To allow you to dive into the rich sonic world of Blank Narcissus (Passion of the Swamp), here we present two playlists inspired by the film, its sexy melancholy and 1970s NYC setting.
First, director Peter Strickland’s playlist, much of which is classical, French ballet. Despite what you might call their disreputable streak, many of the directors of 1970s gay porn – the antecedents of Blank Narcissus (Passion of the Swamp) – wallowed in classical music in their filmmaking. And so this playlist begins with Romantic music by French composer Léo Delibes used in the film and ends on a disco high with the near-7-minute version of Dennis Parker’s ode to cruising in New York, Like an Eagle, penned by his lover and Village People creator Jacques Morali. The remaining songs are not taken specifically from any film, but evoke the heady atmosphere of Blank Narcissus (Passion of the Swamp) and all the stricken memories of lost lovers it evokes:
And second, we at Prototype have respectfully curated our own little setlist. Think of it as our spin on the vibe of 1970s underground cinema, NYC, decrepit theatres with two people in them, disco discards and the general bittersweet flavour of Blank Narcissus (Passion of the Swamp):
Please: enjoy, fantasise, dream away.