Duran Duran (1983 video)
Encyclopedia
Officially titled simply Duran Duran (just like Duran Duran
's 1981 debut album and their 1993 comeback album
), this video compilation is sometimes unofficially referred to in print as the Duran Duran video album or Duran Duran: The First 11 Videos. This pioneering video album won a 1984 Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video
.
The release date, March 1983, was chosen to coincide with the promotion of the band's #1 single "Is There Something I Should Know?", and the American re-issue of their first album Duran Duran.
Future filmmaker Russell Mulcahy
directed the majority of this "travelogue
-style" collection of videos, featuring exotic locations and cinematic style that made Duran Duran's name as a video band. Videos for tracks like "Hungry Like The Wolf" and "Save a Prayer" were showpieces of this style.
Prior to the video album's release, the "Video EP" Duran Duran Video 45 came out in two versions. The first one had the "clean" or "day version" of "Girls On Film" alongside "Hungry Like The Wolf", while the other had the uncensored "night version" of "Girls On Film" as well as "Hungry Like The Wolf".
In February 1984, the video album Duran Duran won a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video
, while the Video 45 won the Best Short Form
award.
This collection was originally released with stereophonic sound
on LaserDisc
(the original optical disc
format) and Capacitance Electronic Disc formats, as well as in the Beta-HiFi and VHS-HiFi videotape formats. It has yet to be released on DVD, although Sing Blue Silver
, Duran Duran's 1984 tour documentary, and Arena
, a 1985 longform music video/concert film, both have been.
"Rio
Duran Duran travelled to the island of Antigua
in May 1982 to film the vivid music video
for "Rio", which featured iconic images of the band in colourful Antony Price
silk suits, singing and playing around on a yacht
sailing the Caribbean
. Short segments show band members trying to live out their assorted daydreams, only to be teased, tormented, and made fools of by a body-painted vixen
.
"Planet Earth
Fairly primitive by the band's later standards, the video was shot on a sound stage at St John's Wood
. It features the band (dressed in frilly, floppy New Romantic
fashions) playing the song on a white stage tricked out with special effects to look like a platform made of ice or crystal. Interspersed with the performance are shots of the band members alongside the four elements
. The video focused closely on the band's faces, highlighting their varied good looks. The instrumental middle section features friends of the band from the Rum Runner
nightclub dancing in their outlandish outfits. At the end of the video, singer Simon Le Bon
leaps from the stage, caught in a freeze frame shot
above an apparently bottomless abyss.
, drawing the attention of various band members. The elusive woman appears again in black and white scenes filmed in London
, disappearing whenever the band members turn to look for her. The music for the video is the David Kershenbaum
re-mix of the studio track, which contains an alternate chorus lyric in the closing section of the song.
"Careless Memories
This video was filmed in a decorated flat and on the streets around Soho
. The band members talk and laugh while Le Bon sings savagely to the camera.
, while flamenco
dancers twirl in the background, and a colourful parrot sits on the synthesisers, pecking at the keyboardist's fingers.
"Hungry Like the Wolf
This lush and cinematic video filmed in Sri Lanka
was filled with shots of jungles, rivers, elephants, cafes and marketplaces evoking the exotic atmosphere of swashbuckler
adventure films like Gunga Din
and Raiders of the Lost Ark
. The storyline reflected the lyrics "I'm on the hunt, I'm after you," with Le Bon pursuing a tiger-like woman from parties in the city through obstacles in the jungle, culminating in a final chase and struggle in a jungle clearing. In the meantime, other band members hunted for Le Bon. One shot of Le Bon's head rising out of the water in portentous slow motion (it was actually filmed backwards) is an homage to an identical shot in Apocalypse Now
.
shot on the Caribbean island of Antigua. A brief bit of dialogue before the music starts includes Le Bon's recitation of one of Mercutio's speeches from Romeo and Juliet
. Band members gather in a small beach village as the sun is setting, only to be separated and set upon by zombie
s one by one, until the ragged Nightboat arrives to carry Le Bon away. It is possible that this video is a homage to the Italian horror film Zombi 2
, with settings and zombies that look very much like those in the film. This video was filmed in May 1982, several months before Michael Jackson
began working on the video "Thriller"
, which also featured zombies.
