March movie: Dark City

[Foxbat]

Please put your thoughts, musings and theories here on this month's movie

[weaveworld]

I saw 'Dark City' the first time when it came out on DVD, I rented it from the local dvd/video shop, well I really enjoyed it. The way it was filmed especially, I loved the way it looked and I also loved the whole story of the strangers controlling everyone's lives, making it worse or better, whatever they deemed suitable. Then you have the main character John Murdoch played by Rufus Sewell who could do what the strangers did.

Have to say though my favorite character was Dr. Daniel Schreber played by Keifer Sutherland.

I know this isn't most interesting discussion on a movie but I love Dark City and I recently bought it on dvd as well, and watch it as often as I can

[Foxbat]

I'm going to re-watch this one over the weekend but here's my thoughts for now. I really like this movie. I find the merging of something akin to film noir and a bit of conspiratorial sci-fi makes for a good cinematic experience. William Hurt plays his usual type character (he of the tortured soul) and Rufus Sewell puts across a fine display also. The persistent night and the idea that our destiny is way beyond our control seems to strike a chord within and it makes me wonder why. Perhaps an analogue that some of us feel about the direction our own world is taking?

I've always felt that this film suffered a bit and was viewed almost like the runt of the litter when compared to The Matrix but, in many ways, this is the better movie (in my opinion at least). Don't get me wrong, I love The Matrix...I just feel there's something deeper in Dark City that appeals to me.

[Winters_Sorrow]

I thought the film asked some very interesting questions about what defines 'us' as individuals. Do the memories make us who we are or is it something grander?
Can you take away someone's memories from them (essentially regressing them to infancy) and mould the result?
There were lots of visual metaphors in the film - the opening bathroom scene of John Murdock in the bath is (to me anyway) an analogy of birth. Here is a blank slate of a human being, in a literal sense, everything which defined him was stripped away and he had to rediscover and re-evaluate who he really was from the sparse clues left to him.

I'm probably making this movie sound much more intelligent that it actually was!

It was visually very noir with some good touches so that you're never really sure when it is suppose to be set - automats & cars say 50s but a few other architectural touches say 30s.
As Foxbat said, this film suffered when the Matrix came out as that was "popcorn-psychology" which asks questions not to elighten, but to mislead.

To me, Dark City was a great, thought-provoking sci-fi noir with great visuals and, to me at least, a great ending which I didn't see coming at all (but this is from the man who never realised Bruce Willis was dead in Sixth Sense! )

[weaveworld]

I didn't realise either that Bruce Willis was dead in 'The Sixth Sense', man did I look a right fool

[Culhwch]

I love Dark City. I saw it when it first came out in the cinemas, drawn by the director more than anything else. Alex Proyas had done The Crow, which I loved, so I was drawn to this film. Plus I love anything dark and moody. I have to agree with Foxbat, for me this is a far superior film to The Matrix, which has never really drawn me into a repeat viewing. Dark City, on the other hand, I've seen a dozen times. I really must buy the DVD and watch it again. The only downside is the cringe worthy Aussie cameos (colin Friels in particular). On the up side, I've always wanted to be able to do the whole 'Sleep' thing.

[the_faery_queen]

dark city is goregous. i think its lovely to look at, kefier sutherland and richard o brian rock (well they always do) and its nice to see refus sewell NOT being a bad guy! i think its totally underrated.

[Foxbat]

I never really thought about the bathroom scene being analogous to birth but, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense

The point about the memories is a good one but I'd like to add also - does removing somebody's memories of an event absolve them of responsibility for their actions (as in the case of Sewell's character)?

[Winters_Sorrow]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

The point about the memories is a good one but I'd like to add also - does removing somebody's memories of an event absolve them of responsibility for their actions (as in the case of Sewell's character)?

Are you referring to the murders committed?
I don't know, I maybe delude myself, but I liked to think that the Strangers did that as well - merely more 'set-dressing' as it were, for his character to believe it. After all, Keifer Sutherland was suppose to inject the memories of a murderer into him wasn't he?
Maybe I got the wrong end of the stick, but I didn't think Rufus Sewell killed that girl (what he did 10-15 memories ago is another matter of course...).

