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THE MOVIE
Film reviewers often use the phrase "music video style" as a derogatory term, as if to imply the music style is something that should be shunned and treated as a lesser form of art. These same reviewers see a clear distinction between the cinematic art form, and that used by music video directors and artists to tell their stories. However, the work represented in this box set is that of a group of filmmakers who have employed traditionally cinematic techniques in their approach to finding a visual representation of a diverse group of musicians.
As with the Work of Directors - Boxset One, this collection is all about showcasing the work of a group of filmmakers working within the music video and commercial medium. Many of these directors have managed to cross-over onto the big screen and return to the music video while still maintaining their distinctive style. Perhaps the best example of this type of filmmaker is Mark Romanek, as his One Hour Photo is just as visually distinctive as any of his videos. Similarly, Jonathan Glazer's Birth and Sexy Beast are as different and eclectic as his collection of videos and commercials. Anton Corbijn, while in the process of filming the theatrical Ian Curtis biopic Control, is just as accomplished as a photographer as he is as a filmmaker, and is evident in his body of work. Finally, Stéphane Sednaoui - although having worked almost exclusively in the music video realm - has certainly made a distinctive set of creations over the years.
Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug (Dir: Mark Romanek, 1997)
Volume 4: Mark Romanek - Romanek is not only one of the handful of directors to push the boundaries of the cinematic art form, but has created his own distinctive visual style while doing so. Drawing influences from art, literature, photography and the music itself, Romanek fills every frame with detail without ever overshadowing the artist. Indeed, his videos perfectly complement the songs, and in some cases become the definitive image for that artist and music. A perfect example of this is Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way". One of his most recent music videos, 2004's "Hurt" for Johnny Cash - a cover of the Nine Inch Nails classic - was the last filmed by the late legend. By filling each frame with memorabilia from Cash's life, footage from his film archive and juxtaposing it with new footage of a very frail Cash, Romanek created a heart-wrenching and emotional look back at the life of a man with more than one regret. In this sense, Romanek's video not only made Trent Reznor's tune belong to Cash, but it changed the way many people viewed music videos. How often can you say that you are moved to tears in a 4-minute promotional clip? Speaking of Nine Inch Nails, one of the more famous videos on this set is "Closer". Here, Romanek further challenged the way people looked at music videos, by deliberately making the video look distressed and worn out by using a silent film crank-camera and further wearing the film down in post-production. The flashes of nudity, bondage and religious imagery indicate a lack of concern as to whether the video would ever actually be screened on MTV, separating Romanek and Trent Renzor from their contemporaries as true artists. Other highlights on the set include Beck's "Devil's Haircut"; Fiona Apple's "Criminal"; Madonna's "Bedtime Story"; the reinvention of Michael and Janet Jackson (pre-paedophilia and wardrobe malfunctions) in "Scream". With constant innovations and pushing the boundaries of what a music video should be, it is no surprise that two of his videos - the aforementioned "Closer" and "Bedtime Story" are now part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
UNKLE - Rabbit in Your Headlights (Dir: Jonathan Glazer, 1998)
Volume 5: Jonathan Glazer - While a cursory glance Glazer's music video list would give you the impression of a 'cold and alienated' outlook on life, especially the work he did with Radiohead on "Street Spirit" and "Karma Police" and his sophomore feature Birth, this presumption would ignore the whimsical attitude seen in his commercial work. His most recognisable campaigns for Guinness and Stella Artois transcend language barriers, especially one of his most recent and easily recognisable Stella Artois ads ("Last Orders") in which a son can't help but drink his father's dying request, shortly before blaming the village priest. In this sense, Glazer has perfectly mastered the art of visual story-telling, as only one line of dialogue is spoken in the entire ad (and it is the name of the product). Swinging from the simplicity of Nick Cave's "Into My Arms" to the disturbing and dramatic conclusion to UNKLE's "Rabbit in Your Headlights" video (in which a man is repeatedly struck by cars before managing to spectacularly destroy one in the process), Glazer has carved out a niche as both a visually interesting director and an eclectic one to boot!