"Girls on Film
This hit single was accompanied by an audacious video filmed at Shepperton Studios
in July 1981. The 1983 video album contains the uncensored full-length "night version" of "Girls on Film", which is over six minutes in length. The band performs on an elevated stage behind a model's catwalk, which resembles a boxing ring
, as various scantily clad women act out a series of erotic vignettes. A number of these scenarios feature mild depictions of BDSM
and lesbian
fetish
es as well as a recurring theme of seduction and abandonment:
"Save A Prayer
"Save A Prayer" is another exotic video filmed among the jungles, beaches, and temples of Sri Lanka
. Band members sing the song while interacting with the Sri Lankan people around their tents and fishing boats on the beach. Le Bon slow dances with, and attempts to woo, a beautiful woman who eventually leaves him. Scenes of band members atop the rock fortress of Sigiriya
, and among the ruins of a Buddhist temple at Polonnaruwa
, are intercut with images of the island and its people.
"The Chauffeur
This video is the only one on the album in which the band do not appear at all. It was filmed around Notting Hill
during the autumn of 1982, while the band was away on tour. A moody, elegant black-and-white piece inspired by the fetishistic imagery of Helmut Newton
, the production was entirely conceived, designed, photographed and edited by renowned British animation director Ian Emes
. The video is a fantasy of two mysterious, hauntingly beautiful women who are seen ritualistically dressing themselves in elaborate lingerie before traveling separately through the dark streets and tunnels of London
to meet in a vacant underground car park for an exotic lesbian encounter. The song's dramatic instrumental finale was accompanied by a topless Perri Lister
as the female chauffeur performing a sensuous dance — clearly an homage to Charlotte Rampling
's topless, fetishistic "Dance of the Seven Veils
" in Liliana Cavani
's famous 1974 film The Night Porter
.
"Is There Something I Should Know?
This memorable and much-played video featured colour clips of the band members, in blue shirts with tucked-in white ties, interspersed with surreal
black-and-white images of bowler-hatted
men inspired by Magritte's paintings. This video also included brief clips from several of the other videos in this collection. It is also longer than the studio track.
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
's 1981 debut album and their 1993 comeback album
Duran Duran (1993 album)
Duran Duran is the seventh studio album and the second self-titled album by Duran Duran, released on 23 February 1993. The cover art by Nick Egan features wedding photos from the parents of the four band members.Recording of the album was completed in early 1992 with an impending release by...
), this video compilation is sometimes unofficially referred to in print as the Duran Duran video album or Duran Duran: The First 11 Videos. This pioneering video album won a 1984 Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video
Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video
The Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs...
.
Background
The planning for this "video album" had begun early in the band's career, as Duran Duran and their management realized the power of video as an artistic marketing tool. In a move that is rarely seen today, they filmed videos during this period (1981–1983) for songs that were never released as singles — videos for the album tracks "Lonely in your Nightmare", "(Waiting for the) Nighboat" and "The Chauffeur" were shot especially for this collection.The release date, March 1983, was chosen to coincide with the promotion of the band's #1 single "Is There Something I Should Know?", and the American re-issue of their first album Duran Duran.
Future filmmaker Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy is an Australian film director. His work is easily recognized by his use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights.- Music videos :...
directed the majority of this "travelogue
Travel literature
Travel literature is travel writing of literary value. Travel literature typically records the experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel. An individual work is sometimes called a travelogue or itinerary. Travel literature may be cross-cultural or transnational in focus, or...
-style" collection of videos, featuring exotic locations and cinematic style that made Duran Duran's name as a video band. Videos for tracks like "Hungry Like The Wolf" and "Save a Prayer" were showpieces of this style.
Prior to the video album's release, the "Video EP" Duran Duran Video 45 came out in two versions. The first one had the "clean" or "day version" of "Girls On Film" alongside "Hungry Like The Wolf", while the other had the uncensored "night version" of "Girls On Film" as well as "Hungry Like The Wolf".
