Last and First Men (film)

Last and First Men is a 2020 Icelandic science fiction film directed by Jóhann Jóhannsson in his posthumous feature film directorial debut.

Last and First Men
Promotional release poster
Directed byJóhann Jóhannsson
Screenplay by
  • Jóhann Jóhannsson
  • José Enrique Macián
Based onLast and First Men
by Olaf Stapledon
Produced byÞór Sigurjónsson
Narrated byTilda Swinton
CinematographySturla Brandth Grøvlen
Edited byMark Bukdahl
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byFilms Boutique (International)[1]
BFI Distribution (United Kingdom)[2]
Release date
Running time
70 minutes
CountryIceland
LanguageEnglish

The film is based on the 1930 science fiction novel of the same name by the English writer Olaf Stapledon. 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. Jóhann's only directorial work, Last and First Men premiered two years after his death and was met with widespread critical acclaim upon release.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

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.[10] 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.[4][11] It was first released on 30 July 2020 by BFI Distribution in the United Kingdom.[12]

Production

The film was shot at numerous Yugoslav World War II monuments and memorials in the following locations:[13]

Music
Last and First Men
Soundtrack album by
Jóhann Jóhannsson and Yair Elazar Glotman
Released28 February 2020
Length66:30
LabelDeutsche 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.[3]

No.TitleLength
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 27 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.4/10.[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[15]

References
  1. Simon, Alissa (6 February 2020). "Films Boutique Nabs Berlinale Special title 'Last and First Men' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  2. "Last and First Men". BFI. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  3. 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.
  4. "'Last And First Men': Berlin Review". Screen International. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Young, Deborah (25 February 2020). "'Last and First Men': Film Review | Berlin 2020". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. "MIF 2017 - Last and First Men, Reviewed". Confidentials Manchester. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  11. 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.
  12. Rosser, Michael (18 June 2020). "BFI Distribution acquires Jóhann Jóhannsson's final film for UK (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  13. "ABOUT". www.lastandfirstmen.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  14. "Last and First Men". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  15. "Last and First Men Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
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