- Actors: Carl Antolin, Aphex Twin, Sigtryggur Baldursson, Robert Ball, Stephen Ball
- Directors: Chris Cunningham, Lance Bangs
- Producers: Lance Bangs, Cindy Burnay, Derrin Schlesinger, Mary Calderwood, Nicholas D. Wrathall
- Format: PAL
- Language English
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: Exempt
- Studio: Vital
- DVD Release Date: 1 Dec 2003
- Run Time: 83 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B0000DK4OP
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 17,196 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Work of Director Chris Cunningham, like the other volumes in the acclaimed Director's Series (Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry) offers a feast of visual ingenuity, with one major difference: unlike the relatively playful brightness of Jonze and Gondry, Cunningham wants to involve you in his nightmares. From the urban monstrosities of Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy" to the limb-shattering weirdness of Leftfield's "Afrika Shox", Cunningham's music videos emphasise the freakish and the bizarre, but they are also arrestingly beautiful and otherworldly, as in the aquatic effects used for Portishead's "Only You", combining underwater movements with ominous urban landscapes.
Some of Cunningham's shock effects are horrifically effective (his 'flex" video installation, excerpted here with music by Aphex Twin, is as disturbing as anything conjured by David Cronenberg), while others are cathartic or, in the case of Aphex Twin's "Windowlicker", outrageously amusing. And while the eerie elegance of Madonna's "Frozen" arose from a chaotic production, the signature work in this collection is clearly Björk's "All Is Full of Love", a masterfully simple yet breathtaking vision of intimacy involving advanced robotics and seamless CGI composites. In these and other videos, Cunningham advances a unique aesthetic, infusing each video and commercial he makes with a dark, occasionally gothic sensibility. That these frequently nightmarish visions are also infectiously hypnotic is a tribute to Cunningham's striking originality. --Jeff Shannon
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Like other reviewers, I am a *huge* fan of Chris Cunninghams work. I was initially introduced to it through hearing Aphex Twin's audio assault, "Come To Daddy" after hearing it on the film 8mm. I immediately purchased the tune, and at the same time saw the video perched behind the counter in my record shop.
After this I searched the web, scouring what information I could, but thanks to this amazing DVD you won't have to spend the hours I put in - just sit back, relax, and ensure you're sitting in front of a large screen with loud speakers.
My personal favourites have to be mentioned, simply for the power they include. Squarepushers "Come On My Selector" is pick of the bunch for me - not just because I love this type of music, but because of the obvious effort thrown into editing the fight scenes with each part of the chopped up breakbeat driving the scene, Cunningham including lengthy introductions or extra scenes into the track without throwing it off-centre. In particular, notice the japanese cast speaking english (watch their mouths), dubbed over in Japanese, with english subtitles - sheer genius.
Aphex Twins, "Come To Daddy" comes in second with its heavyweight assault on both ears and eyes. Like many, I find this video scary and hilarious at the same time, in particular for little notes like "This is Techno" scrawled behind two aphex-children fighting - not least of all the creepy screaming demon that ejects itself from the cursed television.
Not only do you get music videos, but a range of associated material. Most people will have seen the Nissan "Engine" advert, or the Playstations "Mental Wealth" promo, both these and more also the work of Cunningham. Personally, I look forward to seeing "Flex", which I missed at the time.