In February 1984, the video album Duran Duran won a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video
Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video
The Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs...
, while the Video 45 won the Best Short Form
Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video
The Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos...
award.
This collection was originally released with stereophonic sound
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
on LaserDisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
(the original optical disc
Optical disc
In computing and optical disc recording technologies, an optical disc is a flat, usually circular disc which encodes binary data in the form of pits and lands on a special material on one of its flat surfaces...
format) and Capacitance Electronic Disc formats, as well as in the Beta-HiFi and VHS-HiFi videotape formats. It has yet to be released on DVD, although Sing Blue Silver
Sing Blue Silver
Sing Blue Silver is a documentary about Duran Duran's 1983-1984 World Tour directed by Michael Collins. A sixty-minute edited version of the documentary was aired on MTV under the title Blue Silver....
, Duran Duran's 1984 tour documentary, and Arena
Arena (An Absurd Notion)
Arena is a concept concert video filmed during the course of Duran Duran's 1984 Sing Blue Silver North American Tour in support of the album Seven and the Ragged Tiger.-Background:...
, a 1985 longform music video/concert film, both have been.
"RioRio (song)"Rio" is the seventh single by Duran Duran, released on 1 November 1982.The song was the fourth, final, and title single lifted from the band's album of the same name, and was edited for its release...
" (Russell Mulcahy)
Duran Duran travelled to the island of AntiguaAntigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
in May 1982 to film the vivid music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Rio", which featured iconic images of the band in colourful Antony Price
Antony Price
Antony Price is a London fashion designer who is best known for glamorous evening wear and suits, and for the seventies icon of the cap sleeve t-shirt...
silk suits, singing and playing around on a yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
sailing the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. Short segments show band members trying to live out their assorted daydreams, only to be teased, tormented, and made fools of by a body-painted vixen
Vixen
A vixen is a female fox.Vixen may also refer to:-In the military:*HMS Vixen, various British Royal Navy ships*USS Vixen, various ships in the US Navy*Vickers Vixen, a biplane produced in small numbers in the 1920s...
.
"Planet EarthPlanet Earth (song)"Planet Earth" is the debut single by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 2 February 1981.It was an immediate hit in the band's native UK, reaching #12 on the UK Singles Chart on 21 February, and did even better in Australia, hitting #8 to become Duran Duran's first Top 10 hit...
" (Russell Mulcahy)
Fairly primitive by the band's later standards, the video was shot on a sound stage at St John's WoodSt John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem...
. It features the band (dressed in frilly, floppy New Romantic
New Romantic
New Romanticism , was a pop culture movement in the United Kingdom that began around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy's and The Blitz and spreading to other major cities in the UK, it was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and new wave music...
fashions) playing the song on a white stage tricked out with special effects to look like a platform made of ice or crystal. Interspersed with the performance are shots of the band members alongside the four elements
Four elements
Four elements may refer to:* Classical elements, such as air, fire, earth and water* 4 Elements, an album by Chronic Future* Group 4 element, one of the chemical elements in Group 4 of the periodic table...
. The video focused closely on the band's faces, highlighting their varied good looks. The instrumental middle section features friends of the band from the Rum Runner
Rum Runner (nightclub)
The Rum Runner nightclub was opened on Broad Street, Birmingham in the city centre in 1964. It was demolished in 1987 to make way for the Hyatt Hotel....
nightclub dancing in their outlandish outfits. At the end of the video, singer Simon Le Bon
Simon Le Bon
Simon John Charles Le Bon is an English musician, best known as the lead singer, lyricist and musician of the band Duran Duran and its offshoot, Arcadia.-Early life:...
leaps from the stage, caught in a freeze frame shot
Freeze frame shot
A freeze frame shot is used when one shot is printed in a single frame several times, in order to make an interesting illusion of a still photograph....
above an apparently bottomless abyss.
