"New Order: The Perfect Kiss" is one of those experiences that simply isn't done anymore. Simple yet carrying a certain complexity; common but filled with appeal. The video directed by a Jonathan Demme light years from "The Silence of the Lambs" contains much of the technique he presented to us on his films in the 1990's: massive close-ups of characters who look directly to the screen. He was a master of dominating all the possibilities he had in front of him, exploring to the maximum the environment he had available and a unique control of his actors...in this case, one of his favorite music groups New Order. This is the director's greatest music video.
Concept: a band on studio performing the song. You've seen that before time and again. However, the music is played in its entirety, 11 magnificent minutes of pure groove, energetic and multi-instrumented. Remember, this was back when MTV was the hottest thing ever and the only clip that had a similar running time was John Landis "Michael Jackson: Thriller" which was an epic horror clip with a Hollywood budget. Outside of such domain, the video or song were heavily edited. So, is it Demme making a spectacle like "Thriller"? Actually no. He dared to just present the band in several close-ups, not only their cold faces acting as if they don't give a damn about anything except their music but also their hands, fingers and the instruments they play.
Hook, Gilbert, Morris and Sumner are extensively filmed in detail, dead cold and serious expressions but playing their music with precision. Most important fact about this: Mr. Demme only used static shots. The camera moves maybe once or twice, a very subtle movement but for the most part its static and captures the band members actions and expressions for some long period. It doesn't sound exciting but once you see the whole thing you feel a complete excitement and curiosity each frame goes by, following Sumner's singing, playing his guitar and the cowbell; Hook slapping the bass; and Gillian & Stephen putting the house down with their powerful keyboards. And also to appreciate what some fans call it, "Ian Curtis ghost" - there's this smiling guy in the background (he pops in one scene) who resembles Ian a lot, Joy Division lead vocal/writer, previous band of the majority of New Order formation.
Here's a memorable and definitive affirmation that clips doesn't necessarily need spectacular budgets or film-like stories to reach an audience, cause some impact and above all, sell a great song. It's long but it's worth seeing all of its minutes. Simply irresistible. 10/10 RIP Jonathan Demme (A Luta Continua)
