Product Description

In 2003, Palm Pictures joined with director’s Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and Chris Cunningham to create The Directors Label, a groundbreaking series of DVD collections curating the work of todays most innovative filmmakers. Now, Palm is releasing Volume 2, promising to take the Director’s Label to the next level with four exciting new DVDs with superb content featuring the biggest stars in music and film.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32936 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-09-13
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French, German
• Number of discs: 4

Amazon.com
The Director's Label Series is the premier showcase for the art of the music video. The previous boxed set featured the work of Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham, and Michel Gondry, with each director contributing music videos, commercials, and documentary featurettes. The Director's Label Boxed Set Vol. 2 features the work of video auteurs Mark Romanek, Stéphane Sednaoui, Anton Corbijn, and Jonathan Glazer. There is a bounty of superb material here, with watershed videos from some of the biggest acts of the past twenty years (Metallica, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Madonna) as well as from lesser-knowns (Eels, Mirwais, David Sylvian, Herbert Gronemeyer). Beyond the videos, extras include commercials, beautifully-produced booklets for each director, and an exhaustive selection of documentary shorts. When future generations debate the artistic merit of the music video, this is where they'll start.

A Complete Guide to The Director's Label Series

Director's Label Boxed Set Vol. 1	Vol 1: The Work of Spike Jonze	Vol 2: The Work of Chris Cunningham
Vol 3: The Work of Michel Gondry	Vol 4: The Work of Mark Romanek	Vol 5: The Work of Jonathan Glazer
Vol 6: The Work of Anton Corbijn	Vol 7: The Work of Stéphane Sednaoui	Other Music Videos and Documentaries

Interviews with the Directors

Anton Corbijn

Stéphane Sednaoui

Mark Romanek

DVDs included in The Director's Label Boxed Set Vol. 2

Vol. 4: Work of Director Mark Romanek

Artists who’ve worked with him describe Mark Romanek as "meticulous" and "demanding." Yet, the biggest names in the business have clamored to work with the mercurial helmer, because they know he'll make them look good: Madonna ("Rain"), No Doubt ("Hella Good"), etc. Along the way, the Grammy winner has been behind some of the world's most famous--and infamous--videos. On the groundbreaking side, there's Lenny Kravitz's exhilarating "Are You Gonna Go My Way," which made the musician a star in one fell swoop. On the controversial side, there's Fiona Apple's teasing "Criminal," Nine Inch Nails' macabre "Closer," and Jay-Z's apocalyptic "99 Problems"--the latter two in director's cut editions. In another class entirely, is Romanek's heartbreaking video for Johnny Cash's "Hurt." More than a promo, it's an elegy for a legend. Despite an interview with Robin Williams, this collection otherwise overlooks Romanek's features, One Hour Photo and Static.

Vol. 5: Work of Director Jonathan Glazer

British filmmaker Jonathan Glazer began by directing pop promos and advertisements before transitioning into features. His video style is crisp and clean, yet vaguely menacing. There's always more going on than meets the eye--a quality carried over into his films. Like Kubrick, he's partial to Steadicams and empty hallways. Massive Attack's "Karmacoma" even features twins straight from The Shining, while Blur's "The Universal" cops from A Clockwork Orange, so he's not exactly shying away from the influence. Glazer's commercial style, on the other hand, is more wide-ranging, less easily identifiable. His ambitious ads for Guinness, Levi’s, etc. bring out his playful side in a way the videos do not. Interestingly, oddball actor Denis Lavant (Beau Travail) shows up twice, in the creepy clip for UNKLE's "Rabbit in Your Headlights" and the "Last Orders" spot for Stella Artois. This Director's Series edition also features excerpts from Sexy Beast and Birth.

Vol. 6: Work of Director Anton Corbijn

Known as much for his photography as his videos, Anton Corbijn has produced some of rock's most memorable images. Long associated with Depeche Mode and U2 (that’s his iconic shot on the cover of Joshua Tree), the Dutch director has worked with a diverse array of acts, including Joy Division ("Atmosphere"), Nirvana ("Heart-Shaped Box"), and Metallica ("Hero of the Day"). This collection captures over 20 years of wit and style, with influences ranging from surrealism, expressionism, and elegant European auteurs like Fritz Lang, Wim Wenders, and Ingmar Bergman (especially The Seventh Seal). Like many of the best video makers, Corbijn takes his cues more from the music and personality of the artists than the lyrics. The striking video for David Sylvian's "Red Guitar," for instance, features the singer, an old man, and a young boy--no red guitars anywhere. That about sums up Corbijn: often slick, occasionally bizarre--always unpredictable.

Vol. 7: Work of Director Stéphane Sednaoui

According to Bono, "He’s much cooler than anyone in his videos." That’s high praise indeed as French filmmaker/photographer Stéphane Sednaoui has conjured up many of music’s hippest clips. Glitter, mirror balls, metallic paint--if it glows, shines, or sparkles, you can bet he's incorporated it into one of his projects. Sednaoui's background in fashion permeates every production, so it's no wonder he's worked with such stylish performers as Bjork and Garbage's Shirley Manson. (Like Anton Corbijn, celebrity portraiture is also part of his purview.) Fortunately, his are more than pretty pictures, but concentrated capsules of mood, as in his melancholy meditations for Massive Attack ("Sly") and Tricky ("Pumpkin"), and movement, as in his ecstatic explorations for the Red Hot Chili Peppers ("Give It Away"), U2 ("Mysterious Ways"), and Bjork ("Big Time Sensuality"). And yes, trivia buffs, that's Sofia Coppola in the bad trip video for the Black Crowes' "Sometimes Salvation." --Kathleen C. Fennessy with Ryan Boudinot

Customer Reviews

Believe it or Not!!! Even better than the first collection!!
This is a box set including all new FOUR DVDs with the work of grand music video auteurs.