"Lonely in Your Nightmare" (Russell Mulcahy)
The video for this track begins with Le Bon finding a dusty old photograph of the aforementioned freeze-frame closing of the Planet Earth video on the floor of an abandoned building in London. This segues into a lovely yet melancholy album track containing a series of colour sections, in which a beautiful woman in a flowing dress wanders about the tropical settings of Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, drawing the attention of various band members. The elusive woman appears again in black and white scenes filmed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, disappearing whenever the band members turn to look for her. The music for the video is the David Kershenbaum
David Kershenbaum
David Kershenbaum is an American record producer and entrepreneur, born in Springfield, Missouri. He has worked with many artists including Duran Duran, Tracy Chapman, Joe Jackson, Bryan Adams, Supertramp, Cat Stevens, Elkie Brooks, and Tori Amos. As a producer he has earned 75 international gold...
re-mix of the studio track, which contains an alternate chorus lyric in the closing section of the song.
"Careless MemoriesCareless Memories"Careless Memories" is the second single by Duran Duran, released on 20 April 1981.The band's debut single "Planet Earth" had been a Top 20 hit, so it was regarded as a major setback when "Careless Memories" stalled at #37 in the UK charts, particularly as it was to herald the June release of the...
" (Perry Haines)
This video was filmed in a decorated flat and on the streets around SohoSoho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
. The band members talk and laugh while Le Bon sings savagely to the camera.
"My Own Way" (Russell Mulcahy)
The video for "My Own Way" was filmed in a St. Johns Wood studio that was decorated entirely in red, black and white. The band performs the fast-paced song in close-upClose-up
In filmmaking, television production, still photography and the comic strip medium a close-up tightly frames a person or an object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium shots and long shots . Close-ups display the most detail, but they do not include the broader scene...
, while flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
dancers twirl in the background, and a colourful parrot sits on the synthesisers, pecking at the keyboardist's fingers.
"Hungry Like the WolfHungry Like the Wolf"Hungry Like the Wolf" is a song by the British New Wave band Duran Duran. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Colin Thurston for the group's second studio album Rio . The song was released in May 1982 as the band's fifth single in the United Kingdom...
" (Russell Mulcahy)
This lush and cinematic video filmed in Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
was filled with shots of jungles, rivers, elephants, cafes and marketplaces evoking the exotic atmosphere of swashbuckler
Swashbuckler
Swashbuckler or swasher is a term that emerged in the 16th century and has been used for rough, noisy and boastful swordsmen ever since. A possible explanation for this term is that it derives from a fighting style using a side-sword with a buckler in the off-hand, which was applied with much...
adventure films like Gunga Din
Gunga Din (film)
Gunga Din is a 1939 RKO adventure film directed by George Stevens, loosely based on the poem of the same name by Rudyard Kipling, combined with elements of his novel Soldiers Three...
and Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford. It is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise...
. The storyline reflected the lyrics "I'm on the hunt, I'm after you," with Le Bon pursuing a tiger-like woman from parties in the city through obstacles in the jungle, culminating in a final chase and struggle in a jungle clearing. In the meantime, other band members hunted for Le Bon. One shot of Le Bon's head rising out of the water in portentous slow motion (it was actually filmed backwards) is an homage to an identical shot in Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
.
"(Waiting for the) Night Boat" (Russell Mulcahy)
The album track "Night Boat" was a spooky, atmospheric piece to begin with, and the video became a mini-horror filmHorror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
shot on the Caribbean island of Antigua. A brief bit of dialogue before the music starts includes Le Bon's recitation of one of Mercutio's speeches from Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
. Band members gather in a small beach village as the sun is setting, only to be separated and set upon by zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
s one by one, until the ragged Nightboat arrives to carry Le Bon away. It is possible that this video is a homage to the Italian horror film Zombi 2
Zombi 2
Zombi 2 is a 1979 zombie horror film directed by Lucio Fulci. It is the best-known of Fulci's films and made him a horror icon. Though the title suggests this is a sequel to Zombi Zombi 2 (also known as Zombie, Island of the Living Dead, Zombie Island, Zombie Flesh Eaters and Woodoo) is a 1979...
