spit, 26. November 2007, 22:25
The White Stripes - Conquest (dir. Diane Martel)

         
from semi classy to shameful in less than 3 minutes.
         
Whoever edited this kinda destroyed the video. Really. Bad.
         
correction familiar, whoever directed this destroyed the video.
         
Martel takes so much shit on here I feel a bit guilty adding to it.
         
After (hypothetically) reading the treatment, I would've said to Diane: "Well this could be good but the band would NEVER go for it. And, how would you make the bull look sad without making it look cartoony?"
         
Captain, I think the 'cartoony' look was intentional. Martel has been taking a lot of aesthetic risks lately (to the complete bemusement of antville ), and I have to admit I find it exciting (the work, as well as the bemusement).
         
I have no issue with the "risks and aesthetics" here. Do you really think this is a good edit?
         
No, I don't really like the edit.
         
Yeah, Diane really has taken a lot of punishment on here recently, his last Editors video for example....

Not much to like here. Just one huge triple cheese burrito.
Editing adds to the mess but is not completely responsible... and don't start me on the 3d bull face.....

Aesthetic risks? I have to disagree with you spit... I think it just comes down to bad decisions and poor foresight. Wasn't at all exciting for me I'm sorry.
         
Jack White is the new
Super Animal

         
first the awful killers video (not the one with reed), then editors, now this... someone must tell her that her comic sense is out of place... by the way that super animal stuff is amateur, nobody in mexico knows about it
         
jack white... is no longer cool
         
If this had been by anyone else it'd have been shunned without comment, but everyones yelping about how bad it is cos its 'the stripes'... so what? The video is no worse than the song, which itself is dire. I actually found the vid so bad it made me laugh, and that endeared it to me, which is more than i can say about the song...

In regards to the bull - of COURSE they know it looks stupid, its obviously the point. Whether that point was worth embellishing to the extent of actually making the video is debatable, but dont make out like youve spotted some minute continuity error that unravels a pretentious premise - art it aint, nor is it intended to be.

But yeah, the edit is bullshit.
         
I prefer the unofficial gladiator edit

videos.antville.org

posted a while back
         
I've seen this on TV (without the YouTube noise), and it may not be the best music video of all time, but it works really well with the track. Definitely better than the unofficial one, which is made for Gladiator fans, not White Stripes ones.
         
Does the track sound better on tv?
         
It's okay. I don't know why everyone's reacting so passionately. Are White Stripes everyone's dream job or something?
-j
         
maybe it's because the White Stripes have a history of being the so-called "new Bjork" when it comes to videos. all their vids and choice of directors (sofia coppola, floria sigismondi, michel gondry) are excellent, but this is just trash. oh well, even bjork did hidden place, and she never really recovered.
         
this video is great - perfect for the track! why is everyone talkin so much shit on it?
         
Wow, I didn't expect this to turn so violent so fast. I tend to agree with 'bean', that the video complements the song's self-aware silliness, and I think the fact that it fully commits is commendable. The decision to go with a cartoon cgi bull instead of, let's say, a paper mache stop-motion bull or some other lo-fi indicator of 'indie cool', is testament to how far Diane was willing to commit. The song feels like a fun piss-take and so does the video. Compare it to the unofficial 'gladiator version' that was posted above and notice how the latter completely misses the humor of the song. That being said, I really wish the edit was stronger.
         
bulls are male, no? does this mean that Jack White is gay?
         
hey just joan maybe jack is just trying to get in touch with his feminine side? : )

i think the vid suits the track perfectly end of story - what do you expect for this slice of high camp?

i'm not wild about the animation style - in an early version the cow's expressions were drawn in with digital chalk and somehow this was more effective but still there is a lot more crap out there worthy of our vitriol
         
1) good editing with lots of micky mousing on musical events
2) good acting -> good directing

BUT
I don't like genre videos.
I've seen the bull thing a thousand times.
I prefer videos creating their own world.
         
""""I don't like genre videos.
I've seen the bull thing a thousand times.
I prefer videos creating their own world.""""


Antville Awards Film School Comment of the Year.
         
agree with hassinator. and diane martel is a good director despite apparently not having too many fans here.
         
I think the track is the biggest culprit.
Pantomime latino crap. White Stripes trying to be humorous or camp or who knows. I have liked a lot of White Stripe stuff but
this is another inane 'look the 'artist' is a really great at___ today!
We've seen vain singers pretend to be channel swimmers,
ice skaters, racing drivers. Oh it's just a bit of a laugh.
But is it? They always want to look great like they are the real thing. Yawn.
The video could have been funny perhaps. The bull CGI is appalling.
The editing I don't know, perhaps more could have been done.
It must have been a desperate edit.
It still couldn't work the track is too lame and video idea to cute and cuddly to work in the context of something so rough and visceral as real live action bullfighting. An animation/ comic strip approach could have worked better. Perhaps in an episode of Eurotrash.