Where the first series released included the impressive work of Chris Cunnigham, Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze, this new series features Stephane Sednaoui, Maark Romanek, Jonathan Glazer and Anton Corbijn.

THE WORK OF DIRECTOR MARK ROMANEK
Jay Z - 99 Problems (director's cut)
Linkin Park - Faint
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can't Stop
Johnny Cash - Hurt
Audioslave - Cochise (director's cut)
No Doubt - Hella Good (director's cut)
Mick Jagger - God Gave Me Everything
Janet Jackson featuring Joni Mitchell and Q-Tip - Got Til It's Gone
Fiona Apple - Criminal
Nine Inch Nails - Perfect Drug
Beck - Devil's Haircut
Weezer - El Scorcho (director's cut)
Eels - Novocaine for the Soul
Sonic Youth - Little Trouble Girl
Michael & Janet Jackson - Scream (director's cut)
Madonna - Bedtime Story
R.E.M. - Strange Currencies
G. Love & Special Sauce - Cold Beverage
Nine Inch Nails - Closer (director's cut)
David Bowie - Jump, They Say
Madonna - Rain
Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way
Keith Richards - Wicked as it Seems (director's cut)
En Vogue - Free Your Mind
kd lang - Constant Craving

Special Features
-A brand new documentary featuring Beck, Jay-Z, Rick Rubin, Michael Stipe, Janet Jackson, Trent Reznor, Anthony Keidis, Gwen Stefani, Keith Richards and others.
-Romanekian: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Robin Williams discuss Mark's work.
-Making of 99 Problems

Interviews and Commentaries
Individual artist and director commentaries for all the music videos.

52 Page Book
Includes photographs by Mark Romanek and Spike Jonze interview with Mark.

THE WORK OF DIRECTOR JONATHAN GLAZER
Music Videos
Radiohead - Street Spirit
Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity
Richard Ashcroft - A Song for the Lovers
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Into My Arms
UNKLE - Rabbit in Your Headlights
Blur - The Universal
Radiohead - Karma Police
Massive Attack - Karmacoma

Commercials
Wrangler - Ride
Guinness - Surfer (extended)
Guinness - Swim Black
Guinness - Dreamer
Volkswagen - Protection
Stella Artois - Last Orders
Stella Artois - Whip Round
Levis - Kung Fu
Levis - Odyssey
Barclays - Bull (with Samuel L. Jackson)
Barclays - Chicken (with Samuel L. Jackson)

Interviews and Commentaries
Including Nick Cave, Richard Ashcroft, Jamiroquai, Denis Lavant, 3D, Blur and James Lavelle.

Films
Sexy Beast (excerpt) - You're the Problem
Interviews with Ray Winstone and Sir Ben Kingsley
Birth (excerpt) - Central Park
Interviews with Nicole Kidman, Danny Huston, Harris Savides, Milo Addica and Jean Claude Carriere.

Tramp: Paul Kaye

52 Page Book
Includes photographs, sketches, storyboards and interviews.

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.

THE WORK OF DIRECTOR STÉPHANE SEDNAOUI
Music Videos
Mirwais - I Can't Wait
Tricky - For Real
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Scar Tissue
Mirwais - Disco Science
R.E.M. - Lotus
Björk - Possibly Maybe
Alanis Morissette - Ironic
Tricky - Pumpkin
Garbage - Queer
Tricky - Hell is Around the Corner
Massive Attack - Sly
Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry - Seven Seconds
Björk - Big Time Sensuality
Björk - Big Time Sensuality (new night version)
Black Crowes - Sometimes Salvation
U2 - Mysterious Ways
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Give It Away
NTM - Le Monde De Demain
U2 - Discotheque (new director's cut)

Extras
Walk On The Wild Side - Short film inspired by Lou Reed's song
Army of Me - Animation inspired by Björk's song
Acqua Natasa - Short film featuring Natasa Vojnovic
Reve Reche - Stéphane's first short film attempt

Interviews and Commentaries
34 minutes and 29 seconds of interviews including Björk, Bono, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Michael Stipe, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shirley Manson, Tricky and more.
Stéphane's presentation at New York University Film School

52 Page Book
Diary of photos, storyboards, sketches and comments.

Who Needs A Comparison
I went ahead and reviewed each disc individually -- just because the work of these directors is too diverse to be described in one 300 word review....

Here's what I think about this series vs. the first one. I liked the first series very much, and thought the whole idea was great (not knowing that they were going to continue the series). However, the second boxset is bigger, bolder, and regardless of others say, has comparable if not better material than the first. Jonze, Gondry, and Cunningham are great directors, but in no way do they sit on a pedestal above guys like Anton Corbijn or Mark Romanek, no way. I was less familiar with Stephane Sednaoui than the other directors, but even his work is spectacular in its own way (it's much different than the other directors, very French).

There's one thing in particular that sets the Directors Label apart from other video compilations: diversity. Instead of just packing every director who's worked with Radiohead into a series, several talented directors from very different schools are brought together. This allows us to compare and contrast their styles, techniques, and everything else that puts a film/videography/cinematography/etc nut in heaven. The only thing that series is missing is some directors in the Hip Hop realm, and Palm announced that they'd be adding a new installment for these directors next year.

If you're not familiar with the Directors Label Series, find a friend who owns some of the discs or rent a couple of them, otherwise you'll kick yourself if you buy one first and end up craving the boxset. And honestly, the only way to truly appreciate this series is to have all the directors, their unique styles, and their material together -- it's an experience.

Modern Genuises
This collection is by far the best collection of music video directors and their work in music, film, and tv. A collection to get that will one day be very valuable.