Eno: A Generative Portrait of a Musical Visionary
As innovative and boundary-defying as the person it chronicles, “Eno,” the documentary that opened this year’s Sundance Film Festival, directed by Gary Hustwit, about Brian Eno — musician, producer and all-around visionary — is not your ordinary biographical film.
What stands out most about “Eno” is its format. Every time someone watches it, a software program designed by Mr. Dawes and Mr. Hustwit reshuffles some parts of the film; no two showings are alike. The result is a movie that seems alive and constantly evolving even though it sits in a can. It may seem like a gimmick, but the technique pays homage to Eno’s philosophy of generative music as well as his lifelong interest in chance procedures and systems-based art.
But this movie is not just an amazing machine; it has a soul, too. At 74, Eno comes across as funny, charming and deeply wise. In his white-on-white studio he talks about his career with boyish enthusiasm tempered by profound insight. Whether he’s explaining Little Richard’s revolutionary sound or sketching out his approach to ambient music (his own term), Eno has an uncanny knack for making complex ideas clear through disarming metaphors.
The film interweaves Eno’s past with scenes from the present of him sitting behind a mixing desk or tinkering at an instrument with U2 or Coldplay in tow (among other visitors). We see Roxy Music-era footage of him playing synthesizers decked out in feathers and glitter alongside shots of him now: bald head, glasses perched on nose over neatly trimmed beard, looking like Philip Glass’s older brother who runs a craft-brewing operation.
And we hear plenty from David Bowie and Bono about what working with Eno was like; there are also snippets with Paul Simon, Grace Jones and members of the Talking Heads. But it’s not just that Eno was there; he knew how to get the best out of other artists, and his collaborations — from “Heroes” with Bowie to “The Joshua Tree” with U2 — often resulted in sounds that were both familiar and surprising.
“Eno” also does a good job of exploring its subject’s wide-ranging contributions as a producer, songwriter, musician and thinker. From his early days as a student at Ipswich Art School to his invention of ambient music (so named because it was designed to be ignorable), which has been a balm for countless insomniacs around the world, the film presents a fairly comprehensive overview of Eno’s impact on contemporary culture.
It also shows how Eno’s ideas about making records mirrored, or at least paralleled, his ideas about making art and living life. In one interview he mentions that when people ask him what kind of music he makes, he says “unnecessary.” The point is not just that he likes things that aren’t needed; it’s more that he sees creation as an exercise whose purpose lies outside the thing created — or even acknowledged.
Given its generative nature, no two people will have the same experience watching this movie. But there are some themes and moments that seem likely to recur across versions: Eno’s emphasis on emotions and intuition as driving forces in his work; his use of “Oblique Strategies,” cards printed with cryptic aphorisms meant to provoke creative thinking; his belief in music’s power to change minds and societies.
One downside of this approach is that it may leave some viewers feeling adrift or unmoored; without a traditional narrative arc or emotional crescendo, the film doesn’t so much move forward as sideways (and occasionally backward). But part of what makes randomness interesting is that people have to work harder to find meaning in it; and a lot of what Eno’s work is about involves making people do just that.
Eno is an exploration of creativity through the study of one artist. In this film, Hustwit has not only shown the innovative spirit of Brian Eno but made it part and parcel of this documentary by taking a form that challenges our expectations about what documentaries should be. However, some people may feel unsatisfied due to the lack external points view or deeper looks into Eno’s personal life but still; they capture his essence i.e always asking questions, trying out new things and stretching limits.
In conclusion, this movie pays tribute appropriately to somebody who has spent their whole career changing rules in music and arts. It is daring at times confusing however ultimately fulfilling because it encourages individuals to watch movies like how Eno listens to them i.e being open-mindedness, curiosity-driven while welcoming surprises. Whether you have been following Brian Eno for years or just discovered him yesterday; one thing remains true – nobody can deny that such kind of approach towards making a documentary provides interesting insights into minds behind such great works as those created by this legendary musician