The Catch-Up: Death on the Nile, Janet Jackson, and C’mon, C’mon

Welcome to 2022—and with the new year, there’s no slowdown in trailer activity coming off of the holidays. Although it appears Omicron has stifled theatre activity in many parts of the world, there still appears to be an overall expectation that theatres might be back in full force at some point this year; indeed, there are many deferred releases from the past two years or so set for release in the near future. In keeping with recent posts, here are a few recent trailers that caught our ears.

Death on the Nile

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Death on the Nile is a retelling of Agatha Christie’s novel of the same name. It details Hercule Poirot (Branagh)’s investigation of the murder of Linnet Doyle (Gal Gadot). A trailerized cover of the Depeche Mode song “Policy of Truth” (1990) figures heavily here; the song’s original arrangement is reduced and distilled to snaps, ticking, and the vocal line, serving as a quasi-commentator on the dialogue. A simple but effective pizzicato strings motif of a falling minor third is also extensively used. A brief reprieve from the music occurs at 1:24 for a mild punchline, only for a much fuller arrangement of the song to blast a moment later. Now the music much more closely resembles its 1990 original, albeit substantially more epic in tone—achieved by a slower tempo and orchestral swells. Notice also the synch points between the beat and visual at 1:45, 1:46, and 1:48, further intensifying the action. Death on the Nile arrives in theatres February 11th.

Janet Jackson

Being a musician’s biopic, of course music would be featuring heavily in its trailer. However, the first forty seconds are notably absent of any notes, focusing instead on a series of talking heads (complete with clapperboard, as if to suggest unadulterated access by the audioviewer). At 0:41 we hear something resembling a snippet of Jackson’s voice and music, but it’s intentionally obscured almost beyond recognition—it’s more of a sound effect—something ephemeral, or purely atmospheric. A moment later at 0:48, we then hear bowed bass strings juxtaposed against a high note, which turns out to be a rearrangement of early single “Control” (1984). This turns out the complement to Jackson discussing the control that her father had on her early life. Later in the trailer, more straight orchestral music helps describe the terseness and conflict that Jackson had to face at various points in her life, eventually turning back to her music. Notably, her music is rarely permitted to simply play out in this trailer, which eschews the possibly too-obvious route for a biopic. Moreover, also notable is the fact that Jackson is in control of telling her own story—a fact that isn’t often enough true, as most biopics have historically covered musicians who are already deceased. Janet Jackson is set to premiere January 28th.

C’mon, C’mon

A major black and white film in 2021 was always going to look striking, and Joaquin Phoenix promises to fulfill the expectations such visuals bring. The music is Debussy’s seminal “Clair de lune”, the third movement of his Suite bergamasque (1905). This rendition in particular is by the San Francisco Saxophone Quartet. In tandem with the Helvetica-set title cards and Phoenix’s monologue throughout, director Mike Mills lends the proceedings a sense of being a step removed, or a sense of timelessness. Black and white film allows us to focus on light, shadow, and form; similarly, the use of such a well-worn piece as “Clair de lune” helps that musical component to dutifully recede into the background, permitting our attention to focus on the words. The last time we heard this piece in a major trailer was for Godzilla: King of the Monsters in summer 2018; then, it was an exercise in contrast and sublimity. Now, Phoenix’s storytelling does evoke wonderment, but there’s also a sense of grounding and humility to the proceedings; it’s remarkable just how far this piece can stretch to accommodate. Overall, the minute-and-a-half comes off as unified, rather than homogenous. C’mon, C’mon arrived in theatres in November.

— Curtis Perry