In 'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch,' Should You Pick Tangerine Dream Or Tomita?
Barely a day has passed since the arrival of Bandersnatch, the latest iteration of the popular Black Mirror series. From the moment it arrived simultaneously worldwide on Netflix, subscribers and fans of Charlie Brooker's oft-dystopian sci-fi series dove into the choose-your-own-adventure style movie, directing its various options and exploring its twisty plot.
At first recalling series favorite San Junipero for its apparent throwback 1980s setting, the UK-set story follows an aspiring young programmer named Stefan in his attempt to create a video game based on a complex book written by a mysterious novelist. But what makes Bandersnatch different essentially from the start is its interactivity, presenting the viewer with options that direct where the narrative leads. Some of the choices appear benign, such as the selection of the protagonist's sugary breakfast cereal, while others prove anxiety-inducing and grave. Warning: some spoilers follow below.
One such decision--and, indeed, where one of the most innovative aspects of Bandersnatch lies--comes from the selection of music. This occurs at two points in the story, the first coming early on during a double-decker bus ride to a business meeting with video game company Tuckersoft. Looking at his walkman, Stefan holds two cassette tapes, one by the Thompson Twins and the other a Now That's What I Call Music compilation. If the viewer selects the former, they are treated to the new wave ballad "Hold Me Now," which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the UK Singles Charts. If they instead choose the latter, it plays The Eurythmics' "Here Comes The Rain Again," a synthpop classic which peaked at No. 4 in the US and No. 8 in the UK.
In execution, picking which tape Stefan listens to in his headphones feels gimmicky at best, a slight diversion that provides a brief bit of enjoyment while hinting at the power the viewer may wield not long thereafter. Yet the second musical choice given to the viewer does far more than press play. Instead, their decision resonates more-or-less throughout the remainder of the film.
Following the Tuckersoft meeting, Stefan receives a list of music recommendations from the company's top games designer, which he then takes with him to a WH Smith location. Intended to inspire him as he writes his own game, the listing features artists like Bauhaus and The Cure. After thumbing through the vinyl bins, ultimately Stefan holds two records out for purchase consideration: Tangerine Dream's Phaedra and Isao Tomita's The Bermuda Triangle.
For those unfamiliar with the options, here's a little bit of background. Both albums are from 1970s electronic music pioneers whose works have galvanized generations of composers and producers. Founded in Germany by Edgar Froese in 1967, Tangerine Dream recorded dozens of synthesizer-driven records, including scores for movies like William Friedkin's Sorcerer and Michael Mann's Thief. Japanese composer Isao Tomita put out numerous albums of electronic music, some of which featured radical reinterpretations of classical favorites.
Both Phaedra and The Bermuda Triangle rank among the highlights of the respective artists' careers, though the former did exceptionally better in the UK and charted there for 15 weeks with a No. 15 peak. Either one of these instrumental outings would arguably make a fine purchase, in real life or in Bandersnatch. Yet whichever one the viewer chooses takes on a near-ubiquitous role from that point on, soundtracking most of the movie's remaining scenes. Rather than simply playing out cutely in a scene like the Thompson Twins vs. Eurythmics decision, this divergence point determines many of the musical cues and motifs behind the rest of Stefan's story.
From Hollywood blockbusters and awards season fare to indie flicks and low-budget romps, scores matter a great deal in cinema. The soundtracks and sounds that populate a movie contribute to its overall narrative, amplifying characters' actions and prompting emotional responses in watchers. Some cinephiles say that swapping out the music for a film with an entirely different one makes for a decidedly different viewing experience. The YouTube era brought us an example of this with the recut trailer phenomenon, where new content creators repurposed existing movie preview clips to change the context and even the genre of the originals, often with humorous results.
Thus, a Bandersnatch viewer's in-movie perspective, along with their memories afterwards, hinges on whether they pick Tangerine Dream or Tomita. Though both albums reside in the same broad genre category, their respective characters are quite different. Largely heavy handed with analog electronics, 1974's Phaedra follows a certain structural framework based in no small way on the Moog synthesizer at its core. Conversely, 1978's The Bermuda Triangle boasts a more orchestral approach, rising and falling with classical dramatic flair and enchanting ambient passages.
Knowing this, and keeping in mind that choices in Bandersnatch can sometimes have deadly consequences, many may be wondering if or how their soundtrack choice impacts the pathways or the range of outcomes. Over quite a few hours hunched over a laptop in an otherwise darkened room last night, I explored both musical pathways, starting with Phaedra and then, upon reaching a hard ending with credits sequences, began the movie all over again and chose The Bermuda Triangle instead. In both instances, I arrived at the same choice points and witnessed same possible endings.
While open to the idea that there may be other very subtle or as yet unseen consequences of choosing Phaedra over The Bermuda Triangle (and vice-versa) during subsequent viewings, it seems safe to say that the Bandersnatch story and its narrative paths aren't affected by Stefan's vinyl purchase. Beyond its truly novel approach of letting viewers decide what the movie sounds like, it won't block any of the subsequent outcomes--so choose however you see fit.
One last thing: on the Easter Egg front, there's at least one decision in the game that reveals a new song and another ending that calls back to a familiar scene with a new musical twist. But like so much of what makes Bandersnatch so entertaining, it's a lot more fun to experience than to be told.