The Double's Andrew Hewitt
Not sure about you but I finished my weekend off in style, one unbefitting of a specific time or place, exactly like the film I watched.
I am of course talking about my trip to Screen on the Green to see the surprisingly uncomfortable The Double. Naively when I heard Richard Ayoade was directing, I was expecting whimsical dark humour (think Wes Anderson only more ominous and brooding) but brilliance nonetheless.
What I wasn't expecting was how anxious some of the scenes made me – It proved difficult viewings at times (in the best possible way – This is a good thing). I digress. One of the many things to standout about the film is the uneasy score by Andrew Hewitt.
Whenever the strings struck or the piano panged, an immediate sense of dread overcame the scene, it was all rather magnificent in a subtle manner. I'm ashamed to say the name ‘Andrew Hewitt’ had rung a bell but I wasn't capable of placing exactly where I knew it from. So I did what every self respecting chancer does and googled his name. Then it hit me: He’s the genius mind behind the very clever ‘Garth Marenghi's Darkplace’ theme tune (a Bach throwback allegedly).
For those of you who have never heard of Darkplace, it sits atop the list of most underrated British TV shows of all time. Hewitt’s great ability is to never overplay the mood of a scene, he keeps things all wily and understated. But what I like most about Darkplace’s theme tune is how brilliantly over the top it is, the exact antithesis of Hewitt’s work on The Double. No subtlety at all, just garish, kitsch and gimmicky (essentially parodying the exact same subjects as the writing in the show).
What I am trying to say here is Andrew Hewitt, you’re officially my favourite composer now.
Peter.