Joy Division - Atmosphere (Dir: Anton Corbijn, 1988)
Volume 6: Anton Corbijn - Definitely the veteran director on the set, Corbijn began his career as a music photographer back in 1972 and it is for his (largely black and white) photographs that he is most famous. Corbijn became closely associated with Joy Division, although it wasn't until 1988's posthumous "Atmosphere" video that he directed one of their songs. In the meantime, Corbijn really made his mark with career collaborators Depeche Mode, for whom he directed a whopping 20 music videos (about half a dozen of which can be found on this set). Still working largely in black and white, Corbijn created another lasting collaboration with megastars U2. However, Corbijn is not someone that strictly fits inside a singular mould. Some of his colour works are also his most interesting, and clips for Nirvana ("Heart Shaped Box") and Henry Rollins ("Liar") are the ones that he is probably recognised for more recently. This set is quite comprehensive, as it covers more recent efforts such as The Killers. This last collaboration is one that shows an artist coming full circle and crossing generations. The Killers took their name from a New Order video clip, and New Order as music fans will know, is the band that rose up out of the ashes of Joy Division when Ian Curtis committed suicide. Many would say that it was Corbijn's photography that helped define the 'look' of Joy Division some twenty years earlier. Pop will eat itself indeed!
Volume 7: Stéphane Sednaoui - While his might be the least recognisable name on this list, his videos certainly won't be ones you are likely to forget. Having worked with some massive names over the years - including Tricky ("For Real"; "Pumpkin"; "Hell is Around the Corner"); the Red Hot Chili Peppers ("Scar Tissue"; "Give it Away"); REM ("Lotus"); Garbage ("Queer"); Massive Attack ("Sly") and U2 ("Mysterious Ways"; "Discotheque") - it is almost a certainty that you will have seen at least some of Sednaoui's work over the years. The French-born director began his career as a fashion and advertising photographer, and much of the flair of this work carries over into his music videos. His work with Tricky, for example, shows his penchant for composing images in an almost still-form, and manipulating them in various ways. As with all of the directors in this series, they are filmmakers first and foremost, with the commercial aspects of the work being secondary to their own unique visions. Sednaoui's work shows a tremendous visual flair that defines his style just as much as it does the look of a band or artist.
THE TRANSFER
Video:
As with the first boxset, these are presented in a non-anamorphic 4:3 ratio. Given that the majority of these videos were designed with 4:3 televisions in mind, this isn't a problem. The appropriate videos, usually the more recent ones, are letterboxed if they were filmed in a widescreen process. I suppose I could bitch and moan about the lack of an anamorphic presentation on these widescreen videos, but ultimately it doesn't detract too much.
Once again, the videos vary greatly in quality due to the age and filming processes used in the material. The earliest of these is most likely Anton Corbijn's "Dr. Mabuse" video for Propaganda (1984). More recent videos seem to be from around 2005. One of the grainiest-looking videos on this set is Corbijn's 1988 "Atmosphere" for Joy Division, although I've never seen this looking anything less than grainy. On the flip side, the often super-slick videos of Glazer and detailed moments of Romanek look fantastic in comparison, although Romanek's aforementioned 'roughing up' of something like "Closer" seems even bolder in the DVD age. I would have liked to have seen a little more remastering on "The Perfect Drug", mainly because I think it is the bee's knees, but this is a solid collection of video footage no matter which way you cut it.
Audio:
One of my standard ways to test a new stereo, set of headphones or new speakers is to pop on a copy of Nine Inch Nails' "The Perfect Drug". As you may have guessed, it is a bit of a favourite of mine. Naturally, I went straight to the Romanek set and checked out the tune. The music gets a nice Dolby Digital 2.0 mix, which makes them sound slightly better than your average bear of a CD. There is a little bit of bass that gets shuffled through the sub-woofer, but for the most part we get a clear and precise version of each of the songs on the set. There are certainly some amp-worthy tunes on here too: Radiohead; Beck's "Devil's Haircut" and Garbage's "Queer" to name but a few.
Better than a pineapple sandwich in your coat-pocket.
THE EXTRAS
As I did when reviewing the first set, given the sheer volume and variety of bonus features found on this 4-Disc set, I will take a slightly different approach to reviewing the bonus features, as is fitting for a collection that is a little bit different to start with. As such, I will give an overview of the bonus features on each disc, rather than splitting them up into categories.
