Last and First Men (film) - Misplaced Pages

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2020 Icelandic film

Last and First Men
Promotional release poster
Directed by	Jóhann Jóhannsson
Screenplay by	Jóhann Jóhannsson José Enrique Macián
Based on	Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon
Produced by	Þór Sigurjónsson
Narrated by	Tilda Swinton
Cinematography	Sturla Brandth Grøvlen
Edited by	Mark Bukdahl
Music by	Jóhann Jóhannsson Yair Elazar Glotman
Production companies	Zik Zak Filmworks Icelandic Film Centre
Distributed by	Films Boutique (international) BFI Distribution (United Kingdom)
Release date	25 February 2020 (2020-02-25) (Berlin)
Running time	70 minutes
Country	Iceland
Language	English

Last and First Men is a 2020 English-language Icelandic science fiction film directed by Jóhann Jóhannsson, who co-wrote the screenplay with José Enrique Macián. Based on the 1930 novel of the same name by English author Olaf Stapledon, it is the only feature film directed by Jóhannsson, a composer who died of an overdose two years before its release.

The film had its world premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on 25 February 2020, and was digitally released on 30 July, by BFI Distribution in the United Kingdom. It received widespread critical acclaim.

Background

Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson directed and scored a multimedia Last and First Men, "combining a film narrated by actress Tilda Swinton and accompanying score played by the BBC Philharmonic" at the 2017 Manchester International Festival. The 16mm black-and-white film is predominantly of memorial sculptures erected in the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Jóhann collaborated with José Enrique Macián on writing the narration adapted from Stapledon's novel. This was next performed at the Barbican Centre, London in December 2018, and later at Sydney Opera House as part of the Vivid Festival, on 2 June 2019. In 2020, a film of this work was released as Jóhann's debut and final directorial work, with composer and sound artist Yair Elazar Glotman completing the work after Jóhann's death in February 2018. The film had its world premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on 25 February 2020, and was later screened at other film festivals around the world and released on VOD. It was first released on 30 July 2020 by BFI Distribution in the United Kingdom.

Production

The Spomenik monuments

The film was shot at numerous Yugoslav World War II monuments and memorials in the following locations:

Podgarić, Croatia
Sanski Most, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Tjentište, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ostra, Serbia
Jasenovac, Croatia
Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Niš, Serbia
Popina, Serbia
Mitrovica, Kosovo
Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Novi Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Petrova Gora, Croatia
Kadinjača, Serbia
Nikšić, Montenegro

Music

Last and First Men
Soundtrack album by Jóhann Jóhannsson and Yair Elazar Glotman
Released	28 February 2020
Length	66:30
Label	Deutsche Grammophon

The film's soundtrack of the same name, co-composed by Jóhann and Yair Elazar Glotman, was released by Deutsche Grammophon on 28 February 2020.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Prelude"	2:35
2.	"A Minor Astronomical Event"	3:39
3.	"A Move to Neptune"	3:47
4.	"Physical Description of the Last Human Beings"	4:36
5.	"Architecture"	5:00
6.	"Supreme Monuments"	1:48
7.	"Telepathic Unity"	1:58
8.	"Childhood / Land of the Young"	5:35
9.	"The Navigators"	8:08
10.	"The Sun"	1:28
11.	"A New Doom"	2:54
12.	"Task No. 1: The Scattering of Seeds"	1:56
13.	"Task No. 2: Communicating with the Past"	1:05
14.	"The Last Office of Humanity"	2:11
15.	"Slow Destruction of Neptune"	4:25
16.	"The Few That Prevail"	2:01
17.	"The Last Men"	3:19
18.	"Remembrance of the Past"	2:34
19.	"The Universal End"	1:23
20.	"Epilogue"	5:08
Total length:		66:30

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 29 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.5/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

