The Directors Label continues in its quest to document the work of cutting-edge music video directors by following their extensive profiles of Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, and Chris Cunningham with this overview of Mark Romanek's work. Romanek's eclectic career saw him helm his first... [More]

The Directors Label continues in its quest to document the work of cutting-edge music video directors by following their extensive profiles of Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, and Chris Cunningham with this overview of Mark Romanek's work. Romanek's eclectic career saw him helm his first feature film in 1988 (STATIC) before establishing himself as a music video director with promo's for a diverse array of artists. Among the musicians whose work has been lensed by Romanek are pop diva Madonna ("Bedtime Story," "Rain"), rock legends David Bowie ("Jump, They Say") and Mick Jagger ("God Gave Me Everything"), rap superstar Jay Z ("99 Problems"), indie-rockers Beck ("Devil's Haircut") and Weezer ("El Scorcho"), and many others. All of these are included here, alongside what is possibly Romanek's greatest achievement: a memorable, bittersweet last video for the late, great Johnny Cash, with his cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt." As he slowly edges back into the motion picture industry with features such as ONE HOUR PHOTO and A COLD CASE, this anthology provides a welcome look back on the work of a director who helped elevate the lowly music video into an acceptable artform. [Less]