Blow Out is a movie set in Philadelphia during the 1980s. Sound engineer Jack Terry (played by John Travolta), is out at night getting some field recordings for a teenage slasher movie when he accidentally records the murder of a prominent politician. The media and police department claim that it is accidental. Terry tries to reveal the truth, but the powers that be follow him and undermine his every attempt. It is very over the top at times and the entire movie has that neon tinge that you associate with the 80s.
Beyond the aesthetics, there are a lot of scenes dedicated to the art of audio engineering. We get to see the entire process of recording and editing done on vintage analog equipment. There are many shots focusing on the "tools of the trade". These shots allow each piece of equipment to be the main subject, only featuring humans through their disembodied hands which operate the tools. In a way it is a 'love letter' to
audio recording.
You could also connect theme to the issue of all recorded media which is that you cannot guarentee the authenticity of an event just because there is a recording. The whole process of engineering: cutting and splicing the reel to get the desired result is indicative of this. In fact, the film starts with Terry trying to find the perfect scream for a killing scene. He is unable to find a voice actress who can scream realistically enough for him; none of the screams capture the real terror of the scene. In the end, Terry eventually does get his scream bringing this idea of authenticity and recorded media full circle.
My good friend Evron recommended this to me. When he mentioned the plot in the car while he was visiting from Philly and it sounded oddly like the movie Blow Up by Michelangelo Antonini. It turns out it was inspired by Blow Out! There are some obvious parallels in terms of the plot, with a few details switched around. Blow Out is set in mod-era London and the main character is a fashion photographer named Thomas who unknowingly captures a murder attempt occurring in the background of one of his photoshoots.
Eventually he does spot the murder taking place after developing the film. He gradually becomes obsessed with figuring out what happened and creates a blow up of the background. He tries to show people what he's found but everyone around him is too high to understand. Like Blow Out, there are a lot of scenes dedicated to the art of analogue media. The process of developing film, enlarging it to create prints, and finally developing the prints is all captured in excruciating detail.
One difference I did observe in the plot of the two films is that there is an inversion between the two with regards to the relationship the main characters have with their environment. Both Jack Terry and Thomas are the only ones privy to a horrible secret. However, after the revelation, Thomas is unable to communicate this secret to anybody since they are all high. On the other hand, Terry goes out of his way to contact the authorities and the media, but everyone around him thinks he's the insane one.
Another contrast between the two movies is the atmosphere. Blow Up is set in mod-era London during the 60's and the characters and their surroundings are very detached, even the coloring is pretty flat. It left me with an unsettling feeling. In this particular aspect, I think I much prefer Blow Out. The shots of Philadelphia, especially those of 30th Street Station, bring me so much more life.
