Over
the last ten years, Michel has gone from being a small child with a
vivid imagination and parents who don't beleive in disipline, to one of
the most sought after and respected directors of his times - some would
even say a visionary. Throughout the mammoth amount of work on
display on the two sides of this DVD (Gondry states at the start of the
disc that he "..Opted for quantity as quality fades") Gondry covers
every aspect of his progression - and regression - as a film maker. It's
not until you actually sit down and watch the DVD, that you realise
that one man is responsible for so many classic videos. Remember the
White Stripes clip with the Lego? - Gondry! Remember Kylie's "Come Into
My World" clip? - Gondry! That trippy Foo Fighters "Everlong"
clip....GONDRY! The clips are bizarre, but then again, so is the
director. He has a warped mind, even more warped nightmares and a
bizarre way at looking at the human condition (his theory on why humans
have continued to support the idea of marriage - so you have someone to
cuddle after waking up from a bad dream - is bizzarre, yet quite
feasable). However, his genius shines through in that he is able to
take these complex thought processes and put them on film. The
documentary which features on the DVD, "I've Been Twelve Forever", is a
facinating look inside Gondry's world, and gives a rare insight into
the meaning and trickery involved in some of his most outstanding video
clips. From discovering how the perfectly choreographed Daft Punk
"Around The World" clip used each group of dancers to represent an
individual instrument (Eg: The Mummies represent beat, the Athletes
represent the Baseline, the skeletons represent the Guitar), to the
finally understanding the epic storyline of Bjork's "Bachelorette" -
there is so much to learn. Looking back at many of the clips (1987-2003), many people may scoff and say "I've seen that effect done in The Matrix
whats so special about this?". The thing is, most of the modern
technics used in Hollywood today were pioneered by Gondry long before
they were commonplace. This is a must for anyone with a love of
music, a love of philosophy, a love of art and a love of film. There is
so much to take in and will make you never look at a humble video clip
in the same way again. EXTRAS
Easily one of the most jam packed DVDs I've ever encountered (and one of the last of the A Side/B Side DVD formats). Along
with the stack of video clips, there are some amazing examples of
Gondry's early short film work, and other pet projects - one which
involves Jim Carrey driving a bed on a freeway and another involving Arressted Development's David Cross as a piece of human faeces that won't leave it's owner alone are brilliantly absurd. Another
superb inclusion is the 52 Colour page booklet which tells of numerous
behind the scenes stories, storyboards, childhood memories, celebrity
encounters and rare interviews. He is a facinating man, who may not ever be understood - even by himself. Conclusion:
Movie 90% Extras: 90%
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