by Cain Noble-Davies
Worth: $18.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Hans Zimmer, Tina Guo, Guthrie Govan, Juan Garcia-Herreros, Andy Pask, Holly Madge, Aicha Djdjelli, Judith Sephuma, Lebo M
Intro:
… raw sonic bliss.
Not every film soundtrack can survive being separated from the larger body. It’s one thing for a piece of music to fit so beautifully with a visual image that it elevates the whole; it’s quite another when that music, all on its own, feels like it elevates the listener. When dealing with a composer as iconic and (especially with those Inception horns) memetic as Hans Zimmer, a two-and-a-half-hour concert film of his greatest hits seems like it could just suffice on the strength of those pieces, like Andre Rieu for film nerds.
But Diamond in the Desert is so much more than that.
Director Paul Dugdale has plentiful concert film experience, working with acts that range from The Prodigy to One Direction, and between him, editor Simon Bryant, and the immaculate stage craft for the central performance at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, every frame matches the intensity of the notes. Everyone in this orchestra, including Zimmer himself, aren’t just playing the music; they’re feeling it. At times, it becomes such a sensual experience as to make one jealous of pianos and electric cellos.
Dugdale and Zimmer also make it a point to highlight each member of the larger whole as not just cogs in a machine, but shining lights all to themselves. Cellist Tina Guo leading the band into battle over the Wonder Woman theme, Guthrie Govan melting faces clean off with his guitar solos for Man of Steel and Lion King, Juan Garcia-Herreros and Andy Pask’s seismic bass cutting through the dancing lights on ‘Why So Serious?’, Holly Madge and Aicha Djdjelli as the twin drum dynamos at the heart of it all, Judith Sephuma’s powerful voice supercharging Guo’s strings as easily as matching Lebo M’s roaring lead; they’re all presented with the same ‘you’re all main characters’ energy as something like True Romance (which, funnily enough, also gets some shine here as part of the concert setlist).
Even without the original film footage, the cinematic experience here is heightened by the two key accompaniments to the main concert, both at opposing ends of the film spectrum. On one end, there’s a selection of abstract mood films, showing Loire Cotler’s voice spanning an entire desert, and Zimmer manning tower synthesisers like a mad scientist in a neon-lit Gotham high-rise. And on the other, there’s candid black-and-white interviews between Zimmer and his many frequent collaborators. While the latter feels more like a cooldown between songs than a particularly vital part of the bigger picture, it’s still interesting to get a glimpse at his creative process. Ditto for including Pharrell and Johnny Marr in the mix, whose past collab for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 helps highlight that this whole endeavour isn’t just about the popular hits. Case in point: There’s even a piece from Dark Phoenix in this, and it might just make you rewatch the film proper, it’s that damn good.
Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert is two and a half hours of raw sonic bliss. A theatrical experience just as invested in music’s ability to move the masses as it is with every pair of hands that go into creating it. Beyond the performance, the framing and staging tap right into the transformative and transportive nature of Zimmer’s work to take the audience from the sands to the stars and back again. Take this prescription for your eyes, ears, and soul with love, and be sure to find the biggest screen you can to get it filled.