In short, this looks to be a superb portfolio of work, and something you'll come to time and time again, both for yourself and to show any friends that come to visit. Fantastic.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Video directors are a dime a dozen, and only few are able to distinguish themselves with any trace of personality. But Chris Cunningham is among the most talented and the most distinguished. His images are harsh, disturbing, yet elegant, and they wonderfully compliment the music these videos promote. This DVD is a collection of not only his videos, but it also has a collection of short films, commercials, and other clips. The picture quality is amazingly sharp, and the music is presented in a booming 2-channel stereo soundtrack. The highlights? Apex Twin's spooky "Come to Daddy" (banned on MTV) and the hilarious "Windowlicker" show Cunningham at the top of his game (the bleeped version of the latter video is also on this DVD, but make no mistake: my favorite is the original, cuss words and all). Drum-and-bass kings Squarepusher's "Come on My Selector" is an interesting clip set inside a Japanese psychiatric ward, and Leftfield's "Afrika Shok," which features a man who slowly dismembers himself, is quite bothersome yet well made. But one of my very favorite clips is the promo for the PlayStation video game "Mental Wealth." In this weird commercial, Cunningham features a Scottish girl whose face is eerily distorted to resemble a cross between Bjork and a space alien. It's bizarre and brilliant at the same time. Another standout is the clip "Flex" which is simply wonderful. Many complain that this isn't the full version, but I didn't care. All said, this is a hugely entertaining DVD collection for those who aren't fainthearted and have a taste for the alternative. You'll be shocked, amazed, and even disturbed, but one thing is for sure: you won't be bored.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Work of Director . . . trilogy is a cracking idea, and each DVD is pretty well realised. While the Gondry and Jonze collections are, as to be expected, 100% entertaining, there's a cartoonish element to their work which, while making the music vids instantly accessible, they don't come near the impact Chris Cunningham's work creates.
Like virtually everybody else, Windowlicker and Come to Daddy provided my intro to Cunningham's work. A pretty terrifying intro initially, these are still videos that you can't get out of your head.
With all his well documented technical know how (peaking with All is Full of Love to date), Cunningham's videos have a stark feel to them which completely distinguishes them from other music video directors. It's a mark of his range that you could even view the 'Leftfield' video as being a little 'safe'. In case you haven't seen it, it involves a zombie running around NY, while bits of him break off.
The only downside is that the accompanying booklet, while great, points out several pieces of work by Cunningham that aren't on the DVD, although there are stills in the booklet. What's going on there?
Small quibble aside, a must have DVD for anyone with a passing interest in music videos. Apparently Cunningham has just got lottery backing to film a full length picture, so hopefully this will mark a renaissance in his work, as far as output is concerned.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
CHRIS CUNNINGHAM IS GOD
I remember seeing Come To Daddy and it blew me away,my brain unable to compute the mind blowing visuals. Read more
Published 13 months ago by mister joe
The Work Of Director Chris Cunningham
This man is a visionary.... a truly amazing mind.... In the same series, check out Michel Gondry, Mark Romanek, Stephane Sedanoui... In-fact the whole series is amazing
Published on 8 Dec 2008 by Mr. G. Vranjkovic
Visionary
I've talked to friends who have berated music videos as being a distraction from the essence of music-making, ie the sound. Read more
Published on 2 Aug 2005 by L. St David
wooahh
this DVD is quite simply sublime...
I had not heard much of the director although a fan of the music on the product, as i am an uber trip-hop fan. Read more
I had not heard much of the director although a fan of the music on the product, as i am an uber trip-hop fan. Read more
Published on 26 Dec 2004 by "nerve_ending_schism"
Good but doesn't do a proper job
This DVD is certainly worth having for the music videos alone, however it misses out so much, particulary with the non-music video related content. Read more
Published on 20 Mar 2004 by Scott
Darker Than A Dark Thing
This is a fantastic collection of work by one of the most exciting artists of our time. His vision and style are really unique, and each of the projects on this dvd are a credit to... Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2004
Inspiring brilliance
I have been a HUGE fan of Chris Cunninghams work since I first saw Windowlicker/Come To Daddy years ago...I just instantly - like Bjork said - Became humble. You just think.. Read more
Published on 17 Feb 2004 by M. F. Hay
Come on my selector!
This is some messed up video. I never imagined that there was a mind that could possibly be this warped, but then again, check the liner notes. Read more
Published on 21 Jan 2004 by Mr. G. C. Cutter
poor
My expectations about this dvd were very high, but I was a bit disappointed finding its content very poor and being it that expensive!
Published on 19 Jan 2004 by isotta
lunatic/genius
As soon as I saw that 'All Is Full Of Love' could be got on dvd I knew I had to get this disc. It really is worth buying just for that one video.. Read more
Published on 31 Dec 2003
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