Dario Argento films and music from Daft Punk aren’t regular events these days, so any news pertaining to either is always exciting. However, the Italian horror maverick and the French techno legends might be teaming up for a collaboration, which is rather unexpected and intriguing.
Argento broke the news in an interview with the Italian outlet Repubblica (via The Film Stage), revealing that he’s working on a crime film called Black Glasses. The techno titans will reportedly provide the music because they’re fans of Argento’s work. Nothing seems 100 percent set in stone yet, but the director seems optimistic at least.
“They are my admirers, they know all my cinema. They heard from French friends that I was shooting a new film and called me [to say], ‘We want to work with you.’”
The electronic duo have lent their talents to the world of motion pictures in the past, having scored (and appeared in) Tron: Legacy. Their style will complement an Argento movie rather well, as several of his films have featured electronic music and prog rock, mostly helmed by the band Goblin.
Daft Punk’s debut album, Homework, is full of underground techno jams, but they evolved quite a bit after that. For example, 2013’s Random Access Memories saw them try their hand at prog, soft rock, and other genres, inspired by the music of yesteryear. Their fondness for guitars, beats, and analog synths will make them a natural fit for an Argento joint.
The duo’s music has mostly been quite poppy and accessible since their Discovery album, which is all fine and well, as their body of work is truly special. Still, the thought of them working on a weird Argento genre movie, where they won’t be looking to score chart hits, is very exciting.
Black Glasses will allow the acclaimed producers to lean into their weirder sensibilities and make something quite dark and sinister. Trust me: this type of music is in them, as they showcased on Human After All. They’ll no doubt see this as the perfect opportunity to branch out even further and have some fun.
Furthermore, this will continue the duo’s tendency to work with artists they admire, rather than who’s hip and popular at the time. Their last album saw them collaborate with Nile Rodgers and Giorgio Moroder, and in doing so, they helped both veteran artists find a new legion of modern fans.
Maybe they’ll do the same for Argento. While the director is widely regarded as one of the finest horror auteurs of all time, he hasn’t had a hit in years and might not be a familiar name to modern moviegoers. But working with Daft Punk is always a sure-fire way to get people talking, as the Black Glasses score is undoubtedly going to blow some socks off.
Argento is keeping the details of the movie close to the vest for now, but he did say that it’s a crime film that will revolve around a Chinese girl and a child who escape from the “nocturnal Rome” and head for Lazio. From that description, it sounds like a chase movie.
Black Glasses will be Argento’s first film in at least eight years, following the critically lambasted Dracula 3D. The director’s output hasn’t been celebrated since the 1980s, but even a bad Argento film contains enough interesting ideas to make it worthwhile. Hopefully, this one is a late-career return to form.
Related Topics: Daft Punk, Dario Argento
