This car has it under the hood… and it’s bloodthirsty! Christine, John Carpenter’s masterpiece adapted from Stephen King, is in theaters! Focus on a cult film yet rejected by its director.
John Carpenter, now 74 years old, remains one of the great masters of fantastic cinema. The filmmaker offered us several great genre classics, from The Thing to Fog via New York 1997 or The Den of Madness.
Among all these outstanding works, one film stands out: Christine. Made in 1983, this adaptation of Stephen King’s novel comes at a pivotal moment in Big John’s career.
After having triumphed with Fog and New York 1997, John Carpenter has just suffered the bitter failure of The Thing at the box office. This setback cost him dearly since he was simply fired from the Universal studio, which withdrew the Charlie project, another adaptation of Stephen King.
This is the cold shower for Carpenter, who must at all costs revive if he does not want to find himself blacklisted in Hollywood. Producer Richard Kobritz then approached the director to offer him Christine, under the Columbia Pictures banner.
The director reluctantly accepts Kobritz’s offer. Interviewed by SFX Magazine years later, he confided that Christine was the only film he made under duress.
“I did it for the job, the money and to be able to continue my career. All the others are personal projects”, he pointed out. The filmmaker will even admit to having been ashamed when he saw his name in large on the posters of the feature film.
However, Christine receives a very good reception from critics and the public, who love this destructive and terrifying romance between a 1958 Plymouth Fury and an uneasy young man. This car which comes to life and begins to assassinate those who harm the hero continues to fascinate the spectators.
Despite this success which revived his career, John Carpenter will continue to disavow this film. “Whether viewers find it good or bad, I know deep down that I messed it up. I was still hurt by the failure of The Thing”he hammered in 2001 in an interview with journalist Gilles Boulenger.
Although this work does not find favor in the eyes of its author, it is clear that Christine continues to exert a fascination 40 years after its release.
The story of Arnie (Keith Gordon), a young man bullied in high school who will transform himself in contact with this evil vehicle, explores themes that resonate with the heart of the public.
Toxic love, unhealthy relationship, influence… John Carpenter reappropriates Stephen King’s novel by adding a subversive dimension, all enhanced by a rock soundtrack composed by the filmmaker himself.
“I always compose after the shooting. All my pieces agree with the image which must come first. Then, most of the time, I improvise. There is no recipe.
IYou have to start at the beginning. The hardest part is getting started. I always compose my music in the chronological order of the film”confided to us the director during an interview carried out in 2018.
“My job, at that time, is to dress up the images. The music has to highlight the dramaturgy of each scene with everything necessary.
And that can’t be planned. I always start on the keyboard, since that’s the instrument I master. But, since I play the synthesizer, I can adapt it to the instrument I want by changing the sound”he specified.
Note that Carpenter’s last film released in theaters was Ghost of Mars in 2001. He signed a last direct-to-DVD feature in 2010, The Ward, before retiring. Since then, he has devoted himself to his other passion, music.
Ironically, a remake of Christine is in the works with Bryan Fuller (Showrunner of the Hannibal series) directing, all under the Blumhouse banner. The studio also produced the recent Halloween sequels, with Big John’s blessing.
“I was mainly there to give advice. Afterwards, they followed them or not. I contributed as a referent on the original story. The film is great, I am very impressed by what they have done”he revealed to us during our interview in 2018.
“Any fans of 1978 will definitely love her, especially for the performance by Jamie Lee Curtis. She’s stunning in this episode!”exclaimed the artist about the first opus, released in 2018. Two sequels will then see the light of day: Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends, expected for October 12.
In the meantime, Christine was released in cinemas in a restored 4K version on August 10.