, with settings and zombies that look very much like those in the film. This video was filmed in May 1982, several months before Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
began working on the video "Thriller"
Thriller (music video)
Michael Jackson's Thriller is a 14-minute music video for the song of the same name released on December 2, 1983 and directed by John Landis, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jackson....
, which also featured zombies.
"Girls on FilmGirls on Film"Girls on Film" is the third single by Duran Duran, released on 13 July 1981.The single became Duran Duran's Top 10 breakthrough in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at Number 5 in August 1981...
" (Godley & CremeGodley & CremeGodley & Creme were an English pop music duo composed of Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. The pair began releasing albums as a duo after splitting from the pop band 10cc. In 1979 they directed their first music video for their own single "An Englishman in New York"...
)
This hit single was accompanied by an audacious video filmed at Shepperton StudiosShepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
in July 1981. The 1983 video album contains the uncensored full-length "night version" of "Girls on Film", which is over six minutes in length. The band performs on an elevated stage behind a model's catwalk, which resembles a boxing ring
Boxing ring
A boxing ring is the space in which a boxing match occurs. A modern ring, which is set on a raised platform, is square with a post at each corner to which four parallel rows of ropes are attached with a turnbuckle...
, as various scantily clad women act out a series of erotic vignettes. A number of these scenarios feature mild depictions of BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
and lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
fetish
Sexual fetishism
Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...
es as well as a recurring theme of seduction and abandonment:
- Two models in sheer black camisoleCamisoleA camisole is a sleeveless undergarment for women, normally extending to the waist. The camisole is usually made of satin, nylon, or cotton.- Historical definition :...
s and knickers mount the catwalk carrying pillows. They bestride a feather-covered phallic pole at either end and move toward the center, sliding their crotches along the horizontal candy-stripeCandy stripeCandy stripe may refer to:*Candy stripe, the colors of a Candy cane or Barber's pole*Candy stripe, the warm-up style for the Indiana Hoosiers mens basketball team.*Candy striper, a U.S...
d shaft in a slow and suggestive manner. They then engage in a spirited pillow fightPillow fightA pillow fight is a common game mostly played by young children in which they engage in mock physical conflict, utilizing pillows as weapons....
which dislodges one of their camisole spaghetti straps to reveal a wayward nude breast. Afterward, they kiss and return to their dressing room and pour champagne on each other's cleavageCleavage (breasts)Cleavage, anatomically known as the intramammary cleft, is the space between a woman's breasts lying over the sternum. Cleavage is exposed by a garment with a low neckline, such as ball gowns, evening gowns, swimwear, casual tops and other garments....
.
- The next scene seems a kinkyKink (sexual)In human sexuality, kinkiness and kinky are terms used to refer to a playful usage of sexual concepts in an accentuated, and unambiguously expressive form....
variation on David and Goliath: a lean, supple, petite female SumoSumois a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestler with her hair flared up in a tall tophawk ponytailPonytailA ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the undocked tail of a...
(the last detail is probably meant to evoke the traditional chonmageChonmageThe chonmage is a form of Japanese traditional haircut worn by men. It is most commonly associated with the Edo Period and samurai, and in recent times with sumo wrestlers...
topknotTopknotTopknot may refer to:* A hairstyle or haircut, historically prevalent in Asia:**Chonmage, a traditional Japanese haircut worn by men**Sangtu, a knot of hair that married men of the Joseon Dynasty wore in Korea.**Sikha, worn by orthodox Hindus....
required of Japanese Sumo wrestlers) mounts the catwalk to confront a stereotypically large, lumbering, heavyset male Sumo wrestler. Her clinging wet top emphasizes her ample breasts and nipples, while a closeup from behind of her mawashiMawashiIn sumo, a mawashi is the belt that the rikishi wears during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a keshō-mawashi as part of the ring entry ceremony or dohyo-iri.-Mawashi:...
loinclothLoinclothA loincloth is a one-piece male garment, sometimes kept in place by a belt, which covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks.-History and types:Loincloths are being and have been worn:*in societies where no other clothing is needed or wanted...
