Did I ever declare my love for the gothic genre? Even though it may not look like it, I'm keen on this. Regardless of the medium, I often find myself drawn to its beautifully dark nature as a moth to the flame. From Oscar Wilde to Castlevania and Lord of the Lost, everything about this just fascinates me. A reason for this is the way it embraces the dark side as something normal instead of attempting to eliminate or ignore it. In my opinion, certain situations are not always happy, and fighting against them only makes things worse. The gothic not only acknowledges this but also finds beauty where others would not be able to see it, but you already knew that. I'm writing this because I recently watched a movie that I think embodies the category, namely "The Crow"(1994). It's a typical revenge story filled with misery, blood, and tears; but it's a bit more tragic, both as a story and in terms of its production process. I'm not going to bore you with details you heard over and over, but I am going to obsess over this in the following paragraphs. Enjoy!
For starters, let me first underline the few things I didn't like about it. It didn't have a large budget and it shows sometimes, especially when it comes to its effects. It's either that or they seem outdated to me. For example, the fire effects may come across as odd to modern audiences. However, its strength in this area comes from the CGI used especially after Brandon Lee's death. That was a pretty good feature for the early '90s.
With that in mind, I feel like its greatest strengths come from the script, the acting, the soundtrack, and the story overall. The literary references and symbolism only add to its beauty. Also, thematically speaking, it has some philosophical touches. Because raising from the dead is currently impossible, this movie raises the following question: what would we do if we were resurrected for a couple of days? Would we seek vengeance against those who wronged us or would we simply make amends for them? Would it be a curse or simply good luck? Nobody knows and that's (part of) the beauty.
Again, one of its greatest strengths is the script. Aside from having memorable lines, they also flow like water. There's no line I can think of that could be considered unnecessary as each fit both the character and the situation. At first glance, some of them are simple. However, that can be deceiving as every single line matters and each of them reveals a small detail. As the Crow himself says, nothing is trivial. A good example of this is when he accidentally meets Sarah, a girl he and his fiancee kinda took care of. He says, at some point, that "It can't rain all the time." She recognizes this as a lyric from one of his songs and turns around, hoping to find Eric Draven. Unfortunately, he fleed before she could properly look at his face. Also, something unexpected from a gothic movie is humour and there's some of it. From the Jesus joke to "I say I'm dead and I move", its sense of humor can and probably will take watchers aback.
If I were to describe the acting with a single word, it would be "marvelous". Brandon Lee truly shines brightly in this role. Hadn't he died while filming, this movie might've made him a superstar in the industry. It sets him apart from his father, both in terms of acting and fighting style. In addition to that, Lee had a contribution to the script when he suggested eliminating a character because it seemed to be stereotypical. The morbid irony is that the movie proved indeed to be popular, bringing him fame posthumously. Another great actor was Michael Wincott in the role of Top Dollar. He manages to become a person you love to hate. Well-dressed and well-mannered to a certain extent, Top Dollar exudes charisma as well as a deeply-rooted corruption and that's the merit of Wincott. He plays the head of a local mafia or a drug lord in a way that reminds us of characters such as Don Corleone. That's how a portrait of a person who we understand, but do not agree with looks.
Another thing that impressed me about the movie was its soundtrack. The Cure's "Burn" fits the movie like no other song could. Fire is a symbol present in the film and thus song simply highlights that. Fire can be a method of purification as it destroys everything, but allows something new to be built upon the ashes. As Brandon Lee said, the Cow's world will be a better place when he finishes his purging mission. That's why I think "Burn" was such a good choice for it. Also, the song "Inferno" and Eric's guitar solo perfectly injects his feelings into the audience's minds. It is full of rage, scorn, and misery (as INK poetically puts it here https://youtu.be/srlSAxxvfXE) as well as a hell-bent sense of revenge or even duty. Eric is both distraught and furious and the music only accentuates that.
Still, its literary references and symbols made this one an even more enjoyable watch. These are ever-present. From death and vengeance to fire and the occult, these enrich the story with a few details. As for the literary references, they to start appear from the very first scenes. In one of the flashbacks, T-Bird reads out loud from "Paradise Lost", as if Eric and Shelly didn't know already that their engagement was being sent to hell. Their heaven was being torn to pieces in front of their very eyes, of course, "Paradise Lost" fits! Another one is when Draven returns and comes to a pawn shop reciting from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven". That lets the owner know that he IS the raven or even death itself ৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻). Also, what adds nuance to the story is the fact that it goes on to show that things are rarely ever black-and-white. Eric is right because he is desperate to have justice, but he's also wrong in his methods. You cannot blame him for what he's doing, but you cannot fully agree with him either. The same goes for Top Dollar, the one who opposes him.
In a nutshell, all of this only adds to the pleasure that the Gothic finds in darkness. I think it is best to embrace this side rather than fight against it. As the lyrics in Bring Me the Horizon's song "Doomed" go: "The sun won't shine, but it never did; and when rains it f*cking pours, but I think I like it".
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