The title for Lg White’s The Dark Fantastic concert-doc on the work of renowned film composer Simon Boswell comes from one of the genius’s own compositions called “Tripping the Dark Fantastic”, which, much like this film, also deals with the life and career of Boswell. A man who, from his own mouth, calls his concert “Revenge of the Film Composer” as he attempts to showcase the brilliant and essential nature of his contribution to the indelible images created by a collection of truly uncompromising and celebrated cinematic artists. For, like any good composer will tell you, when they’ve done their job right, you should be able to see the music and hear the images.
So, we go through a fascinating tour of insights into Boswell and his craft, along with snippets from those men who made movies to which he gave an orchestral soul. From masters like Dario Argento, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Richard Stanley, we learn about the craft and collaborations interspersed with darkly delicious and electrifying performances of suites from films in Boswell’s cannon like an unplugged rendition of the ‘maggots’ theme from Argento’s Phenomena, a stirring Morricone-inspired set from Stanley’s Dust Devil, and the artistically-eccentric opera of Santa Sangre by the irrepressible Jodorowsky, and of which Boswell refers to as the only film he has worked on which he regards as a genuine work of art.
“Some images are completely inseparable from Boswell’s compositions…”
Throughout, White shows Boswell to be at once charismatic and compelling as he not only talks the talk, but walks the walk for the injection of musical depth to the motion pictures, he has been an integral part of. Some images are completely inseparable from Boswell’s compositions, and it was glorious to see the variety of filmmakers and actors who came back for this shadowy master of the music of the night. Featuring appearances from Iggy Pop, Ewan McGregor along with Clive Barker, Lamberto Bava, combined with directors previously mentioned, The Dark Fantastic is exploration coupled with an appreciation of the power of film music.
If you are not a fan of horror, you may not be aware of Boswell’s status, but this shouldn’t stop lapping up this sumptuous symphonic feast for the eyes and the ears. Even as he delivers the classics, as we have been accustomed to seeing in concerts of John Carpenter and Hans Zimmer, what I enjoyed here, and as I mentioned in the intro, there a couple of original compositions shared by Boswell, that are not from films, but yet are inspired by and result from having worked for the directors with whom he frequently collaborates.
The sounds range from hypnotic to sweeping to electro-pulse-pounding. If you’re a cinephile or a film score aficionado, The Dark Fantastic, you’ll find it to be exactly that. A dark and deep dive, a flight of fantastic images and sounds that will at once render you curious, have you no knowledge of the films, for the familiar, this film shall give you an increased appreciation for the undeniable talent and imprint of Simon Boswell on the cinema macabre, art-house, and everything in between. Bravo, Maestro!