Which brings me to another question. If they switch memories every so often, do they keep the 'new' memories brought to that psyche by that incarnation of it? I would doubt it. So ultimately, who's memories were they?

Love these questions with no easy answers

[Foxbat]

Yes, I'm thinking of the murders...but I'm also thinking of the theme in the context of us here in reality.

There have been many uses of the voices in my head/can't remember/diminished responsibility when crimes have been committed. I wonder about the seperation of the physical act and the mental intent to harm .....and where does the memory and the psyche seperate (if it does)...and if it does, how does Rufus Sewell remain the character that he is?..if that makes any sense.

I think I'm starting to lose myself

[ravenus]

Yea, the bathtub scene was meant a sort of birthing sequence - it's something that is mentioned in the DVD commentary.

With respect to the murder, I don't think Murdoch committed the crime, or he wouldn't be in the position he was at the opening scene. He was placed at the scene of the crime in an unconscious state.

One of the things that I loved about this movie was that the so-called bad guys had a very interesting and, within the confines of the film, logical and scientific motive for what they were doing and they can't be just considered evil people, because they were only looking for a way to protect their own kind from extinction. That is analogos to the many things we as humans fo against the natural order to propagate and perpetuate our race and our individual selves.

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by Culhwch

I love Dark City. I saw it when it first came out in the cinemas, drawn by the director more than anything else. Alex Proyas had done The Crow, which I loved, so I was drawn to this film. Plus I love anything dark and moody.

Well as rare an occasion as this is I find myself agreeing with Cullwch's comments 110%....

The Crow is probably my favourite movie having watched it at least a dozen times and I now owe it on video plus have seen Dark City probably half a dozen or so times having originally watched it in the cinemas way back when...

I just love anything in film that reeks of Gothic or at least my interpretation of it.

[ravenus]

The Crow is what I consider a most overrated sort of movie. I don't know if it's viewed differently by comic-book fans whose main expectation of a film adaptation is the "faithfulness to the source material" aspect, but I thought it was a pretty much standard order revenge drama. Good production design and some nicely shot bits but really not something that I'd give much thought over. I was pleasantly surprised to find Dark City having a script of inifintely greater interest.

[Winters_Sorrow]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Yes, I'm thinking of the murders...but I'm also thinking of the theme in the context of us here in reality.

There have been many uses of the voices in my head/can't remember/diminished responsibility when crimes have been committed. I wonder about the seperation of the physical act and the mental intent to harm .....and where does the memory and the psyche seperate (if it does)...and if it does, how does Rufus Sewell remain the character that he is?..if that makes any sense.

Well I guess the whole film is about 2 opposing ideologies in my opinion.
One the one hand we have the Strangers who are trying to find the secret of "humanity" and are exploring it through rational, scientific method using chemical and behavioural stimuli and then there's the John Murdock character who is a more 'spiritual' journey to discover himself. He has clues about who he should be, but doesn't feel it himself. As he has no memory or past experience to draw upon, he lets his emotions and feelings guide him in situations.

A great scene in the movie is where he is in the room with the prostitute. He knows, from clues he's seen and given, that he is supposed to be the serial prostitute killer that the police are looking for, but he doesn't feel that is who he is.
He effectively creates his own character from his inner sense of soul (for want of a better word) and the Strangers cannot comprehend his motives and this eventually leads to Mr Hand absorbing the memories of who John Murdock should be - again, compounding their error. He isn't their John Murdock, he's his own creation.

I still have no idea how he learned the Stranger's ability to "Tune", though

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by ravenus

The Crow is what I consider a most overrated sort of movie. I don't know if it's viewed differently by comic-book fans whose main expectation of a film adaptation is the "faithfulness to the source material" aspect, but I thought it was a pretty much standard order revenge drama. Good production design and some nicely shot bits but really not something that I'd give much thought over. I was pleasantly surprised to find Dark City having a script of inifintely greater interest.

Well I agree that as far as storyline and content goes Dark City is superior to The Crow but I think I personally was very much taken with the visual look of the film and really enjoyed the revenge aspect of the movie but maybe I'm just sadistic...

The fact it was one of the first darker style comic book adaptations I saw probably means it left a great impression upon me at the time that has lasted to this day. On an introspective note, call me old fashioned but there is probably a nostalgic aspect to my bias.