affords a fetishistic view of her bare buttocks. In the confrontational tachi-aiTachi-aiThe tachi-ai is the initial charge between two sumo wrestlers at the beginning of a bout.There are several common techniques that wrestlers use at the tachi-ai, with the aim of getting a decisive advantage in the bout:...
stance, she seizes her opponent by the shoulder and flips him forward head-over-heels. He somersaultSomersaultA somersault is an acrobatic exercise in which a person does a full 360° flip, moving the feet over the head. A somersault can be performed either forwards, backwards, or sideways and can be executed in the air or on the ground...
s and lands on his backside with a resounding thud and she gives the ceremonial rei salutation (i.e., a bow) and walks away victorious. - A masseuse in a white nurse's uniform with white garter suspendersGarter (stockings)Garters are articles of clothing: narrow bands of fabric fastened about the leg, used to keep up stockings, and sometimes socks. Normally just a few inches in width, they are usually made of leather or heavy cloth, and adorned with small bells and/or ribbons...
and sheer white stockings administers a full-body hot-oil massageMassageMassage is the manipulation of superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue to enhance function, aid in the healing process, and promote relaxation and well-being. The word comes from the French massage "friction of kneading", or from Arabic massa meaning "to touch, feel or handle"...
to the humiliated male Sumo wrestler on a steam-bath table. - A sexy blonde in a cowgirl costume "rides" on the back of a muscular G-stringG-stringA G-string is a type of thong underwear or swimsuit, a narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic, that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the hips, worn as swimwear or underwear by women and men...
-wearing black male model who is fetishistically costumed as an equine. She later soaps his undulating semi-nude body with a wet sponge and then leads him on a leash while he cavorts behind her. - A model wearing a one-piece swimsuitOne-piece swimsuitA one-piece swimsuit is a usually skin-tight one-piece swimsuit worn by women and girls when swimming in the sea or in a swimming pool, or for any activity in the sun, such as sun bathing. The one-piece swimsuit usually covers a female's torso...
and high-heels struts and poses on the catwalk before falling backwards into a child's inflatable plastic wading pool and collapsing. She is "rescued" and revived by a handsome male lifeguardLifeguardA lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on...
(it has often been erroneously stated that the lifeguard was played by Simon Le Bon himself, when in fact it was an uncredited model who had assumed the role). She responds by embracing and kissing the lifeguard so intensely that he becomes unconscious from exhaustion and is left supine in the pool while she casually saunters away. The model is later seen reclining on a chair completely nude, drying herself with an electric blow dryer before rubbing ice cubes on her nipples in closeup. - A brunette model removes her fur coat to reveal her bare breasts and skintight see-through plastic knickers underneath. She mud-wrestlesMud wrestlingMud wrestling is defined as physical confrontation that occurs in mud or a mud pit. The popular modern interpretation specifies that participants wrestle while wearing minimal clothing and usually going barefoot, with the emphasis on presenting an entertaining spectacle as opposed to physically...
with a blonde wearing a one-piece swimsuit. The blonde is defeated and left to wallow supine in the mud, while the triumphant brunette is attended by an obliging male assistant who proceeds to spray the mud off her nude body with a phallic water hose.
"Save A PrayerSave A Prayer"Save a Prayer" is the sixth single by Duran Duran, released on 9 August 1982.The song was the third single from the band's second album Rio...
" (Russell Mulcahy)
"Save A Prayer" is another exotic video filmed among the jungles, beaches, and temples of Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. Band members sing the song while interacting with the Sri Lankan people around their tents and fishing boats on the beach. Le Bon slow dances with, and attempts to woo, a beautiful woman who eventually leaves him. Scenes of band members atop the rock fortress of Sigiriya
Sigiriya
Sigiriya is a large stone and ancient rock fortress and palace ruin in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures...
, and among the ruins of a Buddhist temple at Polonnaruwa
Polonnaruwa
The second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 AD to reunite the country once more under a local leader.-History:While Vijayabahu's victory and shifting of Kingdoms to the more strategic Polonnaruwa...
, are intercut with images of the island and its people.
