Greatest Films & Their Album Equivalents
Submitted by AfterHours on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 03:01
Tags:
- 9.5/10
- Metropolis-Lang (1926) = Black Saint & The Sinner Lady-Charles Mingus (1963) or Trout Mask Replica-Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band (1969)
- Nostalghia-Tarkovsky (1983) = Rock Bottom-Robert Wyatt (1974) or A Love Supreme-John Coltrane (1964)
- Citizen Kane-Welles (1941) = Faust-Faust (1971) or Unit Structures-Cecil Taylor (1966)
- 9/10
- Touch of Evil-Welles (1958) = The Velvet Underground & Nico-The Velvet Underground (1967) or Saxophone Improvisations, Series F-Anthony Braxton (1972)
- North By Northwest-Hitchcock (1959) = The Doors-The Doors (1967) or Ascension-John Coltrane (1965)
- Brazil-Gilliam (1985) = The Modern Dance-Pere Ubu (1978)
- Nashville-Altman (1975) = Escalator Over The Hill-Carla Bley (1971) or Twin Infinitives-Royal Trux (1990)
- The Kingdom-Von Trier (1994) = Seeds, Visions & Counterpoint-Ivo Perelman (1996) or Diamanda Galas-Diamanda Galas (1984)
- The Mirror-Tarkovsky (1974) = Hosianna Mantra-Popol Vuh (1973)
- Persona-Bergman (1966) = Lorca-Tim Buckley (1970) or Improvisie-Paul Bley (1970)
- Underground-Kusturica (1995) = Parable of Arable Land-Red Crayola (1967) or Jazz Composer's Orchestra-Michael Mantler (1968)
- The Wild Bunch-Peckinpah (1969) = Fare Forward Voyagers-John Fahey (1973) or Streams-Sam Rivers (1973)
- Possession-Zulawski (1981) = Dolmen Music-Meredith Monk (1981) or For Alto-Anthony Braxton (1968)
- The Traveling Players-Angelopoulos (1975) = Desertshore-Nico (1971) or Spiritual Unity-Albert Ayler (1964)
- 2001: A Space Odyssey-Kubrick (1968) = Irrlicht-Klaus Schulze (1972) or Atlantis-Sun Ra (1967)
- Chinatown-Polanski (1974) = A Rainbow In Curved Air-Terry Riley (1968) or The Survivor's Suite-Keith Jarrett (1976)
- Landscape in the Mist-Angelopoulos (1988) = Afternoon of a Georgia Faun-Marion Brown (1970)
- Inland Empire-Lynch (2006) = Geek the Girl-Lisa Germano (1994)
- The Godfather, Part 2-Coppola (1974) = Bitches Brew-Miles Davis (1969) or Blonde On Blonde-Bob Dylan (1966)
- Natural Born Killers-Stone (1994) = Nail-Foetus (1985)
- Blow Up-Antonioni (1966) = Neu!-Neu! (1972)
- The Shining-Kubrick (1980) = Suicide-Suicide (1977)
- Ikiru-Kurosawa (1952) = Astral Weeks-Van Morrison (1968) or Art & Aviation-Jane Ira Bloom (1992)
- The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover-Greenaway (1989) = Y-Pop Group (1979) or Crystals-Sam Rivers (1974)
- M-Lang (1931) = Lullaby Land-Vampire Rodents (1993) or Cobra-John Zorn (1987)
- 8 1/2-Fellini (1963) = Not Available-Residents (1974) or Lady of the Mirrors-Anthony Davis (1980)
- Apocalypse Now-Coppola (1979) = Well Oiled-Hash Jar Tempo (1997) or Even the Sounds Shine-Myra Melford (1995)
- The Magnificent Ambersons-Welles (1942) = Third-Soft Machine (1970) or Epitaph-Charles Mingus (1962)
- Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte-Aldrich (1965) = Slow, Deep & Hard-Type O Negative (1991) Free Jazz-Ornette Coleman (1960)
- Zardoz-Boorman (1972) = Uncle Meat-Frank Zappa (1969) or Cantos I-IV-Franz Koglmann (1996)
- The Battleship Potemkin-Eisenstein (1925) = Yerself Is Steam-Mercury Rev (1991)
- Blue Velvet-Lynch (1986) = White Light/White Heat-The Velvet Underground (1967)
- Aliens-Cameron (1986) = Zen Arcade-Husker Du (1984)
- Pi-Aronofsky (1998) = Spiderland-Slint (1991) or The Magic City-Sun Ra (1965)
- Come & See-Klimov (1985) = Karma-Pharoah Sanders (1969)
Author Comments:
I'm trying to find films that equate to my favorite albums, so as to produce a list that is as significant (to me).
The general requirements are as follows:
1. The film should be virtually equal to the level of greatness as the album.
2. The film should express similar emotional content.
3. The film should express similar themes and employ a similar structure.
4. Less importantly, the film would be similarly inventive or important in historical context as its music counterpart.
Suggestions are very welcome.