References

^ Kelly, Sharon (20 February 2020). "Jóhann Jóhannsson's 'Last And First Men' Film To Receive World Premiere At Berlinale 2020". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
Simon, Alissa (6 February 2020). "Films Boutique Nabs Berlinale Special title 'Last and First Men' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
"Last and First Men". BFI. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
^ "'Last And First Men': Berlin Review". Screen Daily. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
Kohn, Eric (26 February 2020). "'Last and First Men' Review: Jóhann Jóhannsson's Posthumous Film Is a Dazzling Vision of the Apocalypse". IndieWire. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
King, Jack (25 February 2020). "'Last And First Men': Jóhann Jóhannsson's Directorial Debut Is An Awe-Inspiring Experience [Berlin Review]". The Playlist. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
Young, Deborah (25 February 2020). "'Last and First Men': Film Review | Berlin 2020". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
Frankl, Ed (27 February 2020). "Berlin Review: Jóhann Jóhannsson's Final Work Last and First Men is an Extraordinary Cinematic Odyssey". The Film Stage. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
Bradshaw, Peter (29 July 2020). "Last and First Men review – eerie sounds and unearthly images from a posthuman world". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
"MIF 2017 - Last and First Men, Reviewed". Confidentials Manchester. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
Sharf, Zack (14 January 2020). "Jóhann Jóhannsson's First and Final Directorial Feature 'Last and First Men' Heads to Berlinale". IndieWire. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
Rosser, Michael (18 June 2020). "BFI Distribution acquires Jóhann Jóhannsson's final film for UK (exclusive)". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
"ABOUT". www.lastandfirstmen.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
"Last and First Men". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
"Last and First Men". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 6 August 2024.

External links

v t e Jóhann Jóhannsson
Solo albums	Englabörn (2002) Virðulegu Forsetar (2004) IBM 1401, A User's Manual (2006) Fordlandia (2008) Orphée (2016)
Film score albums	Sicario (2015) Arrival (2016)
Films directed	Last and First Men (2020)

v t e World Soundtrack Award for Film Composer of the Year
2000s	John Williams – A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) Patrick Doyle – Gosford Park (2002) Elliot Goldenthal – Frida (2003) Gabriel Yared – Cold Mountain (2004) Angelo Badalamenti – Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2005) Alberto Iglesias – The Constant Gardener (2006) Alexandre Desplat – The Queen / The Painted Veil (2007) James Newton Howard – Charlie Wilson's War / Michael Clayton / I Am Legend (2008) Alexandre Desplat – Cheri / Coco avant Chanel / The Curious Case of Benjamin Button / Largo Winch (2009)
2010s	Alexandre Desplat – Fantastic Mr. Fox / The Ghost Writer / Julie & Julia / The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2010) Alexandre Desplat – A Better Life / The Burma Conspiracy / Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 / Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 / The King's Speech / The Tree of Life / The Well Digger's Daughter (2011) Alberto Iglesias – The Monk / The Skin I Live In / Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2012) Mychael Danna – Life of Pi (2013) Alexandre Desplat – Godzilla / The Grand Budapest Hotel / Marius / The Monuments Men / Philomena / Venus in Fur / Zulu (2014) Michael Giacchino – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes / Inside Out / Jupiter Ascending / Jurassic World / Tomorrowland (2015) Carter Burwell – Anomalisa / Carol / The Family Fang / The Finest Hours / Hail, Caesar! / Legend (2016) Jóhann Jóhannsson – Arrival (2017) Jóhann Jóhannsson – The Butcher, The Whore and the One-Eyed Man / Last and First Man / Mandy / Mary Magdalene / The Mercy (2018) Nicholas Britell – If Beale Street Could Talk / Vice (2019)
2020s	Hildur Guðnadóttir – Joker (2020) Daniel Pemberton – Enola Holmes / Rising Phoenix / The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2021) Jonny Greenwood – The Power of the Dog / Spencer (2022) Hauschka – All Quiet on the Western Front / Memory of Water / War Sailor (2023) Jerskin Fendrix – Kinds of Kindness / Poor Things (2024)

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