Went to see Back To The Future at the cinema a couple of weeks ago. The new polished print. It might have been something to do with the fact I’d been drinking ale at Nottingham Castle all afternoon, but I’ve never found the “make like a tree and get out of here” bit quite as funny. Proper tickled me.
It’s the second time I’ve seen the first BTTF on the big screen, but only the first that’s not been off a DVD. The one tiny tiny tiny tiny little criticism I had was that it didn’t seem that the sound had been given as much restorative/enhancing attention as the digital transfer of the picture. Back To The Future has some of the best and, in places, most subtle sound design around. From all the different 1950’s references popping up around Hill Valley through adverts, megaphones, conversations, and jukeboxes…through to Silvestri’s bombastic soundtrack…right the way to my favourite of all film/sound moments – the disappearing hand in the mid-8 of Earth Angel.
You know the bit…everything is going well and Marty is there strumming the chords…”This is for all you lovers out there”…George and Lorraine are dancing and then the annoying guy comes over and pushes George away. Discordant strums begin. Marvin Berry looks a little concerned. Marty looks at the photograph in the headstock of his guitar and sees his brother and sister have disappeared and that he’s next and…oh no….HE CAN SEE THROUGH HIS HAND. This is it. After all that effort it’s all over. And you didn’t even notice that while Marvin is supposed to be singing, “I fell for you, and I knew the vision of your loveliness”, instead the orchestra is going crazily, threateningly, terrifyingly all over the place but then George realises he’s just grown balls and the music all but disappears until he says, “Excuse me” and pushes the guy aside and part of the main theme build-up comes in and then stops as if teetering over a cliff and then George reaches in for a kiss and then you hear it…in the background…”I’ll be the vision of your happiness, Whoah whoah whoah” AND THEN THE WHOLE ORCHESTRA COMES IN and Marty can play the guitar again and everything accompanies that final chorus of Earth Angel…
Holy Smokes.
While writing that I got a massive Proustian rush. My heart rate is still going a bit mad.
It is without a doubt the finest marriage of story, picture, performance, soundtrack, sound design, and song. Something to aspire to. So it would’ve been the icing on the cake for them to really go to town on it…although it was still an amazing experience. Here’s the bit I’m on about…sound without image…
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I need to calm down. How about these posters by Jamie Bolton that I got sent this morning. Very minimal…very calming…