I'm partway through Parable of Arable Land right now, and while I can see Underground as a solid choice, Kusturica's craft is a bit too obviously aestheticized. The only film that springs to mind as an analog, for me, is Takashi Miike's Visitor Q. Alienating, strange, craft sloppy on first glance yet done with enough panache to indicate it's done as an aesthetic choice, gains power through simplicity and repetition, extremity covering for quivering graceful heart. Primitive, scabrous, hard to swallow yet beautiful.
BTW, what the hell. Where has this album been all my life. Where.
Thanks for the recommendation. Feel free to bring more! Never seen Visitor Q so you've definitely intrigued me. As it is, I think Underground is a great fit, with the only other film that I've seen that would also work being Metropolis. The reason being is how crowded and raucous and nonsensical Underground constantly is. It clearly shares similar emotions as Parable. Not to mention the magic realism of Underground seems to be visually commensurate to what Parable would probably look like. Underground's kineticism from scene to scene and in it's choreography and visual style aren't too far off from a Jackson Pollack painting.
Don't see Visitor Q, take it from me, it isn't great. Sure, it's weird, but not that enjoyable.
But great list. Irrlicht fits 2001 like a glove.
I'll probably end up seeing it anyway. I always prefer to look for myself as I often find I don't agree too much with others on art.
Yes, Irrlicht and 2001 are a great match. The closest ones are probably:
Metropolis = Modern Dance
Persona = Lorca
2001 = Irrlicht
Rosemary's Baby = Geek the Girl
Stalker = Neu
The Wild Bunch = The Doors (though I choose Touch of Evil due to it matching The Doors overall greatness more closely)
Taxi Driver = Suicide (thematically perhaps the closest out of all, though Suicide is vastly superior in execution)
and another, unlisted one that is extremely close is...
Lost Highway = Good by Morphine (both of which may be on here in the near future)
The only thing that's coming to mind right now (and it's not perfect) is I Know Where I'm Going! (Powell, 1945) and Kate Bush's Hounds of Love. But IKWIG is a bit light and fluffy (but still great) compared to that album. Maybe IKWIG for side 1 and Black Narcissus (Powell, 1947) for side 2?
I dunno, I'm no good at this kind of thing. Maybe someone more knowledgeable about Powell/Pressburger and/or Bush could chime in.
Interesting... it's been at least 5 years since I heard Hounds of Love so the comparison is a bit difficult for me to make.
I always find a comparison between Escalator Over The Hill & Citizen Kane.
I don't disagree. Citizen Kane, due to it's unique structure (for film), tends to fit many of the greatest albums. I often think the closest to Kane (believe it or not) may be Faust.
The only reason I choose VU & Nico (not necessarily a permanent choice) in this case is due to the equality in importance, influence and greatness for their respective arts. Thematically, there's nary a thing that agrees between the two.
Another one for Desertshore is The Seventh Seal in my opinion, though I can see why you picked The Passion.
Yea, never thought of that. Tat's not a bad choice either. Hmmmm...
Nail (or Downward Spiral)/Taxi Driver
Well Oiled/Stalker
The Ascension/Raging Bull
Escalator Over the Hill/Fellini Satyricon
Uncle Meat/Man With a Movie Camera
Actually, you know what, strike the first entry. Suicide/Taxi Driver is an uncanny comparison.
Sorry, I didn't know you'd commented. My film lists need to be updated which I am getting back into now. Been away from the film world for awhile. Time to withdraw somewhat from music and expend some of that energy in movies...
Any ideas for Litanies of Satan?
How about any of the others on here (whether they're question marked or already have films listed). I've just started spending the portion of my free time I usually devote to music, on film instead, so...please discuss! Comment! Suggest!
I'd say Kingdom or Inland Empire
Great choices!
Thoroughly revised and updated from #17 on down
It's wholly revised now you idiot!
I think AfterHours has finally gone off the deep end...
haha ( :
that happened long ago...
Any recommendations?
Great list, very enjoyable reading.
Thanks! Any suggestions for this list (or any other lists for that matter)?
The Doors, Seventh Seal by Bergman?
Interesting choice. I think Touch of Evil is the closest, though it's just slightly more accurate for VU & Nico. In a sense, it could be assigned to both albums. Also, I project that North By Northwest will sooner or later be The Doors equivalent. It's very close in its emotional arc and pacing and it's relentless close calls with death and suspense also make it a thematic candidate. The only thing that is missing so far is that I consider it a 7.5 and not a 9/10. If I ever agree with Scaruffi on its level of greatness, then it will likely end up being the Doors equivalent.
Only 2 films away from completion...
Great list: i love this comparisons. Bob Dylan's Blonde on blonde maybe works better with some Peckinpah stuff like The wild Bunch or, even better, Pat Garret and Billy the Kid.
thanks, both are good comparisons
I am getting close. This latest run through my 9's, and many potential 9's has been very successful. I think I may complete this "project" soon.