** This contains spoilers and may be rather boring for someone not obsessed with the 1998 film “Dark City”. You have been warned! **

Emma Murdoch - Dark City

Dark City and me

To begin with I’d like to point out that Dark City, in my opinion is one of the best films of all time. I’ll forgive you if you have never heard of it and it is not a film I like to recommend. Why? Because I’ve recommended it three times now to separate people and while two out of three thought it was OK, even interesting, I was disappointed by their lack of enthusiasm. I realise it is only a movie, but occasionally cinema can have the power to make you think and want to discuss, sometimes more than perhaps is socially acceptable!

For me, Dark City is one of these films. It is rich in plot and subtext and blends elements of several genres including Sci-fi, noir and mystery.

I missed Dark City in the cinema, I’d have been 11 or 12 at the time of its release and its theatrical run was short and sporadic. Like many, I caught up with it on DVD, after watching part of the film late at night (the billboard scene). I had no idea what Dark City was about, but it was a scene that stayed with me, so when I found Dark City as part of a deal in (what was then) Virgin Megastores, I picked it up. I forget the other films I bought that day, but Dark City has been a personal favourite ever since. One irritation is that my copy was letterboxed (and no amount of jiggling with DVD settings could change this). Also, I wanted to know more. I wanted to hear what the actors thought of it, I wanted to listen to how and why Alex Proyas made it. What I got was a 5 minute “making-of” and all I really learnt from it is that Kiefer thought the set was the coolest he’d ever worked on.

Murdoch invesigating - Dark City

Dark City Director’s Cut

I, like many others, have been waiting for the Director’s Cut for years and thought it may never come. There had been rumours of a Director’s Cut ever since the film’s arrival on DVD (and probably VHS) as the theatrical run was quite different from the DVD version (which is widely considered by fans to be an inferior cut).

If you caught my earlier post here you will have sensed my excitement surrounding the new cut on July 28th of last year… and then? Nothing. I watched this new version when I purchased it the first miserable, rainy Saturday after its release.  Did I enjoy it, then? Well yes …and no. I think what it boils down to is that my expectations for “new” footage, fresh information and tons of features we so high that some amount of disappointment was inevitable. In fact, after watching some of the disc’s interviews following the actual film I left this copy well alone until… well, a couple of days ago. Now I know what to expect and I feel I’m looking at the whole thing a bit more objectively.

Dark City – the story

Before we begin, here’s a little recap on the story, taken from my earlier post:

Essentially Dark City starts out as a murder mystery/Neo-noir as we follow a man called John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) who has lost his memory and discovers that he is connected to a string of murders. While searching for the real killer, Murdoch is pursued by a grim-yet-endearing cop Frank Bumstead (William Hurt) the slightly loopy Doctor Schreber (Kiefer Sutherland) and the creepy Strangers, who seem hell-bent on Murdoch’s destruction. While it does indeed incorporate elements of mystery, crime drama and noir, it is also a sci-fi film and it keeps you guessing about what exactly is happening from beginning to end. Helpfully, Murdoch is in the same position as the audience. Luckily, all of the major plot questions are resolved and the film ends what I consider to be one of the most satisfying finales in cinematic history.

Murdoch's fingers - Dark City

The new bits

OK, so the most important question to ask of the Director’s Cut would be what is different? What occurs in the extra minutes (15 or so) that was left out of the DVD release?

With the exception of a few shifts in narrative (I’ll come to this in a moment), most of the Director’s Cut consists of extended pre-existing scenes. Given that most of the Director’s Cut fan base will likely be those who have already seen the film, the three feature commentaries are a godsend for those wanting that little bit more. Finally, there are a series of documentaries featuring cast and crew (sadly no Kiefer or Connelly), which make for an interesting watch. There’s also a production gallery and a theatrical trailer, but these are unlikely to keep you occupied for too long.

