Influenced - The Fall (2006)
It's NOT The Fall with sexy Jamie and Gillian
If you have read my Influenced - Films post, you know films are my go-to inspiration source. I recently started working on a new book project. I was/am very excited about it but I found myself at loss with colour palette. The story is set mainly in imaginary situations so basically it could be any colours. “Sky is the limit” is not always a good thing. So, I googled “film colour palettes” to look for inspirations. Then, by chance, I stumbled into The Fall. I remembered I had been blown away by the masterpiece by Tarsem Singh, which is now considered as a cult film, back in 2006 but then completely forgot about it (it’s been 18 years). So, I watched it again. OMG, I couldn’t believe I had forgotten about this incredible film! Then, I thought I had to share this with you, not just because of the amazing use of colours, but also its themes - celebration of human creativity and the power of storytelling.
The story is pretty simple - in 1920s Los Angeles, a little girl, Alexandria, is recovering from a broken arm in the hospital and she befriends Roy Walker (played by Lee Pace from Pushing Daisies), a stuntman who was paralysed by doing a dangerous stunt (and depressed because his girlfriend had ditched him for the leading actor they were working with). To pass the time, Roy tells Alexandria a fantastic tale of heroes, myths, and villains on a desert island.
Visual Masterpiece
Let me start with how stunning this film is. I mean STUNNING. From the beginning to the end, it’s a visual treat. The black and white, slow-mo opening, accompanied by Beethoven’s Symphony No 7, reminds me of equally captivating and enigmatic opening of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The film has two parallel story lines. The real world (where Alexandria and Roy inhabit) has the sun-kissed, period look with a hint of Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro. Then, there is the epic story told by Roy but visualised through Alexandria’s imagination.
