Search - Director's Series Vol. 6 - Work of Director Anton Corbijn on DVD

A genius in photography, talent to spare on music video

WilM. | Republics of TX & Guatemala | 06/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

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THE WORK OF DIRECTOR ANTON CORBIJN
Music Videos
Propaganda - Dr. Mabuse
David Sylvian - Red Guitar
Echo and The Bunnymen - Seven Seas
Golden Earring - Quiet Eyes
Echo and The Bunnymen - The Game
Depeche Mode - Behind the Wheel
Joy Division - Atmosphere
Joni Mitchell with Peter Gabriel - My Secret Place
Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
U2 - One (director's cut)
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Straight to You
Depeche Mode - Walking in My Shoes
Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box
Henry Rollins - Liar
Metallica - Hero of the Day
Metallica - Mama Said
Depeche Mode - Barrel of a Gun
Depeche Mode - It's No Good
Herberg Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders
Mercury Rev - Opus 40
Mercury Rev - Goddess on a Hiway
Joseph Arthur - In the Sun
Herberg Grönemeyer - Mensch
U2 - Electrical Storm
Travis - Re-Offender
The Killers - All the Things That I¹ve Done

Stuff
Beck and Dave Grohl - MTV Promos
U2 - The making of 'Electrical Storm'
Some YoYo Stuff - Excerpt from a film about Don van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart
Travis - Love Will Come Through (A home made video with Fran Healy)
Depeche Mode - 'It's No Good' tour projections
Palais Schaumberg - Hockey (Anton's first music video)
Front 242 - Front by Front
NotNa - A documentary about Anton

Interviews and Commentaries
With 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.

52 Page Book
Includes Anton's photos and drawings.
"

Introspective Journey

Rebecca Johnson | Washington State | 10/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""I know I would apologize if I could see your eyes
cause when you showed me myself I became someone else
But I was caught in between all you wish for and all you need"
~Joseph Arthur, In The Sun

Anton Corbijn's work has an element of introspection as opposed to visual overwhelm. In this collection you may notice the black-and-white grainy backgrounds with crimson highlights. His work is instantly recognizable and he is famous for photographing a long list of entertainers, including Miles Davis and Michael Stipe. He is known for his unique visions, like the Coldplay "Talk" music video.

This DVD includes "Red Guitar," where we find David Sylvian embracing a rich symbolism through Anton Corbijn's art in motion. You can truly feel the mingling of his mind with the ideas in David Sylvian's song and he captures peaceful images to highlight the beauty of David's voice. He seems to draw on mythology and images that represent the life of the soul.

U2's "Electrical Storm" is featured and there is a behind the scenes look at how the music video was filmed. Lovers fight as tension builds and then there is a breathlessly beautiful scene of kissing in a bathtub set near the ocean and fireworks all over the sky. Bono makes an appearance later talking about his experiences working with Anton Corbijn. I loved the purity of his voice as he sings "One." His voice was so ecstatic in this sepia toned director's cut. The beauty of his voice comes through with a brilliance of clarity like I've never heard it before. Truly stunning and gives you shivers!

Heart-Shaped Box is supremely colorful and the most expensive music video he made due to the time it took to add color to the black-and-white film. Kurt Cobain talks about how Anton's ideas were very similar to the vision he had for the video.

I loved Joseph Arthur's "In The Sun" with the red beach umbrella and the focus on a book he reads as he walks and rips out pages. When watching so many videos all at once, you start to notice similarities in ideas, like many have books with pages being ripped out and this seems to be symbolic of always absorbing experiences and then moving on to new inspiration.

Many of the videos have a similar trajectory with very different results. There is at times a story within the mood that propels the images forward towards their individual destinies. The images never move too fast and are captured at a pleasing pace so you can focus on the ideas instead of a blur of images. This poetic way of looking at filming brings in an artistic edge that allows you to relax into the emotions and images in a way that is often difficult in "many" of today's fast-paced music videos that focus on shock value and sex appeal instead of poetic sensuality and artistic beauty.

Throughout the videos we find kings wandering through pristine landscapes searching for tranquility and peace, poetic lyrics expressing the need for understanding while birds skate on what I assume to represent "thin ice." The concept of everyone being human and the similarity of experience within a unique expression seems prevalent in many videos. "Quiet Eyes" is entertaining due to the use of "stripes" which I guess makes a play on another word you could say is featured in the video.

A 56-page book is included with pictures presented in a scrapbook format with Anton's writing around the photographs. Here he explains why he started to film music videos and gives the reader an inside take on what inspired the way he filmed the videos.

I love the cozy chat with Anton Corbijn and how all the artists spoke of their experience with being filmed and photographed in such a positive way. Anton Corbijn seems to have connected on a level where artists could put their life in his hands and he would give them the gift of his amazing talents.

"You're in my mind all of the time
I know that's not enough
If the sky can crack, there must be some way back
To love and only love..."
~Bono, Electric Storm

~The Rebecca Review
"

A Great Compilation of Anton's Video Work

David R. Burton | Boston, MA USA | 11/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm sure that he's probably more famous for his photography than most of the video work that he's done; Anton seems to be a lesser known director in the genre. And while some people may talk about guys like Mark Romanek, Spike Jonze, or Mike Mills, Anton deserves his name at the top of the list, too.

Like his photography, Anton has a definite knack for capturing a moment and making it count. Preferring the most basic of color schemes in his videos (vs making them flashy, busy, etc), he's able to emphasize one object, person, or action with a remarkable intensity. Several of the videos featured on this disc, including U2's One, Joy Division's Atmosphere, his work with Depeche Mode, and even Mercury Rev's Goddess on a Highway are genuine works of art. He's had the ability to work with some great acts, even if some of them will be relatively obscure to American audiences.

The extras and interviews are quality, although I would have liked to hear more from Anton himself. Even his shorts are worthwhile watching; they definitely build a bit of excitement about his Ian Curtis biopic in progress.

Anton's work can contain rather dark imagery at times, but there's always some undertone that seems to clash with this theme, a light from darkness. From the red flowers in Nirvana's In Utero to the mixed themes of mourning and celebration, birth and death...if anyone isn't familiar with his work, I highly recommend this compilation -- especially for the fans of his photography.

Anton may be underrated by some, but he's one of my personal favorites in the visual art world and quite possibly one of the most talented.

"

Making music visual

Author Brian Wallace (Mind Transmis | Texas | 01/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to add much to the infinite praise that's justifiably been heaped on this genius. Essentially he started out like so many of us as a huge music fan, followed his passion with great determination and created a unique niche: the uncanny ability to get to the core of what a band is really all about and synthesize this vision through powerful visual media. He's a true visionary who has empowered us to see our bands through the proper lens."