Film: “Eno” @ Film Forum
Music fans of a certain age: what comes to mind when you think of Brian Eno? The glam rock and roller/synthesizer wizard from the 1970’s band Roxy Music? A collaborator with such legends as Talking Heads, U2 and Coldplay?
After more than 50 years, Eno defies any sort of pigeon-holing and that’s just the way he’d like to keep it, as we learn in “Eno,” Gary Hustwit’s witty documentary about the legendary music producer.
The format of the documentary is far from linear. Hustwitt created it using “Generative art” which pulls together bits and pieces from over 30 hours of interviews with Eno and 500 hours of film from Eno’s personal archive.
“Generative art” runs on a code-based decision tree that forks every so often in a new path, via a specialized software named Brain One (an anagram for Brian Eno). It generates a new version of the film every time the algorithm is run, meaning no two are alike. One version of the documentary may feature a conversation between David Byrne and Eno; another will show David Bowie recording “Heroes” (a song on which he collaborated with Eno.) Still another flashes to a quick cut of Laurie Anderson. The sequencing is always different as is the material.
Eno has come a long way from the days of working with the reel-to-reel tape recorder to enhance his art. He speaks about how he wanted to create “paintings that existed in time,” which is why he eventually turned away from graphic art and gravitated to pop music.
He’s also updated his look since the 1970s. Gone are the light blue eye shadow and pinkish lipstick. We now see before us a congenial, witty seventy-something Englishman being interviewed in his stone house located in the British countryside, discussing but never pontificating on the creative process.
According to the filmmakers, there are 52 quintillion (that is, 52 billion billion) possible combinations of the material in “Eno”. Which means there are 52 quintillion versions of the movie. Don’t be concerned about which one you’ll see. I have a strong hunch they’re all good. At Film Forum through October 3.
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