New Zealand Listener 03.14.2020

Toccata and F

NEW

ZEALAND

SYMPHONY

ORCHESTRA

PODIUM SERIES

Mavericks

Alexander Shelley

Conductor

Cameron Carpenter

Organ

JS Bach Toccata and Fugue

in D Minor

Poulenc Organ Concerto

Beethoven Symphony No. 5

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MARCH 14 2020 LISTENER

only a moment of relief before she starts

to experience an insidious presence. As

her protestations fall on understandably

disbelieving ears, Cecilia must fight

for credibility as well as hold off her

unseeable tormentor.

Gone are the days of Rains and his

cohorts wrapped in bandages (although

there is a brief cute nod to this trope as

light relief). Like Whannell's breakout

feature, Upgrade, The Invisible Man veers

into a couple of small plot holes, but it is

mostly ingenious in both its propulsive

narrative and ability to keep your heart

lodged firmly in your mouth

It begins with a stupendous opening

scene, which establishes Cecilia’s

legitimate terror without a drop of blood

being shed. Interestingly, given the title,

Whannell keeps Cecilia at the centre of

the story, focusing on the victim rather

than the offender (played by little-known

English actor Oliver Jackson-Cohen), who

is mostly represented by a succession

of empty spaces and a suggestive

soundtrack. He’s certainly an economical

movie villain in a film with an admirably

low $7 million budget.

It may be cheap, but it’s also a

sensational remake that updates the

story to the 21st century and reframes

it as a contemporary domestic horror.

The Invisible Man is not to be missed.

IN CINEMAS NOW

A sensational remake: Elisabeth Moss

as Cecilia Kass in The Invisible Man.

tendencies have remarkably not thwarted

his loving marriage to Tuppence

Middleton’s Mary. On inventing direct

current (DC) as an effective method for

enabling the electric light bulb to be used

by all, Edison and his loyal secretary (Tom

Holland) approach banker JP Morgan

(Matthew Macfadyen) for money to

support his patent. Meanwhile, across the

country, Michael Shannon’s Westinghouse

uses his considerable wealth and clout

to promote his alternating current

(AC) as a better and cheaper method

of delivering power for domestic and

industrial use. A commercial and personal

feud ensues between the two titans –

Edison, a veritable public celebrity, and

Westinghouse, the industrial tycoon – as

they vie to become provider to the people.

The fight soon gets dirty over safety

questions and accusations of criminal

negligence.

There is plenty of juicy stuff and even

the odd chuckle in this engrossing and

informative tech-history movie, with

strong performances and pacy editing that

propels the story through 13 years.

In one delightful scene, in which Edison

is invited to Westinghouse’s mansion for

dinner, the gathered staff are crestfallen

when he declines to show – exacerbating

Westinghouse’s chagrin and underscoring

Edison’s blinkered inability to schmooze

for the sake of success.

Most fascinating, perhaps, is the

surprising subplot on the morality of

building an electric chair as a way to

perform humane executions.

It undoubtedly pushes the envelope of

“artistic licence”, but it helps make this an

illuminating history lesson.

IN CINEMAS NOW

Films are rated out of 5:

(abysmal) to (amazing)

It’s a sensational

remake that

updates the story

to the 21st century

and reframes it as

a contemporary

domestic horror.