Tales of Mystery and Imagination
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Tales of Mystery and Imagination is a feature length film by New Zealand director Geoff Murphy (Goodbye Pork Pie, Utu, The Quiet Earth). It features the music from the stage show "The Night's Plutonian Shore" composed by Lucien Johnson, performed by the Village of the Idiots, and inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Rather than being a straight concert film, Murphy has made his own interpretations of the music, using effects and animations, adding visual depth and metaphor to the sonic world. The film is interlaced with interviews with band members and one with Murphy himself, in which he draws parallels with the project and his formative years when he performed with the music theatre group Blerta. The film highlights the extraordinary talents of Chris Palmer, who was the vocalist and narrator in the Village of the Idiots, and his interviews give a glimpse of the untamed and unpredictable genius of this bizarre anti-hero. Tales of Mystery and Imagination premiered at the NZ International Film Festival in July 2009. The link below is to a trailer for the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsPfZSuGhus The following link is to Howard Taylor Productions, where the DVD can be purchased: http://www.htproductions.co.nz/ Press and comments for Tales of Mystery and Imagination: "Musically,
it's an amazing trip, referencing so many styles that it's like running
the gamut of the dial on your radio except that every unexpected change
of station is a suavely swaying progression. Murphy filmed a concert
of the work on the stage at Waimarama and then spent a year creating
a CGI world of weird funereal splendour to elaborate on the band's
dramatic enactments of scenes from the Poe texts. The briefest clip
of Bruno Lawrence on drums is right at home: this carnival of the
souls is as invigorating as any of the Blerta escapades that kicked
a film industry into life here 30+ years ago." "Only Lucien could conjure up this genius hip hysteria. This is music from the dark shadows. Melody and rhythm shudder, the notes themselves are terrified by the pandemonium coming out of his diabolical ensemble. Our macabre ringmaster leads us on an offbeat odyssey into a musical maelstrom. Be warned, there's nothing safe about this journey. These are the haunting, menacing strains of the soundtrack to the last night of your life." - John Psathas, composer
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