Disc 1 - Mark Romanek
One of the best features on this disc are the Interviews and Commentaries on all the music videos with various artists and the director. Some of these are quite illuminating, such as Trent Reznor's discomfort of 'playing a role' in "The Perfect Drug" video, or how Fiona Apple felt 'used' for years after criticism of her suggestive video for "Criminal". Even better is The Work of Director Mark Romanek Documentary, which is a comprehensive series of interviews featuring Beck, producer Rick Rubin, REM'S Michael Stipe, Janet Jackson, Trent Reznor, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Keidis and none other than Keith "Captain Jack's Dad" Richards (and many more), talking about the director's work. Accompanied by the lighthearted Romanekian (featuring Robin Williams, Chris Rock and Ben Stiller), and a Making of 99 Problems (the video he did for Jay-Z), this is quite possibly the most comprehensive look at Romanek's work...ever!
Disc 2 - Jonathan Glazer
Given that Glazer has the fewest music videos on this set, although his commercial work certainly pads the set out considerably, the bonus features will be more substantial for many. There are the requisite Interviews and Commentaries with Nick Cave, Richard Ashcroft, Jamiroquai, Denis Lavant, 3D, Blur and James Lavelle. We are also given excerpts from both of Glazer's Films, Sexy Beast and Birth, which is a first for a Director's Label set, along with some interviews with their respective stars. For fans of Birth, this will be a great addition as there was Sweet FA on the DVD for that film. Finally, there is also a new short film featuring Paul Kaye called Tramp.
Disc 3 - Anton Corbijn
You know that you have been in the industry for quite some time when you can get names such U2, Depeche Mode, Travis, Samantha Morton, Metallica, Nick Cave, Echo and The Bunnymen, Mercury Rev, New Order, Joseph Arthur, Kurt Cobain, Herbert Grönemeyer and others to sit down for Interviews and Commentaries about the director. It isn't always smiles and roses, with Nick Cave not particularly liking his clip and Lars Ulrich of Metallica verbally wanking (not that I was terribly surprised). Covering some of the same ground is the NotNa documentary, which runs about 40 minutes. Here we get an impression of Corbijn's life and career, and it is a testament to this true artist as to just how many respected musicians have only good things to say about him. In an eclectic collection of Stuff, featuring early films; MTV promos for Beck and Dave Grohl (the latter being of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame, and if you didn't know that you deserve to be flogged with a dead fish until you bleed cod liver oil); live Depeche Mode footage; the 'making of' U2's "Electrical Storm" and quite possibly the strangest thing on the set, an interview with a screen-projected David Lynch to Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart) via Corbijn. Yes, strange indeed...
Disc 4 - Stéphane Sednaoui
Last, but in no way the least, Mr. Sednaoui's bonus selections are also quite groovy. That said, this is the one DVD that is missing individual commentary tracks on the videos. In lieu of a commentary track, we get a 40-minute documentary, similar to the approach on the Michel Gondry DVD. However, unlike that excellent career-spanning (two part) doco, this one is a little bit lacking. The 20-minute Q & A at the New York University with the director offers a little bit more insight, and will provide more interesting fodder for students of film. Perhaps more interesting for fans are the addition short films, such as the animated version of ex-girlfriend Björk's "Army of Me" (found on the Michel Gondry DVD) or the film of Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side". Other inclusions, such as "Reve Reche," Sednaoui's first attempt at a short film, will be absolute gems for fans.
Booklets
Each DVD, with the exception of the bonus disc, is accompanied by an outstanding 52-page booklet. These contain photos, behind the scenes shots, storyboards, interviews and other bonuses. All of them are valuable additions to any music fan's collection by themselves, and accompanying these DVDs it makes this a just about perfect set of extras.
SUMMARY
Taken together with the first Work of Directors box set, these DVDs represent some of the finest filmed output of the last 30-odd years. This group of artists are some of the most interesting working in the film medium, for music videos or otherwise, today. Perhaps the only disappointments come from not including more of their work, as there are a few notable exceptions on the various discs, such as 14 of Depeche Mode's videos from Corbijn, or Sednaoui's "Today" video for The Smashing Pumpkins. That said, these sets are intended to give people a career overview of the various directors represented, and serve as an example of their unique points of view. In that respect, they succeed brilliantly.
What does the future hold? More I hope! It would be great to see names such as David Fincher, Hype Williams, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (who have had a great measure of success recently with Little Miss Sunshine), Mark Pellington, Floria Sigismondi or Jonas Åkerlund appear on future sets. Time will tell!
Highly recommended.
Richard can presently be found typing away at his computer listening to Nine Inch Nails repeatedly, and updating his other site, the HKDL Source - The Premiere Hong Kong Disneyland fan site.
Don't fear him, he's just inside your head. |
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