The Work of Director Chris Cunningham (Video 2003)

Directors:

Chris Cunningham, Lance Bangs

Stars:

Fiona Maclaine, Carl Antolin, Aphex Twin

Cast

Credited cast:
Fiona Maclaine	...	Playstation Alien Girl
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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")

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

music video | electronic music | experimental film

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Genres:

Music

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Details

Official Sites:

Director's Label

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 October 2003 (USA)

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Black Dog Films, Palm Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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Connections

Features Aphex Twin: Windowlicker (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Afrika Shox"
Performed by Leftfield featuring Afrika Bambaataa

User Reviews

Great shorts, poor DVD

This review is mostly about the DVD not its contents, to which I would give a very high rating.

The DVD is poor, as it just contains some of the work Cunningham produced until 2004, so nothing of the interesting things he has done since them -some of his short films, for example- are included. The section devoted to video clips contains just 8 of them, not all of the ones he directed until 2004. There is no info section about the director himself. The "extras" contain 3 unreleased commercials, not especially good, some excerpts from his video montages (those are good), and the making-of the Bjork video, and some movie trailers. That is it! I think the label should release DVDs in which, like Gondry's, the director has an humongous volume of work, so the viewer can have a full prospective of the director's work. If you launch a newcomer and you don't mention that, you are lying to the customer and ripping him/her off.

Leaving behind this, the video section is very good and shows the originality, innovative language, and weirdness of Cunnigham's work and world, with desolated urban concrete spaces, the presence of freaks and disturbing characters, and robotics, all of that infused in an intriguing atmosphere. Especially good are his clips for Squarepusher "Come on my selector", Bjork's "All if full of love", and Letfield's "Africa Shox". I considered his video for Aphex Twin "Windowlicker" revolting for using women as pieces of meat; that's characteristic of American hip-hoppers and he surely was requested to provide that. Shame on him that he agreed. That's not experimental or innovative, but macho crap of the 20th century.

Some of the videos in the DVD can be found in YouTube, and much more, even an interview with the director. Don't waste your money renting or buying the DVD. If you like his work, YouTube is your place.