The Long Afternoon’s Music Inspired Bear Attack Scene in Award-Winning Film The Revenant, Director Reveals
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 13 September 2016
HUMBERSTONE, Chile — Academy Award winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu revealed this week that the bear attack scene in The Revenant was inspired by songs from An Index of Maladjustments, the collection of songs released in 2011 by the mysterious indie rock organization The Long Afternoon.
An Index of Maladjustments helped inspire the bear attack scene in The Revenant.
“During pre-production, there was some contention about how to shoot certain scenes. We wanted the grizzly attack to be visceral, believable, and visually stunning,” Iñárritu told the Hollywood Reporter.
“One night in May 2012, Leo [DiCaprio] and I were going over the shooting script at my home in Alameda. He asked how the bear scene would be filmed. At that point I didn’t know.
“After he left I was listening to An Index of Maladjustments when I had what we call in Mexico an inspiración repentina: hearing the rhythms, the melodic/harmonic relationships, and the tonal textures of the guitars, I understood immediately how the scene shoot look and feel.
“I know this sounds strange, but the music served as a sonic analogy to the visual experience of the scene. When I finally told Leo he was thrilled. He’s a huge Long Afternoon fan.
“Ryuichi Sakamoto’s score is perfect for the film,” Iñárritu went on, “but try this: mute the sound and watch the grizzly attack while listening to ‘Joni’s Wire.’ You’ll see what I mean.”
The Long Afternoon has refused to acknowledge online speculation that the Regression album cover symbolizes a bear attack.
The Long Afternoon’s publicist, Ginger M. Armalade, welcomed Iñárritu’s comments. “The Revenant is a great film and beautifully captures the indomitable human spirit.
The Long Afternoon’s latest album, Regression, is available via iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and other distribution systems.
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