Now, where was I?

30 Day Movie Challenge: Day 11 - A Movie Trailer

(If you can’t see the embedded trailer for any reason, click here to view it.)

This is one of my favorite movie trailers of all time. “Dark City” was the first feature film that Alex Proyas directed after completing work on “The Crow.” This was significant because of the tragic death of actor Brandon Lee on the set of the earlier movie. Proyas halted production after the accident for nearly a year and eventually decided to complete it. “The Crow” ended up doing well at the box office when it was finally released.

Flash forward four years. New Line Cinema (one of the most important studios of the late 1990s) releases “Dark City”, which was almost completely the product of Proyas’ unique and twisted imagination. But credit should also be given to Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer for their contributions to the script. According to Proyas, the story and look of “Dark City” were inspired by things as varied as his childhood nightmares, The Twilight Zone, Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis”, film noir, and even “Akira.”

A few random things about the movie. The rooftop sets were used the following year for “The Matrix” (when Trinity flees from the agents in the intro). Roger Ebert called it the best movie of 1998 and recorded an audio commentary track for the DVD. It has an average shot length of 1.8 seconds (which is extremely short) while never feeling rushed. The production design is absolutely stunning. Christopher Nolan credits the movie as one of a few that he thought about as he was creating “Inception.” The opening scene pays homage to “Citizen Kane.” William Hurt plays a lonely, accordion-playing detective who almost seems plucked right out of a Humphrey Bogart movie. Oh, and Jennifer Connelly is in it. These are just some of the many thoughts that pop into my head when I think about “Dark City.”

But it all started back in 1997 when I saw this trailer. It made me very curious about the movie. It teased me with many brilliant images that were completely without context, which was a good thing because it was done well, showcased the amazing cinematography and set design, and it didn’t give away the entire story. And it made me realize that movie trailers could actually be works of art.

(Source: imdb.com)