The intro

While I always quite liked the voice-over they tacked on the beginning of the film, it did probably give away a little too much at the outset – for instance, that the people of Dark City had been abducted by the Strangers. If you happen to have seen the DVD cut before the theatrical/Director’s Cut, you will know from the outset that this is a Sci-fi story (or at least has Sci-fi elements). Without this voiceover, however, you may be forgiven for thinking that Dark City is just a normal city on Earth (albeit with some particularly strange attributes). Kiefer’s explanation, in this cut, is moved back to its original position aboard the small rowing boat bound for Shell Beach (one of my favourite scenes).

the little girl - Dark City

Extended scenes

While initially I’d hoped for more explanation as to how and why John Murdoch gained his ability to tune (if simply to shut up those who had called it a plot hole), I have come to understand that that’s not the point of the film at all. We are supposed to be left with unanswered questions and to theorise – would I have felt better if it had all been handed to me on a plate? No, probably not. I probably wouldn’t be watching Dark City again now with fresh eyes and perspective if I knew exactly what it all meant and how things had come to be. That is the magic that this film wields, and that is precisely why I’ve watched it (far) in excess of ten times.

My theory was that Kiefer’s Character Dr Schreber had injected Murdoch with the ability to tune early on and simply kept it quiet (I’m not sure if an injection could alter someone in this way, X-Men 3 style, even if tuning was possible). According to Alex Proyas commentary, Murdoch has indeed (as Schreber explains to Mr.Book), evolved and gained their ability.

Besides Murdoch’s spiral fingerprints (indicating his evolution and ability to tune) we are treated to several new special effects. These are more refinements, like to Murdoch’s tuning effect (something that always looked a little heavy-handed).

My one annoyance with the effects is that on the David Goyer commentary he explains how he suggested they change the Stranger parasites from insects into those weird gloopy CGI things we get in the final cut. I was hoping these would have been altered or changed in the Director’s Cut as (in my opinion) they look pretty shoddy. I remember seeing some cool concept art and Dark City notebooks (I think on the old Dark City site) that showed more skeletal, facehugger/insect type creatures and I think these would’ve looked cooler. In fact, the parasites (unchanged) would have to be my biggest annoyance with this newer cut.

Beisdes those few seconds where Murdoch looks at his fingerprints and the addition of the little girl, my favourite new editions to the Director’s Cut are the inclusion of extra lines courtesy of Bumstead and Emma. While (as Proyas explains in his commentary) they add nothing new to the story, they allow us to explore the characters a little more. Bumstead has always interested me, and to learn that in the original drafts he was the main character comes as little surprise. This also works well because all of the characters are archetypes courtesy of the Strangers erasing and changing their memories nightly. In a movie where we like the characters but they must be one-dimensional to fit the story, any additional lines are welcome.

Murdoch - Dark City

Feature commentaries

Roger Ebert opens his fantastic and thoughtful commentary by explaining that Dark City has a cult following of people who genuinely care about the film and were excited at the news of the Director’s Cut. I think it is very true when he goes on to say how other, far more commercially successful films of the Dark City period (circa 1998), have been forgotten while Dark City’s subterranean fan base persists.

I am interested that Proyas does actually mention an idea for a sequel detailing how Murdoch comes to deal with his powers. I’ve considered this myself a number of times, but I never thought I’d hear Mr Proyas mention the idea of a sequel without cracking his face. Of course, given the reception of the first film, this would never happen and it’s probably for the best. It is a stand-alone, one of a kind and it doesn’t need watering down with a needless sequel.

While there’s no point in me recreating a transcript of the documentaries and commentaries to be found on the disc, they are very interesting for fans of the film. Also, it’s nice to know that some university professors have adopted Dark City as part of their course (I heard another example of this while I was on holiday in Canada). This has happened because Dark City deals with our existence and questions whether we are just the sum of our memories or more besides. As you would expect, the film can also be interpreted a number of ways, making it perfect for discussion. David Goyer expresses on his commentary that he sees Dark City as a sort of purgatory where its inhabitants are already dead, conversely, he mentions how Proyas always saw the city itself as an interstellar generations ship of 1000 years in the future, taking humans to another place. Both are interesting theories. One thing is certain (and I completely agree with Alex Proyas here) that when a few of the film’s critics said “all style and no substance” they were talking out of their behinds!

I said I don’t like recommending this film, but give it a go. If anything, it may help you express yourself (even if the expression is one of anger!)

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