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Attention cinephiles: Take a gander at Michel Gondry’s favorite video labyrinth
09.10.2013
02:13 pm
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Michel Gondry
 
Michel Gondry directed the feature films Human Nature, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party, and The Science of Sleep and more music videos than you can shake a stick at (Björk, Daft Punk, The White Stripes, The Chemical Brothers, Radiohead, etc.), but for the purposes of this entry his most relevant movie is Be Kind Rewind, because it takes place in a video store.

Dallas-born actress Tiffany Limos, best known for appearing in Harmony Korine’s 2002 movie Ken Park, directed the charming short documentary A Cinephile’s Labyrinth for the video website NOWNESS, in which Gondry spends a few minutes in his favorite video store: Video Club de la Butte, located at 49 rue Caulaincourt in Paris’ 18ème arondissement. In it Gondry hangs out with the proprietor of the establishment, with whom he chats briefly about some of his favorite movies, including Louis Malle’s Zazie Dans Le Métro, Wim Wenders’ The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick, Roman Polanski’s The Tenant, and a few others. The shop generally seems great, and Gondry’s wistful attitude about his own love of movies is entirely charming.

I hope the shop sticks around for a long time; I have a feeling in Paris that might be possible.
 

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Michel Gondry’s $20 Portrait Project
‘Mirrorball’: Chris Cunningham, Spike, Jonze, Jonathan Glazer, Michel Gondry and co.

Posted by Martin Schneider
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09.10.2013
02:13 pm
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Bjork teams up again with Michel Gondry for ‘Crystalline’ video
07.26.2011
12:31 pm
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New video from Bjork’s Biophilia project: “Crystalline” was directed by longtime Bjork collaborator Michel Gondry, using elements from her iPhone app.
 

Posted by Richard Metzger
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07.26.2011
12:31 pm
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‘Mirrorball’: Chris Cunningham, Spike, Jonze, Jonathan Glazer, Michel Gondry and co.

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Back in 1999, Channel 4 aired Mirrorball a TV series that showcased the best promo directing talent across the globe. Two series and one animation special were made, featuring the talents of Spike Jonze, Mike Mills, Michel Gondry, Jonathan Glazer, Jonas Akerlund and Chris Cunningham. Each program was dedicated to one director, with an interview, a selection of their work, and a specially filmed insert (from Gondry drumming to Glazer mucking around with actor Paul Kay - aka Dennis Pennis).  Mirrorball was an instant hit and has gone on to become a cult TV classic since the series was cancelled in 2001.

Inspired by Edinburgh Film Festival’s Mirrorball screenings, the offshoot TV series was a collaboration between the Festival’s David Smith and Blackwatch Media, under producer and director, Nicola Black. As Black explained to Dangerous Minds:

“It was a fantastic opportunity to bring together groundbreaking directors and treat their work seriously, for the first time. We wanted to reveal the process behind these incredible pieces of work, which used cutting edge technology and post production techniques to achieve startling and unforgettable visuals to tell brilliant stories.  You have to remember, this was way before any of these directors had made their names in movies.

Black started out as an intern working with Derek Jarman, before moving on to directing and producing. She set up her company in 1995, making an internationally acclaimed documentary on crime writer James Ellroy’s search for his Mother’s murderer. Since then, Black has made a variety of award-winning shows, animations and “hard-hitting” documentaries, and started the trend in “shock docs” with Designer Vaginas.

“Mirrorball was a great series to make, not only in terms of the breadth of creative work shown, but also by the fact it gave insight into the early works of film-makers like Spike Jonze, Mark Romanek, who went on to make One Hour Photo, Michel Gondry, who made Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Jonathan Glazer, who directed the brilliant Sexy Beast.”

There were many great highlights to choose from the Mirrorball series (including Jonze’s superb short film How They Got There, Gondry’s genius work with Massive Attack & Daft Punk, Glazer’s collaborations with Radiohead, Akerlund’s Smack My Bitch Up and Mills promos for Air),  but we’ve gone for a selection from Chris Cunningham’s work, whose promos for Aphex Twin (aka genius Richard David James) are amongst some of the most original and disturbing ever made. Enjoy!
 

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Bonus clips of Mirrorball after the jump…
 

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Posted by Paul Gallagher
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10.14.2010
06:59 pm
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Wiping It Clean With Michel Gondry
08.07.2009
03:10 pm
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Owning original pieces of art does involve its share of responsibility.  So, if you’re disinclined to own a Michel Gondry original, maybe invest in something more disposable?  Gondry’s “notes from the throne” can be yours for just $13.95.  And no, that’s not the price for a 6-pack (but each roll is printed with soy-based inks).

 

Posted by Bradley Novicoff
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08.07.2009
03:10 pm
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Michel Gondry’s $20 Portrait Project
07.20.2009
03:37 pm
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Quirky French film director Michel Gondry was taking commissions for $20 portraits but apparently the response was so great that he has put a temporary hold on taking new orders. As soon as I read this on Gothamist, I immediately went to his website, made my order and emailed him the above photo. That was in April and last Friday our portrait arrived. We love it! Best $20 I have ever spent!

(I think from the way he drew me, he could tell I was stoned, what do you think?)

Michel Gondry’s Flickr archive of his $20 portraits:


Michel Gondry.com

 

Posted by Richard Metzger
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07.20.2009
03:37 pm
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