SPARKS AND DIRECTOR LEOS CARAX SAY ‘ANYTHING GOES!’ FOR NEUROTIC SCREEN TRAGEDY ANNETTE.
THE OFTEN hysterical, hyperdetailed narrative drama of a typical Sparks song would suit the cinematic treatment, but Ron and Russell Mael’s previous attempts to break into the movies have been unsuccessful. A planned collaboration with French legend Jacques Tati, for example, was kiboshed when the auteur died in 1982, while 2009 radio musical The Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman proved too esoteric to secure investment. They’ve had more luck with Annette, which Ron pitches as, “neurotic comedian marries beautiful opera singer – and tragedy ensues.” Sparks’ script is going into production this summer with French director Leos Carax, who used their 1975 song How Are You Getting Home? in his 2012 fantasy Holy Motors.
“Leos is one of our favourite directors, and I think we share a sensibility,” muses Russell. “We feel on the outside of things. Leos is pensive and smart – and shares a certain fashion sense with Ron.”
“The semi-homeless look,” Ron deadpans. “Leos also shares our ‘anything goes’ approach, and avoids genre. For example, Holy Motors had a bunch of accordion players marching through a building, which wasn’t part of the narrative, but [it] enriched the atmosphere.”
The tragedy at Annette’s core is the death of a woman, before her husband subsequently discovers their young daughter has a supernatural gift… “but we’ve sworn an oath to not say more, sorry,” says Ron. “Otherwise, two musicians will be found dead at the bottom of the Seine.”
But he can reveal Annette will be “grand in scope; there are scenes on the ocean, for example,” and it will be performed in song, à la 1964 romance-musical The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg. There’ll be 45 pieces of new music, “from opera to more naturalistic styles, from song-speak to full-blown songs. It’s not a winking, ‘Let’s put on a show’ musical, it has high levels of drama, even violence, emotional and physical.”
The lead roles have gone to Hollywood A-listers Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, who won an Oscar for the Edith Piaf bio-pic La Vie En Rose. Both will sing on the soundtrack, though Carax also wants to release the ‘demo’ version of the OST with Russell in Driver’s role, and Ron in his singing debut – “or what counts for singing!” he guffaws – in a couple of cameos.
Annette is scheduled for late 2020, before which there will be an official Sparks documentary by Shaun Of The Dead/Baby Driver director Edgar Wright. “His goal is to reach people that don’t know Sparks, in the most exciting and expressive way,” says Russell. “Not that we’ve seen any footage yet.” It will coincide with a new Sparks studio album. “It’s even more cinematic than what we’ve done before, definitely influenced by Annette,” says Ron. “We keep trying to figure out how far to expand Sparks, and what we can get away with, tangential to what’s going on in rock and pop but which still doesn’t fit in. We’re just trying to stay excited, while staying honest and sincere on our own terms.”
Martin Aston
“It has high levels of drama, even violence, emotional and physical.” RON MAEL