The Work of Director Chris Cunningham (2003) (V)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Directors:

Chris Cunningham
Lance Bangs

Release Date:

22 October 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Short | Music

Plot Keywords:

Music Video | Electronic Music | Experimental Film

Cast

Carl Antolin	...	Security guard (segment "Come on My Selector")
Aphex Twin	...	Himself (segments "Come to Daddy" and "Windowlicker")
Sigtryggur Baldursson	...	The Drummer (segment "Monkey Drummer")
Robert Ball	...	Boy (segment "Only You")
Stephen Ball	...	Body Double (segment "Only You")
Afrika Bambaataa	...	Car park attendant (segment "Afrika Shox")
William Baraket	...	Businessman (segment "Afrika Shox")
Björk	...	Herself (segments "All is Full of Love" and "Making All is Full of Love")
Gary Cruz	...	Homie (segment "Windowlicker")
Chris Cunningham	...	Himself (segment "Making All is Full of Love")
Brian Friedman	...	Lead Dancer (segment "Windowlicker")
Beth Gibbons	...	Herself (segment "Only You") (as Portishead)
Steve Gibbons	...	Extra (segment "Afrika Shox")
Misty Greer	...	Extra (segment "Afrika Shox")
Junix Inocian	...	Security guard (segment "Come on My Selector")
Coral Lorne	...	Old Lady (segment "Come to Daddy")
Madonna	...	Herself (segment "Frozen")
Nikki McInness	...	(segment "Come to Daddy")
Heather McKenney	...	Extra (segment "Afrika Shox")
Marcus Morris	...	Homie (segment "Windowlicker")
Takatsuna Mukai	...	Security guard (segment "Come on My Selector")
Rick Poli	...	Extra (segment "Afrika Shox")
Kiran Shah	...	(segment "Come to Daddy")
Al Stokes	...	Thin Man (segment "Come to Daddy")
Tony Tang	...	Security guard (segment "Come on My Selector")
Jim Tosney	...	Businessman (segment "Afrika Shox")

Runtime:

USA:30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Company:

Black Dog Films

Trivia:

On the video select menu on the DVD, the loud sounds are samples from each music video. When a video is selected the sounds stop one by one until only a sample of the chosen video remains.

Soundtrack:

Come To Daddy

Essential collection of music videos from one of the world's most exciting directors

Anyone the least bit familiar with Chris Cunningham's work - music videos including Aphex Twin's 'Come To Daddy' and 'Windowlicker', Bjork's 'All Is Full Of Love' and Leftfield's 'Africa Shox', among others - will gladly acknowledge that the man is a genius. While other promo directors are willing to co-operate with record companies to produce generic fare to sell singles, Cunningham is in a world of his own. Artists come to him because they KNOW that he will create something original and unique.

Cunningham came to the attention of the world with his video for Aphex Twin's 'Come To Daddy', the best music video ever made. Only Cunningham himself has come close to topping it. The video, shot on a council estate in England, didn't feature sex, or violence, or the usual things that get videos banned. No, it was the sheer intensity of it's futuristic nightmare imagery that got it relegated to the graveyard slot on MTV. Despite that, his reputation was sealed as the most intelligent and provocative music video director in the world, raising the medium to the level of art.

'Come To Daddy' is included here in all it's glory, with a beautiful transfer, featuring 5.1 Surround. Of course, 'Come To Daddy' isn't the only reason to get this DVD. Eight videos in total are included, including the mangaesque, drill 'n' bass mayhem of Squarepusher's 'Come On My Selector', which comes across as a frantic live-action Akira, and is probably Cunningham's funniest video. His second video with Aphex Twin, 'Windowlicker', is here, an amazing parody of rap video and Busby Berkeley. Portishead's 'Only You', shot underwater is also excellent, but admittedly drags on a bit, though that could stem from my disliking the song.

'Africa Shox' is probably Cunningham's most politicised video, featuring a black man literally disintegrating as he runs through the streets of New York City, while onlookers ignore him. Bjork's 'All Is Full Of Love, aka 'the one with the lesbian robots' was Cunningham's last video before he moved on to other projects. Here's hoping he doesn't give them up for good.

The videos for Autechre's 'Second Bad Vilbel' and Madonna's 'Frozen' are disappointing when compared with the other videos on the disc. The Madonna shoot was apparently hampered by record company interference, and Cunningham admits that his lack of experience on 'Second Bad Vilbel' (his first music video) led to poor results. That said, they still make 99.9% of videos look like dross, and only Michel Gondry and, to a lesser extent, Spike Jonze, can boast videos as creative as those two.

The extra material on the disc is disappointing, when compared to the other releases in this series. Two video installations are included, one is mildly funny ('Monkey Drummer'), and the other is an excellent video art piece ('flex'). Several of Cunningham's TV ads showcase further his warped imagination, and there is a short 'making-of' on the Bjork video. Most disappointing is the 50 page booklet with stills, and an interview with Cunningham, disappointing because audio commentaries would have been more appropriate.

But there really isn't any need to complain, as the opportunity to own some of the greatest music videos ever made should be taken up by both music and cinema fans alike.