imagined by sisters Francesca and Mica Levi.
Based on the brilliant Armenian film-maker, Sergei Parajanov’s most famous work, The Colour Of Pomegranates – Oscar nominated composer and Micachu & The Shapes bandleader, Mica Levi, and her sister Francesca Levi’s, The Colour Of Chips, reinterprets the obscure gem as a lost British classic set in the North of England.
Francesca Levi said: “We felt that British life being depicted in such a way, has not yet existed. I was thinking of utilising the everyday rituals of modern urban life in the UK, and using the tableaux technique deployed by Parajanov. I am always interested in the extraordinary in the ordinary.”
Commissioned by Live Cinema UK in partnership with CineCity Brighton and HOME Manchester, the project is supported by This Way Up Exhibition Innovation Fund, a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, and Arts Council England.
The Unfilmables has been developed by creative producer Colm McAuliffe in partnership with Lisa Brook, Director of Live Cinema UK and Tim Brown of CineCity Brighton.
Tickets £10-20
Manchester – HOME, Saturday 6th May 2017
Tickets on sale now from www.homemcr.org
Brighton – Duke of York’s Picturehouse, Sunday 14th May 2017
Tickets on sale now from www.brightonfestival.org / www.picturehouses.com/cinema/Duke_Of_Yorks
London – BFI Southbank, Friday 9th June 2017
Tickets on sale now to BFI Champions 3pm / BFI Members 4pm
Public booking on sale now from https://whatson.bfi.org.uk
