words by eric bergemann
London-based director Chris Cunningham has created some of the most provocative and visually stunning images in music video history, winning numerous awards in recent years. Now the just-launched Director's Label Series assembles his work in one place -- aptly titled The Work of Director Chris Cunningham. Representing Cunningham's best music video, commercial, and film work, this special edition DVD features groundbreaking musicians such as Autechre, Squarepusher, Portishead, Leftfield, Madonna, Afrika Bambaata and Bjšrk.
The darkest of the Director's Label auteurs (Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry are the others), Cunningham has a penchant for moody and disquieting imagery. In his award-winning video "Come to Daddy" for Richard James (better known as Aphex Twin), Cunningham creates a desolate housing project peopled by sadistic children, all wearing James' face. He replicates the technique for an unnerving send-up of clichéd Southern California hip-hop videos in another Aphex Twin song, "Windowlicker." In PortisheadÕs "Only You," singer Beth Gibbons and a young boy float eerily in dark alleyways, twitching and drifting in time to the music. Tension builds in Leftfield's "Africa Shox," where a man's frantic dash through the streets of New York literally breaks him apart.
Cunningham exhibits a blackly humorous touch in Squarepusher's "Come On My Selector," which follows a little girl and her dog through a Japanese insane asylum, while his video for Madonna's "Frozen" sets a remarkable visual mood with black animal forms flowing into one another. Perhaps his most moving and technically innovative video is Björk's "All is Full of Love," an intensely private scene of two robots falling in love as one creates the other, piece by piece.
In addition to music videos, The Work of Director Chris Cunningham includes highlights of Cunningham's film work, including an excerpt from his short "Flex," depicting two human bodies locked in visceral, sexual combat, and a video installation entitled "Monkey Drummer," featuring a monkey/machine/human amalgam pounding away on a drum set. Also featured are some of the most original commercials ever produced for Nissan, Levi's and Sony Playstation.
Especially revealing is the DVD's behind-the-scenes look at the making of Björk's "All is Full of Love." Personal interviews with Björk provide insight into the workings of this complex and creative director. A 52-page booklet gives further details about the production of each video.
The ingenuity and dark beauty of Cunningham's images will make your head spin, and any music fan who appreciates visual art should definitely pick up this DVD. It's hard to believe that a selection of short music videos can evoke the best of sci-fi, horror and anime, but Cunningham delivers with technical prowess that leaves you wondering how he did it. YouÕll have a hard time believing heÕs only been directing since '95 'cause everything on this DVD is quality, quality, quality.
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Second Bad Vilbel
Autechre Come To Daddy
Aphex Twin Only You
Portishead Frozen
Madonna Afrika Shox
Leftfield feat. Afrika Bambaataa Come On My Selector
Squarepusher Windowlicker
Aphex Twin All Is Full Of Love
Bjork Making All Is Full Of Love
Featuring behind the scenes footage and interview with Bjork and Chris Cunningham
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