"The ChauffeurThe Chauffeur"The Chauffeur" is a Duran Duran song from their second album Rio. The song was written by Simon Le Bon as poetry, several years before Rio was even begun. Two different versions of the song were originally recorded by Duran Duran, and the song has been covered by three mainstream artists. Two...
" (Ian Emes)
This video is the only one on the album in which the band do not appear at all. It was filmed around Notting HillNotting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
during the autumn of 1982, while the band was away on tour. A moody, elegant black-and-white piece inspired by the fetishistic imagery of Helmut Newton
Helmut Newton
Helmut Newton, born Helmut Neustädter was a German-Australian photographer. He was a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were a mainstay of Vogue and other publications."-Early life:Newton was born in Berlin, the son of Klara...
, the production was entirely conceived, designed, photographed and edited by renowned British animation director Ian Emes
Ian Emes
Ian Ronald Emes is a British animator and film director, from Handsworth, Birmingham, England, known for his work with Pink Floyd, who have used his animated films as back-projections in concert and released them as extras on their DVDs...
. The video is a fantasy of two mysterious, hauntingly beautiful women who are seen ritualistically dressing themselves in elaborate lingerie before traveling separately through the dark streets and tunnels of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to meet in a vacant underground car park for an exotic lesbian encounter. The song's dramatic instrumental finale was accompanied by a topless Perri Lister
Perri Lister
Perri Lister , is an English actress, dancer, and singer. She featured in her first film in 1980, and has since appeared in films and television series...
as the female chauffeur performing a sensuous dance — clearly an homage to Charlotte Rampling
Charlotte Rampling
Charlotte Rampling, OBE is an English actress. Her career spans four decades in English-language as well as French and Italian cinema.- Early life :...
's topless, fetishistic "Dance of the Seven Veils
Dance of the Seven Veils
In several notable works of Western culture, the Dance of the Seven Veils is one of the elaborations on the biblical tale of the execution of John the Baptist...
" in Liliana Cavani
Liliana Cavani
Liliana Cavani is an Italian film director and screenwriter. She belongs to a generation of Italian filmmakers that came into prominence in the 1970s and includes Bernardo Bertolucci, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Marco Bellochio. Cavani became internationally known after the success of her 1974 feature...
's famous 1974 film The Night Porter
The Night Porter
The Night Porter is a controversial 1974 film by Italian director Liliana Cavani, starring Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling.- Synopsis :...
.
"Is There Something I Should Know?Is There Something I Should Know?"Is There Something I Should Know?" is the eighth single by Duran Duran, released on 19 March 1983.The song was released as a stand-alone single and became the band's first UK number one record. It debuted in the #1 position on the UK Singles Chart on 26 March 1983...
" (Russell Mulcahy)
This memorable and much-played video featured colour clips of the band members, in blue shirts with tucked-in white ties, interspersed with surrealSurrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
black-and-white images of bowler-hatted
Bowler hat
The bowler hat, also known as a coke hat, derby , billycock or bombin, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown originally created in 1849 for the English soldier and politician Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester...
men inspired by Magritte's paintings. This video also included brief clips from several of the other videos in this collection. It is also longer than the studio track.
Track listing
- "Rio" (AntiguaAntiguaAntigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
) – 5:02 - "Planet Earth" – St John's WoodSt John's WoodSt John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem...
) (3:49 - "Lonely in your Nightmare" [US Album Remix] (LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Sri LankaSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
) – 4:49 - "Careless Memories" (Soho) – 3:40
- "My Own Way" [Day Version] – St. Johns Wood) (3:33
- "Hungry Like the Wolf" (Sri Lanka) – 3:37
- "(Waiting for the) Nighboat" (Antigua) – 5:11
- "Girls on Film (Night Version)" (SheppertonSheppertonShepperton is a town in the borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, England. To the south it is bounded by the river Thames at Desborough Island and is bisected by the M3 motorway...
Studios) – 6:11 - "Save a Prayer" (Sri Lanka) – 6:03
- "The Chauffeur" (London) – 4:57
- "Is There Something I Should Know?" (London) – 4:25