Final Rating: 4.5/5
Mann’s Sparks is a video essay like no others. The film, directed by Ryland Walker Knight, edits together ten songs from the dream pop band Beach House, each set to footage from nine Michael Mann films (and one TV show). The result is a music video like production where the audio and visuals come together to create something new, transforming both Mann’s filmography and the tracks from Beach House.
While I remember watching some Michael Mann films when I was younger (The Last of the Mohicans in a high school history class, Public Enemies and Collateral in the theater), it wasn’t until the last two years that he crept up the ranks as one of my all time favourite directors. It was appreciating the off kilter greatness of Miami Vice and Blackhat and finally getting around to the likes of Thief, Manhunter and The Insider that made my esteem for him so high. I have now seen all but two of his theatrical releases, The Keep and Ali, making me almost a completionist for his work.
Beach House was one of the most impactful bands for when I started to dive deep into the indie scene in the early 2010’s. I was likely introduced to them by a friend, Michael, who at the time was my musical benefactor and showed me to some of my most cherished artists. Their albums Devotion (2008), Teen Dream (2010) and Bloom (2012) were on heavy rotation. The band consists of organist and lead singer Victoria Legrand and guitarist Alex Scally. Legrand plays beautiful organ melodies while her vocals are washed out with reverb in a hauntingly beautiful manner. Scally soars with his dream pop guitar riffs, making heavy use out of pedals and effects.
Combining Michael Mann with Beach House seems like a project made entirely for me, as the audiences for these two very different artists couldn’t seem further apart. Information on the film is a bit difficult to find, but it seems like Ryland Walker Knight first made the movie in 2015 to coincide with the release of Mann’s then newest film, Blackhat. It seemingly disappeared from the internet a few months later in early 2016 and is finally seeing the light of day again with it being given world premiere status at imagineNATIVE this year, where outside of the press screeners made available will only be screened in person (likely due to potential copyright issues from both artists camps).
The film is hard to review in a traditional sense, as there is no narrative structure or even overarching themes, and outside of discussing the feelings evoked or how well the musical choices line up with the editing there isn’t a ton to talk about. It appears that while Walker Knight directed the project, he also employed four editors to cut together six of the ten pieces.
Each of the ten sections opens like a music video, with the title card from the film itself being used to signify a new chapter and acting as a credit. The music used is from the album Depression Cherry, one of the band’s two albums released in 2015 and it runs in the same order as the track listing.
The film opens with the track “Levitation” edited to Miami Vice, Mann’s 2006 misunderstood reboot of the 80’s TV show that he helped produce. Here editor Eric Marsh focuses on the romance between Colin Farrell’s Crockett and Gong Li’s Isabella, starting from the first time they meet through the whirlwind liaison they embark on, eventually ending in a bloody climax when it is revealed that Crockett was an undercover police officer. The edit captures just how cool and sexy the film is, showing the pair jet across the ocean in Crockett’s speed boat to the sultry dancing in a nightclub and finally making love several times before the big shootout that occurs at the end of the film. It feels like the edit tells its own independent story that without the context of having seen the film before, still makes sense. Hopefully it also encourages people who may have skipped out on the film due to the negative reaction it received upon release to check it out, because Miami Vice is a stunner of a film.
Perhaps the most interesting mash up comes in the fourth chapter when the song “Beyond Love” is paired with Manhunter. The section plays out like a twisted love triangle, with Joan Allen’s Reba being courted by Tom Noonan’s serial killer Francis Dollarhyde and chased by William Petersen’s FBI Agent Will Graham. The highlight is the still marvelous scene where Reba, who is blind, is allowed to pet a real live sedated tiger. A moment that will equally make you grasp your chest in fright and be utterly captivated by its beauty.
Most of the chapters only use the audio from Depression Cherry, but a few of them use brief sound clips from the movies. The most impactful comes from Heat/”PPP” when before the song kicks in, we see Al Pacino’s Vincent Hanna pull over Robert De Niro’s Neil McCauley and ask if he can buy him a coffee, which leads into one of the most iconic scenes in film history. The rest of the montage places heavy focus on the closeups of the character’s eyes, from the bank robberies to the shootouts. It’s incredibly powerful to only see the clips of the film focusing on one style of shot.
Even for people who may not be aware of Beach House’s music or are not Mann completionists, there is plenty to adore and pour over. Walker Knight and his editors have made something magical and they highlight the unique talents of both sides of the coin they have brought together. We see the spectacular use of light by Mann in his films like Thief and Manhunter. Or his framing abilities in The Last of the Mohicans and Ali. We even get a sequence from Luck, the 2011 HBO show that ran for only ten episodes, where Mann directed the pilot.
The film also puts focus on the wistful nature of Beach House’s music. Depression Cherry was an album that didn’t quite work for me upon release, but revisiting it both through the film and afterwards, it has grown on me immensely. The band absolutely has a unique sound that it rarely strays from, but if it hits that sweet spot for you, like it does for me, every song is a masterpiece. I had the pleasure of reviewing and photographing the band during their 2014 Northern Exposure Tour in Toronto and it was one of the best concerts I had ever seen.
As mentioned, video essays are hard to review and discuss, especially ones that don’t have plot, so it often comes down to how a viewer feels and reacts to the material. Mann’s Sparks is more museum art installation than film, but it is still exhilarating to watch and to listen to. I hope more people have the pleasure of experiencing it, and that they are transported to Ryland Walker Knight’s world where Michael Mann’s filmography lives side by side in harmony with Beach House.
