I don’t have to tell you the wonderful power film has to inspire your imagination, and at the filmmaker’s whim, take you into another world…sometimes just by lighting and camera shots alone. Long before the Age of Technicolor would dominate the film world, when the potential became apparent of the wondrous storytelling medium film could be, the classic black and white films would be the most common way people would see film. The inherit beauty black and white film possessed, the use of light and shadow was done to great effect in these early films. In point of fact in some ways it would mirror black and white printed photography still popular during that time. The beautiful effects of shadowing, what Italian Renaissance artists called Caravaggio, would be magically transformed to this new medium. It’s an effect rarely seen today in film…when it appears it should be noticed and celebrated..as corny as that may sound. The old classical black and white films, especially the early horror films from Universal, or even earlier with the classic silent film, The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, the movement of shadows across walls, would give these films an almost ‘Gothic’ feel, as eery and unsettling, as they were beautiful. I was stunned and excited to see these classical effects done again…in breathtaking loveliness. The Gothic motif has rarely been seen in modern films, at least in the modern films these days. It was almost a religious experience to see a classic form done here. The combination of lighting and camerawork in this scene were both dazzling, and they added much to both the romanticism and the eroticism in this touching scene between Todd Rosset and Gaelan Binoche.
To accentuate this scene of classical, Gothic beauty as well as to further bring out this scene’s story of fulfilling one’s desires, I returned once more to my old musical friends I discovered when I first came to my home city of Philadelphia. Tapping the Vein had their beginnings as a local band, playing local clubs and venues as well as making appearances at the dual-annual Goth-Industrial conclave party, Dracula’s Ball. During this time I was able to make friends with the band members, including their amazing front woman, Heather Thompson. Her voice is powerful and charged with raw emotion. It wasn’t unheard of for me to dab my eyes after one of her songs finished. A few years ago, they got signed and many of my favorite songs I’ve found out were redone, or refashioned on their album, The Damage. Their latest album, Another Day Down would see this band just as powerful, Heather’s voice just as beautiful and lovely. The song I chose for this clip, All My Heart I felt was stunning and fit the mood of the scene very well.
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Music clip, All My Heart, Tapping the Vein, taken from their album, Another Day Down. Music clips remain the sole property of the copyright holders and no infringement is intended.