Interview: Nocturno Culto

Some of you might know Nocturno Culto from his Darkthrone fame, but today I received a pleasant email with the replies to my questions on his film The Misanthrope. If you haven’t watched, rented, downloaded or stolen this film then do yourself a favour and get a copy now because it’s more than you deserve.

DVD Holocaust: Could you please tell us how the idea for The Misanthrope came about?

Nocturno Culto: Sure, this has been an idea I had for many years. It’s important to point out that Darkthrone has been my life for 20 years, and vast nature has always been a source of inspiration for this band and myself.

DVDH: Considering that the film is very true to cinema verite style and that you are not a 'director', were there any films or filmmakers who influenced your film, or is film something you’re not that interested in?

NC: I’m interested in good film, and there are quiet many of them. I would say no one really inspired me in the making of The Misanthrope. I remember after hours and hours of editing, the raw-material, I was starting to putting things together, and thought: “Is anyone going to understand this?”. I knew I was taking risks with the whole project, not in the terms of money, since this is very low-budget, but in people losing the last respect they had towards me, heh, well, I could not do it in any other way. Is it a road-movie? I don’t know, but it definitely says something about how I live my life.

DVDH: One thing I really liked about the Misanthrope was that there was no real sense of a conventional documentary and that so many different creative elements blended so gracefully together. Usually such nonlinear and unconventional films can be quite harsh and ostracizing to certain viewers. Is it important to you that the audience comes away satisfied with understanding what they've just seen?

NC: No, not on this one. Because I knew this was going to be a far out strange piece of film. I knew also that there actually is some people out there that would catch the feeling of the film and appreciate it. So far away from mainstream you can get…almost.

DVDH: Do you have any response to the criticisms from the hordes of ‘OG’ Darkthrone fans who have stated on metal forums things like: The Misanthrope was too "artsy" or boring simply because it didn't include drunken or typical westernized band antics - considering that you stated the film is "indispensable for all followers of Darkthrone"?

NC: First of all, I did not state "indispensable for all followers of Darkthrone", the record company did. Second, I don’t even slightly take “forums” seriously, since all they do ALWAYS is complaining, they should go out and be creative themselves and save the world from bad music/films etc. I don’t understand their world and they do not understand mine, I’m glad we can conclude like this.

DVDH: I think the versatility of the film is great, I know many people who enjoyed the film and are not Darkthrone or Black Metal fans. I think it’s a credit to your ability to take people on a journey who are not interested in where you are coming from and entertain them, did you have this audience in mind when making the film?

NC: Yes I had, and thanks for asking. The ability to make this interesting to a wider audience, was something I always had in the back of my head. It’s not a contemporary film, and in Darkthrone we do not make contemporary music. This always leads to bad criticism, but believe me, it will last longer.

DVDH: Apart from the scenes in the forest was there any home footage you shot intending to use in the film?

NC: Not really, the focus was always to shoot for the film, and I have many many hours of raw material that was never used.

DVDH: Did you have screenings of the film at all and if so how was it received?

NC: Yeah, we did have a screening exactly one year ago in Oslo. There was friends, journalists and so on, and the audience that day was superb, I’ll never forget it. But if I could decide back then, there would be no screening. I don’t like to travel, just stay in my mountains.

DVDH: Do you plan on creating any more films in this style or venturing into a fully fictionalized film?

NC: I have some vague plans for taking this to a different level. Story driven stuff, very little conversation, but effective and strange. I would really like to do that, I even have a quite detailed plan for it and got myself a partner or two to help me out.

DVDH: If you are aware of any, what have the best and worst criticisms of the film been?

NC: Don’t know. Sorry, I’m just so badly updated on what’s going on. No wait, I read a review in connection to this interview, that was awesome!! Dvdholocaust.com it was. Nice.

DVDH: Is there anything you would like to add?

NC: Well, I appreciate the attention towards my film, and thanks a lot for the interview. Feels nice to this after one year, when the smoke has cleared!!!

A big thanks to Nocturno Culto for taking the time out to answer these questions. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Misanthrope you can do so by clicking here. If you still need convincing then you can read my review for the film here.