POP CULTURE PARALLELS: MADONNA AND FILM HISTORY

Besides the rap section of Madonna's Vogue music video, a litany of Hollywood stars, or her imitation of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in MAterial Girl, she is a pop artist who has repeatedly co-opted or appropriated filmic history and iconography.  In addition to her evelopment of star personas such as Maryiln Monroe and Jean Harlow, her music videos, especially during the 1990s, show case an impressive film literacy from herself and the directors with whom she worked. 

Perhaps these music videos by Madonna can shed light on the movements of German Expressionism and Soviet Montage.

David Fincher's EXPRESS YOURSELF video draws heavily from Metropolis (the canoical german expressionist film.  Urban paranoira, repressed sexuality, industrial malaise all dominate the narrative.  Its visuals are heightened similar to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and shows a modern use of the expressionistic mode.



In this second video to Madonna's RAY OF LIGHT, Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund, used sped up images from various cities including Los Angeles, New York, London, Vegas, and Stockholm.  The disparate images of single days in the city and their editing recall Vertov's Man with a Movie Camera.  Åkerlund is also referencing Godfrey Reggio's 1982 film Koyaanisqatsi: Life out of Balance, which features time-lapse photography.



Åkerlund and Madonna were later accused of plagarism by Stefano Salvati.  The Italian director claimed that he had sent Maverick, Madonna's record company, a copy of his video for Biagio Antonacci's  song "Non è Mai Stato Subito" prior to the filming of Ray of Light.

POP CULTURE PARALLELS: CHAPLIN AND KEATON IN FASHION

For Spring 2011, fashion designer John Galliano turned to silent film for inspiration.  The collection inspired by Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton experimented with new proporitions.  The runway featured a giant clock, which could be a reference to Chaplin's film MODERN TIMES in which he is trapped in a set of gears or possibly to Harold Lloyd's SAFETY LAST.  The show's references could also be a remark on the current economic enviornment.  Ironic that this tramp ensemble costs so much money.

Fashion and film have always been very connected but more than ever fashion houses are turning to film and filmmakers to reach a larger audience.  For example, three famous directors have produced perfume commercials for fashion houses:  David Lynch for Gucci, Sofia Coppola for Dior, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet for Chanel.