Hear My Eyes returns with Terminator 2 featuring an all new score and live laser show.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (4K Restoration, Theatrical Cut)
Terminator 2: Judgement Day will be re-scored by acclaimed Belgian electronic artist Peter Van Hoesen and performed live in collaboration with the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS), this bold re-envisioning will be made truly multidimensional through an electrifying display by internationally renowned audio-visual artist Robin Fox. Presented at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall and Sydney’s City Recital Hall, the event will blur the boundaries between human and machine with a cinematic symphony of atmospheric sound and laser light.
Lead composer and performer: Peter Van Hoesen
On-stage musicians: MESS Synthesiser Ensemble
Laser art design and performance: Robin Fox
For this special performance, Van Hoesen will be joined by the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS) Synthesiser Ensemble, transforming Peter’s typically solo live set into an expansive 6 person ensemble piece. This collaboration sees Van Hoesen conducting and performing alongside MESS's collection of rare vintage synthesisers and modular systems, creating a unique fusion where his precision sonics meets the raw, unpredictable character of analog machinery.
Rounding out this redolent reformulation is hometown polymath, Robin Fox. Producer and synth lord in his own right, Fox is now increasingly sought after for his artistry in binding the visual and aural with his use of the ephemeral.
As we stand on the precipice of the final technological cliff, with AI increasingly occupying the quotidian plane, James Cameron’s breakout film is a piece of cinema so entertaining that its prescience can be overlooked. Beneath the film’s high NRG action run deeper themes, its brilliance stemming from the simple: the machine that is indistinguishable from a man.
When super-computer Skynet attains consciousness, like any sentient being, it moves to secure its survival, and humans in turn forfeit their humanity in acts of destruction. Machines in flesh attire and humans with steely innards question the inalienable ingredients of humanity itself. But even more pertinent in today’s warming World is this question posed in T2: are we humans pre-programmed to destroy ourselves, and can machines save us from this fate?
A masterclass in the art of casting, the two machines that share software but differ in hardware silhouette in perfect contrast. Where Arnie’s muscular robotic Austrian lilt plays into the outdated, clunkier model, Robert Patrick chills as the rebooted and refined killing machine. Linda Hamilton’s iconic Sarah Conner was an early depiction of the female body as functional rather than sex object, triggering a cascade of strong female leads who stepped out from behind their onscreen male protectors and came forward as weapons themselves.
Masterful 4K Restoration
The original 35mm film negative was scanned and meticulously restored frame-by-frame in 4K at Deluxe LA. Geoff Burdick from Lightstorm personally supervised the entire restoration process.
True-to-Original Colours
James Cameron's personal colorist, Skip, fine-tuned the film's colors at Technicolor Hollywood. The finest 35mm prints from the movie's original theatrical release served as the perfect reference, ensuring every scene looks exactly as intended.
This project was supported by VicScreen.